Google Ads works for dermatology practices when medical and cosmetic intent are kept in separate campaigns, negative keywords are actively managed, and each ad points to a landing page built for that specific search — not a generic homepage. This guide sets out a campaign structure that respects both patient intent and advertising rules.
Why medical and cosmetic intent must be separated
A person searching for a skin check after noticing a changing mole is in a different mindset, and often a different funnel stage, from a person researching cosmetic injectables. Blending both into one campaign with shared keywords and one landing page produces poor results for both groups: the medical searcher lands on a page selling cosmetic outcomes, and the cosmetic searcher sees clinical language that does not answer their question. Separate campaigns, ad groups and budgets allow each to be measured and optimised independently.
Structuring the medical campaign
Group keywords by condition rather than by generic terms. Separate ad groups for skin checks and mole mapping, eczema and psoriasis management, and acne treatment allow tightly matched ad copy and landing pages. Ad copy should describe the service factually — what the appointment involves, whether a referral is required, and how to book — without implying outcomes or comparing results to competitors. Landing pages should answer the practical questions a referred patient has: what to expect, how long the appointment takes, and what to bring.
Structuring the cosmetic campaign
Cosmetic ad groups should be built around specific treatments rather than broad terms like "skin clinic," since broad terms attract browsers and inflate cost without improving lead quality. Ad copy for cosmetic treatments needs particular care: any offer (a discounted consultation, a package price) must include full terms, must not create urgency that pressures a decision, and must not suggest a guaranteed cosmetic outcome. Landing pages should include the information a prospective patient needs to make an informed decision — what the treatment involves, typical recovery considerations described in general terms, and who performs it — without before-and-after imagery unless that imagery meets the same-conditions and consent standard set out in the 2023 cosmetic advertising guidelines.
Building the negative keyword list
Negative keywords are as important as the keywords being bid on. A dermatology account should exclude, at minimum: DIY and home-remedy terms, jobs and career searches, terms associated with over-the-counter products rather than clinical treatment, and free or heavily discounted searches that attract browsers rather than prospective patients. Reviewing search term reports weekly in the first month and monthly afterwards catches new irrelevant queries before they consume meaningful budget.
Landing pages that match intent
- One page per core service or condition. A skin check page, an eczema page, a Botox-type injectable page and a laser treatment page each convert better than one general "our services" page.
- Clear next step. A visible way to book — a form, a phone number, or both — placed above the fold, without requiring the visitor to hunt for it.
- Trust signals appropriate to healthcare. Practitioner qualifications, AHPRA registration, and clear information about what an appointment involves do more for conversion than promotional language.
- No testimonial-style content. Patient quotes describing outcomes should not appear on paid landing pages, consistent with the s.133 National Law prohibition on testimonials in advertising for regulated health services.
Writing compliant offer copy
Offers are common in cosmetic dermatology advertising, and they are also where compliance risk concentrates. An offer should state exactly what is included, the price or price range, any conditions (eligibility, expiry, what happens after an introductory consultation), and should not use language implying scarcity or pressure ("book today or miss out") when that pressure is not genuine. Claims should never suggest a specific or guaranteed cosmetic result, and any comparison to non-physician providers should stick to factual differences in qualification rather than disparaging language.
Reporting that separates medical from cosmetic
Blended reporting hides which side of the practice is actually converting. Track cost per enquiry separately for medical and cosmetic campaigns, and track it down to the ad group level where budget allows. A cosmetic campaign that looks efficient in aggregate can be masking a medical campaign that is quietly overspending on irrelevant traffic.
Budgeting and bidding considerations
Cosmetic keywords in metropolitan markets are typically more expensive per click than medical dermatology terms, because the auction includes med spas, cosmetic clinics and other dermatology practices all competing for the same searches. Rather than spreading a fixed budget evenly, it is usually more effective to concentrate spend on the highest-intent keyword groups first — condition-specific medical searches and named-treatment cosmetic searches — and expand into broader terms only once those are performing efficiently. Automated bidding strategies can work well once a campaign has enough conversion data, but in the first month or two, manual or conversion-based bidding with close monitoring tends to catch problems faster.
Testing and iterating
Ad copy, landing pages and even keyword groupings should be treated as testable rather than fixed. Running two ad variations within an ad group and comparing enquiry rates over several weeks reveals which messaging resonates, without requiring any change to the underlying compliance standard both variations must meet. The same applies to landing pages — testing where the booking form sits, or how much clinical detail is shown before it, can meaningfully change conversion rates without changing the compliance-safe content itself.
Mobile experience and call tracking
Most dermatology searches happen on a mobile device, so landing pages need a visible, tappable phone number and a booking form that works without excessive scrolling. Call tracking numbers, distinct from the practice's main line, make it possible to attribute phone enquiries back to the specific campaign and ad group that generated them, which is otherwise one of the easiest sources of conversion data to lose.
Seasonal and demand patterns
Cosmetic enquiry volume in some markets shifts ahead of events and warmer months, while medical dermatology demand, particularly skin checks, tends to rise with sun-safety awareness campaigns run by public health bodies. Reviewing campaign performance against these patterns, rather than assuming a flat run rate all year, helps explain fluctuations that might otherwise look like a problem with the campaign itself.
Getting the structure right from the start
This structure works best as part of a broader plan for a dermatology practice, sitting alongside the organic work covered in our medical SEO services. Before launching any campaign, run the ad copy and landing page claims through the free AHPRA advertising compliance checker, and review the underlying rules on our AHPRA-compliant marketing page.
For the rules that shape what can and cannot appear in cosmetic ad creative, see the advertising rules that apply to dermatology, and for the free asset that supports paid search with local visibility, see the Google Business Profile checklist for dermatology clinics.
