When someone types "dermatologist near me" or "knee pain doctor in Heliopolis", they are not casually scrolling. They have a problem, they want help, and they may book today. That is why Google Ads can work so well for clinics.
It's also why it can burn money so quickly. A clinic that sends every click to its home page, runs broad Keywords, and counts page visits as results can spend for months and learn almost nothing.
This guide explains how to set up Google Ads for a clinic, step by step, in a way that connects spending to patients who actually come in.
Decide if Google Ads suits your clinic now
Google Ads captures existing demand. It works best when people already search for what you offer. Before you begin:
Do people search for this service? Check in Google's Keyword Planner, for your area and your language. A very new or highly specialized service may have little volume.
Can you answer quickly? Search traffic expects fast answers, so a slow front desk wastes clicks.
Do you have a page for the service? If not, build one first.
Can you measure bookings? Even a basic shared sheet is better than nothing.
If nobody searches for your service yet, or your treatment is one people don't know they need, Meta and video may be a better way to start. Our guide on how to market your clinic in Egypt can help you choose.
Step 1: Start with one or two services
Don't advertise everything at once. Choose services based on these questions:
Which ones do patients actively search for?
Which ones are worth enough to justify paying for a click?
Which ones have capacity right now?
Build a separate campaign or ad group for each service, because budgets, Keywords and the value of a patient differ. A campaign for implants shouldn't share a budget with one for general check-ups.
Step 2: Choose Keywords by intent
Not all searches mean the same thing. Sort your Keywords into groups:
Type of search | Examples | What to do |
|---|---|---|
High intent | "dentist near me", "book a dermatologist in Maadi" | Bid first |
Treatment search | "dental implants Cairo", "laser hair removal clinic" | Bid, with a dedicated page |
Price search | "braces price in Egypt" | Bid if your page answers cost honestly |
Symptom or research | "why does my knee hurt" | Usually better for articles than for ads |
Not relevant | "dental school", "dentist job", "free treatment" | Add as negatives |
Search in the way patients search. In Egypt, that often means Arabic, Egyptian phrases and English medical words mixed together. Consider both, for example "دكتور جلدية" and "dermatologist". Keyword Planner will show you whether there is real volume for each.
Start with phrase and exact match where you can. Broad match can work later, when you have good Conversion data, but on a small budget and with weak tracking, it can wander off into irrelevant searches. Check your search terms report weekly, and add negative Keywords. It's one of the cheapest improvements you can make.
Step 3: Set your location carefully
Patients usually need to be able to reach you. Base your target on realistic travel, not on a whole governorate.
Start with the area around your clinic, then widen it only for treatments people will travel for.
Check location options. Choose people in or regularly in your target area, so that you don't pay for people who are merely interested in it from far away.
Set your schedule. If nobody answers calls at night, consider reducing or removing call-focused ads at those hours.
Step 4: Write ads that are clear and compliant
A good clinic ad answers three questions: what you offer, why you are a credible choice, and what to do next.
Use the service and area in your headline. It tells people they are in the right place.
Mention real differentiators: the doctor's specialty, opening hours, location or the type of consultation.
Add useful extras: call buttons, location, and links to specific services.
Avoid promises. Don't say "guaranteed results" or "permanent cure". Overclaiming is a common reason for disapproval, and it can also create problems under your professional rules.
The rules you need to know
Google's Healthcare and Medicines policy controls how you can advertise certain treatments, medicines and related terms. Rules vary by country, and restricted terms can result in a disapproved ad. Its Personalized Advertising policy bars personalized targeting based on physical or mental health conditions, on treatments for chronic conditions, and on invasive procedures, including cosmetic surgery.
In practice, this means:
Don't build remarketing lists that reveal a person's condition. A list named "visited the diabetes page" is the sort of thing to avoid. Check your remarketing setup against the policy before launch.
Read the policy for your specialty, especially if you offer prescription medicines, weight-loss treatments, cosmetic surgery or addiction services.
