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Medical Advertising Part I – Overcoming Google Search Roadblocks

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Medical Advertising Part I – Overcoming Google Search Roadblocks

In September 2019, Google announced that they were going to make changes to their advertising policy and would no longer allow ads for speculative and experimental medical treatments. Treatments included in this policy include, but are not limited to, stem cell therapy, cellular (non-stem) therapy, gene therapy, certain types of regenerative medicine, and gene therapy kits. Due to the COVID19 health crisis, Google updated their medical ad policy once again to allow for telemedicine doctors to promote their pharmacy services as long as they were accredited by an internet pharmacy certification partner such as LegitScript. With so many complexities and updates, it can be difficult to navigate what is and is not allowed in Google advertising for medical practices. Let us review some of these pain points to clarify.

Healthcare Products and Services Certification

There are certain types of healthcare products and service providers that Google requires to hold a certification. These include pharmaceutical manufacturers, online pharmacies, telemedicine providers, and addiction services. To obtain the certification, the provider will need to submit an application with an approved healthcare merchant certification and monitoring program. These certification companies provide a vetting service to ensure that providers’ products and services comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Each website domain must be certified individually and both an application fee and an annual fee is charged per website. Once certified, the provider will need to then apply to be certified with Google by providing the license details from the merchant certification and monitoring program company. Then, the provider will be eligible to advertise their services permitting they comply Google’s other ad policies.

Restrictions on Drug Terms

In the United States, utilizing prescription drug terms in ad text, on landing pages, or as keywords is prohibited unless the provider obtains the certification. In some cases, an ad can be approved but will only be shown on a limited basis because of the use of a restricted drug term. This occurs because of the review process in place. Google’s ad platform will automatically check for ad copy, landing page copy, and keywords that triggers either a disapproval or limited delivery. In these cases, the advertiser can request an appeal to be reviewed by Google’s Appeal Team. If you plan on using any type of drug term, it is strongly advised to obtain the proper certifications.

Restrictions on Unapproved Substances

In addition to the restrictions of experimental medical treatments, Google also does not allow for the advertisement of certain prohibited pharmaceuticals and supplements relating to weight loss, ephedra, and anabolic steroids. They also prohibit dietary supplements that are known to contain any dangerous ingredients. One rule of thumb is that if the products have not been government-approved, chances are that you cannot advertise for it on Google. Making false or misleading medical claims in the ad copy or landing page copy can cause an ad disapproval. It is advisable to place a disclaimer in the footer of the landing page if you claim that the product is as effective as prescription drugs.

Navigating through the certification processes and restrictions is a major factor with medical advertising. If you are a medical provider and wish to start an advertising campaign, it is good to have an expert that can help guide you towards success. To speak with a Google medical advertising expert, please contact us or give us a call at 713-309-6380.

Google Bans Elective Medical Ads

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Google recently announced that they will no longer show ads promoting speculative and experimental medical treatments starting on October 1, 2019. The list of treatments banned include stem cell therapy, cellular therapy, gene therapy, platelet rich plasma, bio-hacking, and gene therapy kits. This list appears to encompass any non-FDA approved treatments. Google explains that the main reason for disallowing these types of ads is because these types of treatments are “unproven” and lack significant and formal clinical trials to justify widespread use. They also cite that the use of these treatments can “lead to dangerous outcomes”.

So, what can one do now that they are not able to promote these types of treatments on Google Ads?

First off, we hope that your marketing provider has not recommended a one-sided marketing strategy. You should never rely on just one marketing method. It is important to use a diverse marketing strategy that includes multiple avenues for advertising your services – not just in the medical field, but for all industries. In the digital world, it starts with a great website. This is the foundation. Your website should be visually pleasing, mobile friendly, provide great content, and have specific calls-to-action.

The next step in your digital strategy is how to bring potential patients to your site. If you are solely relying on Google Ads, you may want to rethink your strategy especially if you are only advertising these newly banned treatments. Think about all treatments and procedures your clinic provides. You should consider choosing a few different ones and create Google ads for each type of service. Just like you can’t rely on Google Ads as your sole marketing platform, you shouldn’t rely on just one type of medical treatment to advertise.

Another type of marketing strategy to employ is an organic approach. By writing two to three blog articles per month and adding to your website, you can really improve your search engine optimization (SEO) which helps users to help find your website organically through non-paid methods. Other types of initiatives to consider are Facebook Ads, Display Advertising, Email marketing, or even your own Podcast.

Google’s banning of these specific types of ads doesn’t mean the end of the world for a clinic that practices these specialties. There are many other digital marketing options available. If you or someone you know has a health clinic and need expert advice, please feel free to contact us or call us at 713-309-6380.

Google Call Only Ads: A Case Study

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In today’s world of digital marketing, driving qualified leads is key. We all want to generate great web traffic that will eventually turn into a sale! In 2015, Google released Call Only ads on their Ads platform (formerly AdWords) but have only recently perfected targeting and conversion optimization. A Call Only ad shows on a mobile device when users search for keywords that match the keywords in the Google Ad campaign. According to a Google study, more than 70% of people using mobile search will call a business based on the results they receive.

We recently partnered with Google to help drive more qualified leads to a retail business in the automotive industry with multiple brick and mortar locations. According to the client, a standard qualified lead stems from phone calls lasting between 2 to 3 minutes. We were able to optimize the ads for a 2-minute phone call conversion. We then created Call Only ads in separate campaigns for each location. Finally, we collected the data over a 10-day period.

And the results are in….

  • Phone Calls: 150% increase from the previous period!
  • Conversions: 95% increase from the previous period!
  • Cost per Conversion: 38% decrease from the previous period!
  • Conversion Rate: 354% increase from the previous period!

As some final food for thought, the top five categories that value phone leads are auto, cable/telecom, financial services, home services, and travel. Speaking to a potential customer is far more valuable than just simply directing them to a website to maybe fill out a contact form. With the digital technologies available today, it is easier to track the effectiveness of digital campaigns.

If you or anyone you know could use some help with their digital marketing efforts, please feel free to contact us or give us a call at 713-309-6380.