We've run Google Ads campaigns for physician practices that delivered a $0.23 cost per click and a 7.6% click-through rate — reaching 79,000 people in 90 days. We've also seen healthcare accounts get suspended overnight because they ran an ad for a service Google considers restricted. The difference between these outcomes is compliance, and compliance in healthcare advertising is not optional.

This guide covers the specific requirements for running Google Ads in healthcare: what Google restricts, how to get certified, how to structure campaigns that actually convert, and how to track results without violating HIPAA.

Google's Healthcare Advertising Policies: What You Need to Know

Google restricts healthcare advertising more heavily than almost any other category. The restrictions vary by what you're advertising:

  • General healthcare services (primary care, dermatology, cardiology, etc.) can advertise on Google Ads in the US without special certification. You still can't make claims about curing diseases, guarantee outcomes, or use before-and-after imagery in certain contexts.
  • Prescription drug terms require LegitScript certification. If your ads or landing pages mention specific prescription medications, you need to be certified before Google will approve the campaign.
  • Addiction treatment, rehab, and clinical trials require LegitScript certification. Google implemented this in 2018 after widespread abuse of these ad categories, and enforcement is strict.
  • Certain cosmetic procedures face restrictions that vary by market. Google's policies are updated regularly, and what was allowed six months ago may not be allowed now.
  • Telehealth has its own set of requirements, including that the provider must be licensed in the state where the patient is located and the landing page must clearly state this.

The most common mistake we see: a practice runs ads that link to a landing page mentioning a specific medication (even in a "conditions we treat" context), and the account gets flagged. Google doesn't distinguish between advertising a drug and mentioning it — if it's on the page the ad links to, it triggers the policy.

LegitScript Certification: The Process

LegitScript is the third-party certification body Google requires for restricted healthcare categories. The certification process:

  1. Apply through LegitScript's website. You'll need to provide your medical licenses, DEA registration (if applicable), business registration, and insurance documentation.
  2. Site review. LegitScript reviews your website for compliance — accurate provider credentials, transparent pricing or insurance information, privacy policy, and clinical claims supported by evidence.
  3. Approval timeline. Expect four to eight weeks. Some applications require follow-up documentation, which extends the timeline.
  4. Ongoing monitoring. LegitScript is an annual certification with ongoing website monitoring. Changes to your site that violate their standards can trigger a review.
  5. Cost. Certification fees vary by category and provider size, typically ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 annually.

Even if your practice doesn't strictly require LegitScript certification, having it can reduce ad disapprovals and account-level flags. Google treats certified accounts with more lenience during automated policy reviews.

Keyword Strategy for Medical Practices

Healthcare keyword strategy is different from other verticals because of how patients search. Medical searches fall into three intent categories:

  • Condition-based searches: "acid reflux symptoms," "mole that changed color." These are research-phase queries. The patient isn't looking for a doctor yet — they're trying to understand their symptoms. You can capture these with content, but they're expensive and low-converting as paid keywords.
  • Treatment-based searches: "colonoscopy near me," "Botox Boca Raton." These indicate the patient has already decided they need a procedure and is now looking for a provider. This is where your paid budget should concentrate — high intent, lower volume, but much higher conversion rates.
  • Provider-based searches: "dermatologist near me," "best gastroenterologist Boca Raton." These are the highest-intent queries. The patient is actively choosing a provider. These keywords are competitive and CPCs are high ($5–$15 in most markets), but the conversion rate justifies the cost.

We typically structure campaigns around treatment and provider searches, with condition-based content handled organically through SEO. This keeps the paid budget focused on patients who are ready to book.

Landing Pages That Convert (and Stay Compliant)

Your ad is half the equation. The landing page is where conversion happens — or doesn't. For healthcare, the landing page also needs to pass Google's policy review, which means:

  • No unsupported clinical claims. "We cure [condition]" will get your ad disapproved. "We treat [condition] using [evidence-based approach]" won't. The distinction is subtle but matters.
  • Provider credentials visible. Board certifications, medical licenses, and hospital affiliations should be on the page. Google's reviewers look for this, and patients do too.
  • Clear call to action. "Book an appointment," "Request a consultation," or "Call our office." Not "Learn more" — that's a content CTA, not a conversion CTA. The page exists to get the phone call or form submission.
  • Privacy policy linked. Especially important if you're running form-based conversions. The privacy policy needs to address how patient information is handled.
  • Mobile-first design. Over 70% of healthcare searches happen on mobile devices. If your landing page isn't fast, easy to navigate, and easy to call from on mobile, you're losing the majority of your traffic.

A dedicated landing page outperforms a generic "services" page every time. We build specific pages for each campaign — a colonoscopy campaign links to a colonoscopy landing page, not the practice homepage. The message match between the ad and the page is what drives conversion rates above 5%.

Conversion Tracking Without Violating HIPAA

This is where most healthcare advertisers get nervous, and for good reason. HIPAA regulates how protected health information (PHI) is collected, stored, and transmitted. Standard Google Ads conversion tracking — which sends data back to Google's servers — can become a HIPAA issue if it transmits information that could identify a patient and their health condition.

The safe framework:

  • Track form submissions and calls as conversions, not the content of those forms. Google Ads can record that a conversion happened (a form was submitted) without knowing what the form said. Set up conversion tracking on the thank-you page or the form submission event — not on the form data itself.
  • Use Google Ads' enhanced conversions carefully. Enhanced conversions send hashed user data back to Google for better attribution. In healthcare, this can be problematic if the data connects a person to a health condition. Many healthcare practices opt out of enhanced conversions to stay safe.
  • Don't pass health-related information in URL parameters. A URL like yoursite.com/thank-you?condition=colonoscopy is transmitting health information through a channel that Google and other third-party scripts can read. Keep URLs clean.
  • Server-side tracking where possible. Instead of relying on client-side pixels that third parties can read, use server-side tagging through Google Tag Manager Server to control exactly what data leaves your site and where it goes.
  • Call tracking with HIPAA-compliant providers. If phone calls are a major conversion action (and for most medical practices they are), use a call tracking solution that has a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Not all call tracking platforms offer this — verify before implementation.

Budget and Bidding for Healthcare

Healthcare CPCs vary widely by specialty and market. In South Florida, we typically see:

  • Primary care / general practice: $3–$8 CPC
  • Dermatology: $6–$15 CPC
  • Gastroenterology: $4–$10 CPC
  • Plastic surgery / cosmetic: $8–$25 CPC
  • Dental: $4–$12 CPC

A reasonable starting budget for a single-location practice is $1,500–$3,000 per month in ad spend, plus management fees. Below that, the data volume is too low to optimize effectively. Above $5,000 per month, you can start testing broader keyword sets and multiple campaign structures.

We use target CPA bidding once a campaign has accumulated 30+ conversions, which usually takes 60–90 days. Before that threshold, manual CPC or maximize clicks with a bid cap gives you more control while the algorithm learns.

Compliant doesn't mean conservative. The best-performing healthcare campaigns we run are aggressive on targeting and messaging — they're just precise about what they can and can't say.

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