Local rules still apply. In Egypt, a legal summary of Decision no. 9 of 2025 from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation says ads for doctors and medical facilities in press and media institutions need Ministry of Health approval, must show a license number and can't describe diagnosis or treatment methods. Ask a qualified lawyer how this applies to your online ads.
Step 5: Send each click to the right page
Your home page has too many jobs to do. If someone searches for implants, send them to a page about implants. A good page includes:
A clear headline matching the search
Who the treatment suits, and what happens in the visit
The doctor's name, qualifications and experience
Costs, or what affects them, if you share this
Clinic location, hours and a map
Common questions
WhatsApp, call and booking buttons, visible on a phone without scrolling
Make it load quickly on mobile. Many of your clicks will come from a phone, often from someone in discomfort who won't wait.
Step 6: Track what matters
Without tracking, Google will optimize on weak signals, and you won't know what to keep. Set up:
Calls from ads, with a minimum call length if you can, so that wrong numbers don't count as results.
WhatsApp clicks, remembering that a click is not a conversation.
Form submissions and booking clicks.
Offline results, kept in a sheet showing which inquiries booked, attended and started treatment.
Don't count page views as Conversions. Also, keep medical details out of what you send to Google. Don't put a patient's condition, name or phone number in a URL or a Conversion name, and review what your tags collect.
As volume grows, importing qualified results can teach Google which clicks become patients. Check that your setup and any patient data handling meet the rules first.
Step 7: Set a budget that can teach you something
There's no universal budget, since click costs vary by specialty and area. To estimate yours:
Use Keyword Planner to estimate cost per click for your service and area.
Decide how many inquiries you want from the test.
Estimate your conversion rate from click to inquiry, then measure the real one.
Here is an illustrative example: at EGP 10 per click and a 10% click-to-inquiry rate, each inquiry costs about EGP 100. If you want 50 inquiries in a month, you need around EGP 5,000. Replace these figures with your own, because they could be very different in your market.
Then work out what you can afford to pay. If you know the value of a patient and your attendance rate, you can work out a target cost per inquiry. If the budget is small, focus on one service, in one area, with exact Keywords, rather than spreading it thin. Start with Maximize Clicks or manual controls if you have little data, and move to Conversion-based bidding once tracking works and you have enough results.
Step 8: Review each week
When | What to check |
|---|---|
Weekly | Search terms and negatives; calls and WhatsApp quality; ad approvals |
Weekly | Inquiries, bookings and attendance by campaign |
Monthly | Cost per attended patient, by service |
Monthly | Which pages convert, and which ads to replace |
If you get many clicks and few inquiries, look at your page or Keyword intent. If you get many inquiries and few bookings, look at reception and lead quality. We explain that part in why clinic leads don't book.
Common mistakes
Sending all traffic to the home page
Running one campaign for every service
Ignoring the search terms report
Counting clicks on WhatsApp as patients
Using promises that platforms or professional rules prohibit
Stopping after two weeks, or changing everything each day
Advertising when nobody can answer the phone
Should you run it yourself?
A small campaign for one service is something a careful clinic owner can start alone, as long as tracking is right and someone checks search terms each week. It gets harder as you add services, areas and larger budgets, or if your specialty has restricted terms.
If you prefer to hand it over, ask any provider about negative Keywords, policy checks and reporting on attended patients. We offer Google Ads management for clinics as part of our work, and the same questions apply to us. For dental practices, read our guide to dental clinic marketing as well.
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Sources
Google Ads, Healthcare and medicines policy: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/176031
Google Ads, Personalized advertising policy: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/143465
Accelerated Digital Media, search advertising rules for health brands: https://www.accelerateddigitalmedia.com/insights/paid-search-health-policies-google-ads-microsoft-2025/
Mondaq, What You Need to Know About Egypt's New Advertising Rules: https://www.mondaq.com/advertising-marketing-branding/1598256/what-you-need-to-know-about-egypts-new-advertising-rules
Last reviewed November 2026.
