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Hey again — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

7% of all Google searches are health-related.

That’s more than 1 billion searches every day for health information.

So it makes sense that one of the biggest complaints I hear from practices is, “We're not showing up in Google.”

That’s why it’s Roadblock #1 in our Healthcare Marketing Roadblocks framework: Lack of Online Visibility.

Even though most practices are doing something online

—they have a website, maybe even run some ads—

they're still invisible to potential patients when it matters most.

And in order to see patients you need to be seen.

So we’re going to cover exactly what you should do to jump start your practice if you need more patients ASAP.

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Thoughts for the Week: The Queen’s Gambit has no right to be such a good book

• [2-3 min] Breaking Through Invisibility: Rapid Actions to Boost Your Practice's Online Visibility

• [30 sec] By the Numbers: Healthcare Search & Visibility

• [30 sec] In the Know: Three healthcare marketing stories worth your time

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

Play The Queen’s Gambit

I binge-read The Queen’s Gambit last week and I can assertively declare that it has absolutely no right to be as good as it is.

It’s a book about a boring game.

That I don’t play.

And I hardly even understand.

But I could not put it down.

One night I kept doing the “Hmmm…it’s late. But…maybe just one more chapter…” thing.

Until after 3:30 am.

So it got me thinking about how we write website and blog content for—frankly—dry and boring medical topics that require a substantial amount of technical information to properly address.

We could easily overwhelm a prospective patient with medical jargon if we don’t break it down to essential elements that are in straightforward terms.

But there’s always some base layer atomic level beyond which we can’t break the concepts down any further without losing their meaning. 

Some level of technical information that defines our playing field.

I loved The Queen’s Gambit because I could gloss over the exact chess moves** and still follow the action.

Because all you need for a story is a) character, b) a problem, and c) a resolution.

For your website, blog content, social media posts, etc., you already have the character: the reader/prospective patient.

Even more, you already have the problem—the topic of your blog post or page. 

All you need to do is connect the dots to the resolution: booking an appointment with you.

 ** In case you haven’t read The Queen’s Gambit: It’s a novel in which the main character becomes an international chess champion. The writing steps through certain chess moves and board setups in great detail for dramatic matches. Somehow it’s also a page-turner. I’m still coming to terms with that.

SPOTLIGHT

Breaking Through Invisibility: Rapid Actions to Boost Your Practice's Online Visibility

2-3 min. read

You need to use Google Ads to get new patients quickly, since SEO takes months to really take effect.

There’s just no quicker way to find patients with “booking intent”—that is, who want to book and are looking for what you offer.

So let’s nail down your simplest approach.

You can have this set up within 2-3 hours, with initial results in 24-48 hours

📊 Quick Wins: Focused Google Ads Approach

Many practices waste money on overly complex Google Ads campaigns.

Here's a simplified, high-impact approach:

⚡️ The 2-Campaign Structure

Campaign 1: Brand Protection (~10-15% of Budget)

You’ll use exact match keywords here.

The CPC (cost-per-click) will be lower because no one else is likely to bid on your brand keywords unless they’re common or you’re well-established.

• Bid on your practice name, provider names, and close variations

• Create 3-5 ads highlighting your unique strengths

• Link directly to your homepage or about page

• Purpose: Ensure you appear at the top when someone searches specifically for you

• Target ROAS: 800-1000% (every $1 spent should generate $8-10 in patient value on the first visit)

Campaign 2: Non-Brand Acquisition (90% of Budget) 

Here you want to focus primarily on exact match keywords, but include some phrase match if you have the budget.

Just monitor your campaigns to make sure your ads aren’t getting shown for anything they shouldn’t.

If they are, add those search terms to your negative keywords list to prevent that in the future.

