12 Google Ads Bidding Strategies for Dentists to Boost ROI (+ 9 Expert Optimization Tips)

Running a successful dental practice means more than offering top-notch care—it also means consistently bringing in new patients. And that’s where Google Ads can work wonders—if you’re using the right bidding strategy. Whether you’re launching your first campaign or looking to fine-tune performance, this guide will walk you through 12 bidding strategies that help dental professionals make the most of their advertising budget.

We’ll also cover 9 expert tips to squeeze more value from each click and increase your return on investment (ROI). From target CPA bidding to automated smart bidding, these approaches are tailored to help you fill your appointment schedule without burning through your budget.

Let’s dive in and find the right Google Ads bidding strategy for your dental practice.

How Google Ads Bidding Works

Each time someone searches for a dental service on Google, an ad auction is triggered to determine which ads show up and in what order. Your bid, quality score, and ad relevance are all part of the equation that decides where your ad lands on the search engine results page (SERP).

While it might sound like a simple bidding war, there’s more to it than outbidding your competitors. The system rewards relevance and performance, meaning a well-targeted ad with a modest bid can still outrank a high-budget campaign.

For dentists, this means being strategic—not just aggressive—with your bids.

3 Key Factors That Influence Google Ads Auction Rankings

When you enter the Google Ads auction, three components determine where your ad appears:

• Your max cost-per-click (CPC) bid – the most you’re willing to pay for a click.
• Your quality score – based on ad relevance, expected click-through rate, and landing page experience.
• Ad extensions – such as call buttons or location links that improve user experience.

These three elements work together to form your Ad Rank, which determines placement on the results page. A lower bid with a high quality score can still outperform higher-bidding competitors.

Google Ads Bidding Best Practices for Dentists

Dental practices need to balance cost-per-acquisition (CPA) with actual appointment bookings. The goal isn’t just to pay less per click—it’s to get the right patients through your doors.

Here are some dentist-specific best practices:

• Verify your conversion tracking is set up correctly in Google Ads.
• Choose a bidding strategy that aligns with your marketing goals (e.g., new patient growth vs. brand visibility).
• A/B test your bidding strategies using Google’s Drafts & Experiments.
• Let campaigns run long enough to gather actionable data—you’ll want to wait until at least a 95% confidence level before making changes.
• Streamline account structure to simplify bid optimization.

Remember: it’s not just about more clicks—it’s about attracting patients who convert.

Set Clear Goals Before Choosing a Bidding Strategy

Every successful advertising campaign starts with clearly defined objectives. Here are examples tailored for dental practices:

• Goal 1: Lower cost-per-lead (CPA) by 30%.
• Goal 2: Increase online appointment bookings by 20%.
• Goal 3: Improve return on ad spend (ROAS) by 15%.

These goals help you choose the best bidding strategy, whether you’re focused on growth, patient acquisition, or efficiency.

Manual vs. Smart Bidding for Dental Practices

What is Manual Bidding?

With manual CPC, you set the maximum you’re willing to pay per keyword. This gives you full control but requires time and expertise to manage. It’s best suited for smaller campaigns or practices with experience managing their own ads.

What is Automated Bidding?

Automated bidding uses Google’s machine learning to adjust bids in real-time based on the likelihood of a conversion. This includes enhanced CPC, target CPA, and more.

What is Smart Bidding?

Smart Bidding is a type of automated bidding focused on conversions and ROI. It uses real-time signals like device, location, and search intent to optimize bids for each auction.

Smart bidding is especially useful for dentists who don’t have time to manage campaigns manually but still want performance-driven results.

12 Google Ads Bidding Strategies Dentists Should Know

Selecting the right Google Ads bidding strategy can have a significant impact on how efficiently your dental practice generates new patient leads. Below, we break down 12 strategies—ranging from manual to automated—so you can choose the best fit for your goals, whether you’re focused on filling your appointment book or maximizing return on investment.

1. Target CPA Bidding

Target CPA (cost-per-acquisition) bidding allows Google to automatically set bids to help you get as many conversions as possible at your desired average cost per new patient.

Advantages

• Ideal for lead generation campaigns
• Uses historical conversion data to optimize spend
• Helps maintain predictable costs per patient inquiry

Limitations

• Requires adequate conversion data and a sufficient budget
• Manual bid limits are only available when used as a portfolio strategy

Use Case for Dentists If you already have steady conversion tracking in place—such as appointment form submissions or phone calls—this strategy can help keep your marketing costs predictable while scaling patient acquisition.

2. Target ROAS Bidding

Target ROAS (return on ad spend) bidding is designed for practices that track revenue per conversion. Google adjusts bids based on your desired return, helping you attract high-value patients.

