You are investing in ads, spending a lot of money, but you only get the occasional click but your phone doesn't ring. If that rings true for you, then you are far from being alone.
Advertising is one of the quickest ways to build up your practice, but it is also one of the most wasteful ways to spend money if done without a strategy especially if you haven't figured out how how many new clients your practice actually needs each month, which is the number every ad decision should trace back to.
According to WordStream's 2026 Google Ads benchmarks, the median cost per lead across US search campaigns is now £66.69 so every avoidable mistake compounds quickly and does not create profit. Here are the nine mistakes we see most often, and what to do instead.
Homepage needs to cater for all kinds of people; clients, referrals, potential clients and even job applicants. As soon as the visitor follows your ads, there is an intention involved so by redirecting him/her to a page that is overloaded with distractions would be a complete waste.
Landing pages perform better than other kind of pages: according to a study conducted on 57 million conversions by Unbounce's Conversion Benchmark Report, the conversion rate of the median landing page is 6.6% while the pages having only one clear link with one call-to-action performs much better. Create a straightforward landing page with only one action item, which would be making a free appointment with you.
Bidding on "anxiety" or "therapy" makes you compete with Psychology Today, WebMD, and every university counselling service in the nation.
You should bid instead on keywords that would be used by your ideal client: "anxiety therapy near me," "EMDR for trauma in [city]," or "couples therapy [city]." Tools like Google's Keyword Planner can show you real search volumes for these longer, more specific phrases in your area.
Specific intent translates much better than generic volume “therapist” searches might be for a class project, but “trauma therapist in Leeds taking BlueCross” searches have already decided clients looking for you. Unless you’re running exclusively online sessions, any advertising that is seen by people who live 40 miles away is money down the drain.
Narrow your radius to the geographic area from which your customers can feasibly come, and include geographically relevant language in your ad copy. It’s also good to know how the platform works before you spend:
According to Google’s own explanation of its Local Services Ads, these ads are limited to the selected service areas, and they operate on a pay-per-lead basis instead of pay-per-click.
One of the worst mistakes a business owner can make when it comes to advertising is choosing the wrong type of campaign for the location and budget.
Flip through just a few therapist advertisements and you'll find the same old formula everywhere: "Having trouble? You don't have to go through it alone. Therapy that's compassionate and nonjudgmental.
Call us now." There's nothing wrong with being warm but when your ad uses the same copy that everyone else who offers therapy in your neighbourhood uses, no one will remember it.
What needs to happen is that your ad has to speak to you and be specific. Mention the very real concerns your clients come into sessions with ("Why am I such a fraud at my job?"), use the same language your ideal client uses when describing the problem, and state what will change once you're working together.
Details your specialty, your therapy style, your locale, and the end result of working together — are what make an advertisement unforgettable.
Degree initials and licensing numbers may be impressive and give credibility, but they do not sell hope. People will not hire you because you are skilled in one particular modality. They will hire you because they need help in overcoming something painful.
Think about how to rephrase your advertising texts with the focus on results: "Feel comfortable in social situations again," "Regain trust in the wake of infidelity," "Navigate through the workday without panicking."
Very few patients will go further than 20-30 minutes one way for weekly sessions, and many of these services are advertised in the full metropolitan area, or even worse, across the whole state.
Not only are you diluting your marketing dollars amongst thousands of patients who won't ever book with you but you're increasing the CPC of the search against larger clinics.
Reduce the geography to the areas you cover, and include the location in the copy of the ad: "Therapy in Downtown Manchester." This lets the user know immediately you're close and eliminates a key reason for non-patient engagement. If you do telemedicine, let them know; if not, consider targeting other regions where you can practice.