Structure this campaign with three targeted ad groups:

Ad Group 1: Service Keywords (40% of non-brand budget)

• Focus on: "[Specialty] in [location]" and “[location] [specialty]” terms

• Example keywords:

  • "optometrist downtown phoenix"

  • “roanoke va therapist”

• Match types: Exact match or phrase match with negative keywords

• Target ROAS: 400-600%

Ad Group 2: Problem Keywords (30% of non-brand budget)

• Focus on: Symptoms and conditions patients search for

• Example keywords:

  • "lower back pain treatment"

  • "tooth pain when chewing"

• Match types: Exact match or phrase match with negative keywords

• Target ROAS: 300-500%

Ad Group 3: Solution Keywords (30% of non-brand budget)

• Focus on: Specific treatments and procedures

• Example keywords:

  • "dental implant procedure"

  • "sports injury rehabilitation"

• Match types: Exact match or phrase match with negative keywords

• Target ROAS: 350-550%

📈 Essential Ad Elements:

• Include your city name in headlines and create some headlines with keyword insertion

• Mention insurance acceptance or if you have payment options when possible

• Use at least one "Book Now" or "Schedule Today" call-to-action

• Create 2-3 responsive search ads per ad group

• Add all the headlines you can and all the descriptions you can

• Always use location extensions

• Link to service-specific landing pages, not your homepage

Pro tip: Do a search for some of your keywords before creating your ads. See what shows up. Try to make sure your headlines & descriptions will stand out (and remain within Google’s guidelines around things like punctuation and symbols)

🚀 Rapid Implementation Plan:

1. Set up HIPAA-compliant conversion tracking properly (consultation requests, phone calls)

2. Start with a modest daily budget ($20-50/day depending on specialty)

3. Focus on a 5-15-mile radius around your practice location depending upon your population & competition density

4. Review performance weekly and adjust bids on keywords with conversions

5. Add negative keywords daily for the first two weeks

The key is simplicity and focus. By concentrating your efforts a streamlined Google Ads approach, you can dramatically increase your practice's visibility where it matters most.

🧠 Remember: In all marketing, visibility precedes everything else. Patients can't book with providers they can't find. Don’t be a ghost.

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

1. Hit "reply” to any email and drop me a line. Tell your story, share your marketing struggles, or just say hi. I read every email.

2.  Get in front of our audience of healthcare leaders & professionals.

3. Our Healthcare Practice Visibility Boost Kit is coming soon! Get your practice showing up in search results and directories within days—no technical knowledge required. Reply with "VISIBILITY KIT" to get on the early access list.

BY THE NUMBERS

Visibility & Marketing Insights

3 Statistics

• Healthcare marketing spend is projected to reach $36.42 billion by 2030 (GlobalNewswire)

• 65% of small or medium sized businesses are investing in Pay-per-Click (PPC) campaigns such as Google Ads (Analyzify)

• 58.5% of adults used the internet to find health/medical information in a span of just 6 months—and women were more likely than men to do so (CDC)

2 Quotes

• "As consumer expectations shift towards immediacy and personalization, the [healthcare] sector is witnessing a paradigm where every message resonates beyond its immediate context." — Healthcare Marketing & Communications Report 2025

• "Diminishing returns continue to be a challenge in paid advertising, particularly on social media, where audiences are quickly becoming fatigued with seeing the same ads and brands repeatedly. Not only does this lower the effectiveness of the ads in generating revenue over time, it can also damage brand reputation over time." — Taboola Marketing Hub

1 Idea

• "Leverage partnerships and influencers. Businesses can establish trust more quickly by collaborating with organizations, influencers or brands that already have credibility within the new demographic." For healthcare practices, this might mean partnering with local wellness centers, fitness studios, or community organizations to tap into their established audience. (Forbes Business Council)

IN THE KNOW

Key Articles this Week

1. Exceeding Expectations: How To Leverage AI In Healthcare Marketing Forbes explores how AI is transforming marketing for healthcare businesses. This includes personalization, messaging, strategy, and even building custom GPTs to take on marketing responsibilities Read more

2. Healthcare Marketing to Reach $36.42 Billion by 2030 A new industry report reveals healthcare marketing is growing at 8.15% annually. Of course, navigating the regulatory environment will continue to be a challenge—especially as AI starts to become more involved. Read more

3. How to Inspire and Expand Your Patient Base This practical guide from Forbes Business Council outlines how small businesses can expand their customer base through (surprise, surprise) personalization, technology, messaging, and proactive customer service. Read more

*Some links in this email may be affiliate links.

That’s All for Now

Have a great week—and don’t feel bad stealing marketing strategies from a ~$3 billion company. They’ll be okay.

See You Next Week,

Steve