Advantages

• Prioritizes conversions that deliver higher revenue
• Suitable for high-margin services like implants, veneers, and orthodontics

Limitations

• Requires accurate revenue tracking from your website or practice management system
• May reduce ad visibility if Google struggles to hit your ROAS target

Use Case for Dentists If you’re focused on driving profitable growth through cosmetic or elective procedures, Target ROAS can help ensure your ad spend is aligned with the actual value of new patient appointments.

3. Maximize Clicks Bidding

This automated bidding strategy focuses on driving the highest number of clicks possible within your daily budget.

Advantages

• Easy to implement and manage
• Effective for generating traffic to newly launched landing pages

Limitations

• Clicks don’t always translate into patient bookings
• No optimization for lead quality or conversion intent

Use Case for Dentists Use Maximize Clicks to generate traffic when launching a new website or service page, especially when you need quick data for optimization and performance testing.

4. Maximize Conversions Bidding

With Maximize Conversions, Google uses historical data to deliver the most conversions possible for your set budget.

Advantages

• Focused entirely on conversion volume
• Reduces manual workload by automating bids

Limitations

• No control over cost-per-click
• May increase costs without necessarily improving efficiency

Use Case for Dentists Ideal for established campaigns with proven landing pages and strong calls to action. This strategy works best when your website is optimized for online booking or lead capture.

5. Maximize Conversion Value Bidding

This strategy is designed to maximize the total value of conversions rather than the number of conversions.

Advantages

• Helps prioritize higher-value treatments and services
• Adjusts bids based on factors like device, time of day, and user intent

Limitations

• Requires conversion values to be tracked accurately
• Can lead to higher average CPCs if not monitored closely

Use Case for Dentists Use Maximize Conversion Value if you’re promoting elective procedures with higher fees. This ensures your budget goes toward acquiring patients most likely to deliver a higher return.

6. Target Impression Share Bidding

Target Impression Share helps ensure your ads appear in a specific area of the search results page, such as the very top or anywhere on the first page.

Advantages

• Maximizes brand visibility, especially for local searches
• Useful for ensuring you dominate search results for branded or competitive keywords

Limitations

• May result in high cost-per-click (CPC) without delivering conversions
• Not optimized for leads or revenue

Use Case for Dentists If you’re targeting high-intent, local searches like “cosmetic dentist near me” or protecting your practice name from competitors bidding on it, this strategy helps maintain top visibility in your area.

7. Manual CPC Bidding

Manual CPC (cost-per-click) allows you to set your own maximum bid for each keyword.

Advantages

• Offers complete control over bids
• Allows for precise optimization at the keyword level

Limitations

• Time-intensive to manage
• Does not leverage Google’s machine learning or real-time bidding signals

Use Case for Dentists Manual CPC is best suited for practices or agencies with experience in Google Ads who want tight control over which services get the most budget—especially when testing new keywords or offers.

8. Enhanced CPC (ECPC) Bidding

Enhanced CPC combines manual bidding with automated adjustments. Google raises or lowers your bids in real time based on the likelihood of a conversion.

Advantages

• Adds automation to manual bidding without losing full control
• Helps improve performance gradually without switching to full automation

Limitations

• Still requires manual keyword-level bidding
• Limited insight into how Google adjusts your bids

Use Case for Dentists A strong middle ground for practices transitioning from manual bidding to more automated strategies. Use ECPC if you want some optimization help while maintaining oversight.

9. Viewable CPM Bidding

Viewable CPM (cost per thousand impressions) charges you only when your display ad is actually viewable by users.

Advantages

• Good for brand awareness campaigns
• Helps ensure you’re paying for ads that are seen, not just served

Limitations

• Only available for the Google Display Network
• Doesn’t optimize for clicks or conversions

Use Case for Dentists Use this bidding method when running display campaigns to boost recognition of your dental practice in the local community, especially if you’re opening a new location or rebranding.

10. Max CPV Bidding

Max CPV (cost-per-view) is a strategy used for video ads on YouTube. You pay when someone watches your video or engages with it.

Advantages

• Great for increasing awareness through educational or promotional videos
• You’re only charged if someone watches 30 seconds or interacts with the ad

Limitations

• Doesn’t drive direct conversions
• Limited control over targeting and performance metrics

Use Case for Dentists If your practice uses video to promote services—like smile transformations, patient testimonials, or virtual tours—Max CPV can be a cost-effective way to grow visibility.

11. Target CPM Bidding

Target CPM allows you to set the average amount you’re willing to pay per 1,000 ad impressions on video platforms.

