Digital marketing for dentists gets the best results by treating emergency, routine and high-value treatment patients as three different audiences, each with its own pages, Google Ads campaign and follow-up. Build that on a strong Google Business Profile, keep every ad and image within AHPRA’s advertising rules, and make sure no enquiry for a big treatment goes cold.
Who is actually searching for a dentist?
The person with a cracked tooth on a Saturday morning wants an appointment today and will book the first clinic that answers. The family looking for a new local dentist compares a few clinics on Google Maps over a week or two, checks location, hours and whether you see children. The person considering implants, clear aligners or veneers researches for weeks, sometimes months, reads every page, and often enquires with two or three clinics before choosing.
Each group needs a different message, a different page and a different follow-up. Lumping them into one “book now” campaign wastes money on the slow buyers and loses the urgent ones.
Why split your marketing into emergency, general and high-value treatment?
Emergency searches like “emergency dentist near me” and “dentist open Saturday” are short and urgent. The page they land on should show today’s availability, your phone number in large type and clear directions. General dentistry searches, such as “family dentist Robina” or “dentist Glenelg”, need a page about check-ups, cleans and children’s dentistry, with an easy online booking.
High-value treatment needs depth. Build a page for each major treatment you offer, explaining who it may suit, the steps involved, how many visits it usually takes at your clinic, and how payment works if you offer plans. These pages are what people read late at night while deciding, so they should answer questions before they are asked. Well planned website design and development makes this structure easy for both patients and Google to follow.
What do AHPRA’s rules mean for dental advertising?
Dental practitioners are regulated by AHPRA and the Dental Board, and the National Law applies to anyone advertising a regulated health service, including the business that owns the clinic. The core rules are familiar: nothing false or misleading, no testimonials, no unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, nothing that encourages unnecessary treatment, and clear terms on any inducement such as a free check-up.
Two areas trip dental clinics up most. The first is titles: AHPRA warns that words like “specialist”, “specialises in” or “specialty” can imply specialist registration and mislead the public when a practitioner doesn’t hold it. Phrases such as “substantial experience in” are less likely to mislead. The second is imagery, covered below. Check AHPRA’s advertising hub before you launch any campaign.
Can dentists use before and after photos?
AHPRA’s guidelines say before and after images have the potential to be misleading or deceptive, especially if the images are not genuine or have been edited or enhanced, and that they can create unreasonable expectations of a successful outcome. AHPRA says they are less likely to mislead when both images are as similar as possible in content, camera angle, background, framing and exposure.
If you use them at all, use only genuine, unedited images of your own patients, keep conditions identical across the pair, and avoid captions that promise results. A clear explanation of the process often does more to reassure a nervous patient than a gallery.
How should a dental clinic handle Google reviews?
Your Google Business Profile drives new patient bookings, and reviews are part of it. AHPRA treats comments about clinical aspects, such as symptoms, treatment or outcomes, as testimonials, which cannot be used in advertising. You are not responsible for removing reviews on Google, but don’t copy clinical reviews onto your website or social media, and take care when replying. Comments about customer service or communication style that don’t mention clinical aspects are not testimonials. When asking for reviews, ask every patient the same way and never offer a discount or free service in return, which Google’s policies treat as an incentivised review.
How should dentists use Google Ads and Meta ads?
Google Ads is the workhorse. Run emergency ads during the hours you can actually take emergency patients, general dentistry ads across your local suburbs, and treatment campaigns with their own budgets so a pricey keyword doesn’t drain the rest. If an ad mentions a free consultation or discount, state the terms clearly.
Meta ads suit the long research phase for bigger treatments. People who visit your implant or aligner page can see your team, your clinic and a simple explanation of the process over the following weeks. Keep the creative factual, introduce your dentists, and avoid glossy result shots.
How do you stop treatment enquiries going cold?
A patient who enquires about a big treatment, has a consultation and then goes quiet is the most expensive lead to lose. A Go High Level CRM gives every enquiry an instant reply with a booking link, then follows up until the consultation is booked. After the consultation, it can send the treatment plan information, answer common questions and give a simple way to book the next step. Routine recall reminders also run automatically, so the front desk spends less time on the phone. Keep these messages factual and tied to care the dentist has recommended.
What should digital marketing for dentists be measured on?
Track cost per lead and cost per booked appointment separately for emergency, general and each major treatment. For treatment campaigns, also track how many consultations convert to accepted treatment. A treatment lead might cost more but be worth far more to the practice, so judge each campaign on booked revenue, not lead volume.
Dental marketing on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast’s growing population, steady stream of new residents and large retiree community bring demand for everything from children’s dentistry to implants and dentures. New residents in particular search for a local dentist soon after they arrive.
Target emergency and general dentistry ads to the suburbs around your clinic, and build pages that name them. For high-value treatments, people may travel further, so a wider Gold Coast target can work. Keep every ad and image within AHPRA’s rules, as covered above.
Where KOA Digital fits
KOA Digital is a digital marketing agency in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast with a fully Australian team, working with businesses Australia wide since 2019, including many in Adelaide. We build websites that bring in enquiries, run Google and Meta ads, and set up Go High Level CRM with AI lead nurturing so every enquiry is followed up until it books. Our focus is better patients at a lower cost per lead, with AHPRA’s guidance built into how we plan and write campaigns.
Questions dentists ask us
Can a dental clinic advertise free consultations?
Yes, but AHPRA requires the terms and conditions of any gift, discount or other inducement to be stated in the advertising. Make clear what the consultation includes and any conditions that apply.
Can a general dentist say they specialise in implants or orthodontics?
AHPRA warns that “specialist” or “specialises in” can imply specialist registration and is likely to mislead if the dentist doesn’t hold it. Use accurate wording such as “substantial experience in” and check AHPRA’s titles guidance.
Is Google Ads worth it for a dental practice?
For most clinics it is the most direct way to reach people actively searching for a dentist in their suburb. Results depend on separating emergency, general and treatment campaigns and tracking booked appointments rather than clicks.
Want your chairs full with the treatments you want to do more of? Call KOA Digital on 0483 929 713 or book a call at koadigital.com.au/contact-us/.