Advantages

• Helps control average ad spend for brand awareness
• Broadens reach across YouTube and video placements

Limitations

• Charges apply regardless of ad engagement or viewing duration
• Not focused on clicks or conversions

Use Case for Dentists Best used for general branding campaigns when launching new services or reinforcing your practice’s presence in the market.

12. Portfolio Bid Strategies

Portfolio strategies apply one bidding approach across multiple campaigns, ad groups, or keywords to optimize performance at scale.

Advantages

• Centralizes bidding to improve consistency and efficiency
• Some strategies allow CPC caps only when used in a portfolio format

Limitations

• Performance can vary across campaigns if targeting or objectives differ
• Not ideal for highly segmented campaign structures

Use Case for Dentists If you’re running multiple campaigns across different services or locations, portfolio bidding can help streamline performance management while retaining some strategic flexibility.

9 Tips to Get the Most from Your Google Ads Bidding Strategy

Choosing the right bidding strategy is a critical first step, but how you execute and optimize it determines whether your Google Ads campaigns succeed. These nine advanced tactics will help dentists make smarter bid adjustments, increase patient leads, and maximize return on ad spend (ROAS).

1. Use Bid Adjustments by Device, Time, and Location

Not all clicks are created equal. Review performance data to see which devices, times of day, or locations generate the most conversions, then apply bid adjustments accordingly.

For example, if mobile visitors book more appointments, increase bids for mobile traffic. Likewise, if weekday mornings drive more qualified leads, adjust your bids to prioritize those time slots.

2. Set Automated Bidding Rules

Google Ads allows you to create automated rules based on performance thresholds. For example, you can automatically increase bids on keywords with low CPA or pause underperforming ad groups.

These rules help busy dental practices stay competitive without manually adjusting every element of a campaign.

3. Try Google Ads Scripts for Custom Automation

For more advanced control, Google Ads Scripts allow you to automate tasks based on complex logic. This includes changing bids based on specific behaviors—like appointment trends or even local weather conditions.

While not necessary for every dental practice, these scripts can be powerful when managed by an experienced marketer or agency.

4. Optimize for Sales, Not Just Leads

Many practices track form fills or calls as conversions—but not all leads become patients. Where possible, connect your Google Ads account with your practice management system or CRM to track actual treatment bookings.

This ensures your bidding strategy focuses on revenue-generating services, not just inquiries.

5. Adjust for Seasonal Trends

Certain dental services—such as teeth whitening or cleanings—may spike during particular seasons. During these high-demand periods, consider increasing bids to capitalize on increased search volume and urgency.

After the peak ends, revert to normal bidding levels to maintain efficiency.

6. Customize Bids Based on Keyword Value

Not all keywords produce equal results. High-intent keywords like “emergency dentist near me” often convert better than broad terms like “dentist.”

Identify which keywords deliver the highest patient value and bid more aggressively on those terms. Reduce bids for generic or research-stage queries.

7. Use Bid Bumping for Better Ad Rank

Some dentists start with low bids to keep costs down, but that can limit visibility. Bid bumping is the practice of temporarily increasing your bids to boost your click-through rate (CTR) and Quality Score—then gradually lowering them while maintaining a strong ad rank.

8. Layer Retargeting with Competitor Campaigns

You can use Retargeting Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) to bid more aggressively on users who have already visited your website and are now searching for competing dental practices.

This gives you another chance to win back potential patients who may still be weighing their options.

9. Don’t Overlook Branded Keyword Bidding

Bidding on your own practice’s name might seem unnecessary, but it allows you to control the messaging patients see and defend your brand from competitors targeting your name.

Branded keyword ads are typically low cost and have high conversion intent—especially when paired with a strong call to action like “Book Your Visit Online.”

Ready to Turn Clicks into New Dental Patients?

Mastering Google Ads bidding strategies is one of the most effective ways to maximize your marketing budget and generate a steady flow of new patients. Whether you’re optimizing for clicks, conversions, or long-term revenue, the key is aligning the right strategy with your practice’s specific goals.

Here’s what to remember:

• Google Ads bidding isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each strategy has its own strengths depending on your campaign goals.
• Smart automation can save time, but it requires accurate tracking and regular optimization.
• Advanced tactics—like bid adjustments, retargeting layers, and keyword prioritization—help you stay ahead of competitors and improve return on investment.

If you’re unsure where to start or tired of wasting time in Google Ads without seeing results, ProSites can help. We specialize in digital marketing for dental professionals, offering fully managed Google Ads services, website design, SEO, and everything in between.

Let our team of experts take the guesswork out of PPC so you can focus on what matters most—treating patients.
Schedule a free consultation today to see how we can help your practice grow with Google Ads.