Why Google Ads Won't Fix Your Private Practice Marketing Problem 

Why Google Ads Won't Fix Your Private Practice Marketing Problem 

Yesterday, I was speaking with a clinician and her partner about their Private Practice. Like many clinicians, they have seen their bookings drop off. For them, it is an alarming time. 

I asked a simple question: "What would it mean if you were still in the same position in six months' time and nothing had changed?" 

The answer was immediate. "We would be in big trouble".
 

The knee-jerk reaction I see all the time

What I regularly see at this point is a knee-jerk reaction. Let's do some Google Ads. Let's start a YouTube channel. 

These are tactics. And random tactics aren't a strategy to solve a problem. 

What clinicians don't often do, is stop long enough to give time and focus to truly identify what the actual problem in their practice is. 

So let me ask you the same question:

What is the real problem in your private practice?

Is it that you are not getting enough patient leads?

Is it that you have a positioning problem?

Is it that you have a marketing problem? 

You may already know which are the right kind of patients you want to attract, and know you 'simply' need more of them, but do you know what problem needs to be solved to get the desired outcome? 

Until you identify the difficult problem that needs to be solved, you will keep reaching for surface-level fixes in the hope of achieving the same ultimate goal, which is more patients.

In this case, the problem was differentiation 

Their old strategy of using Google Ads worked when there were only a few competitors. Now, with more competitors in their space, that same approach has led to a 'race to the bottom' – who can offer their services the cheapest/who can shout the loudest with their ads, and it is no longer effective. So 'doing more ads' just isn't going to work. 

It's not solving the problem. 

So the real questions become these: 

How do you stand out in a noisy world?
And increasingly, how do you get recommended by AI search in that noisy world?

A quick test of differentiation 

If I said to you the three words 'wolf nipple chips' and it brought a wry smile to your face, chances, are at least one of these things is true: 

You are a Gen X or a Baby Boomer. 
You have a geeky sense of humour. 
You enjoy quoting Monty Python. 

If I then asked you whether you could name any alternative Roman snacks to wolf nipple chips, and you replied 'ocelot's spleens' or 'jaguar's earlobes', then I would know you and I were definitely on the same page. 

That is differentiation. 

Many clinicians worry that they cannot stand out because what they offer appears very similar to what everyone else around them is offering. They worry about competing for a small pool of patients. 

When I work with clients, I always bring them back to the same question: what problem are we actually trying to solve here?

Why you are not getting enough leads

If you are not getting enough leads, there is always a reason. 

Often it is because you are not speaking your patient's language. Your messaging is not defined enough. You are not using the words your desired patients use. You are not providing case studies or testimonials. 

All of these are signals, not just to patients, but to AI systems, that you are the right clinician to recommend. Miss these using these signals, and you miss out. 

Patients don't talk like clinicians

In my world, I treat a lot of runners and triathletes with hip problems. Patients will often come through the door saying, "I have got a problem with my hip". What they are usually describing is pain coming from the gluteal tendons on the side of the hip. 

When they are actually describing hip joint symptoms, what they tend to say is, "I think I have got a groin strain". 

This distinction matters. 

Because when patients search for solutions to their problems, and for the right clinician to treat them, more and more of them are using AI search. That means they are asking longer, more detailed questions. 

For example, they might ask Mr Chat GPT: "Who is the best physiotherapist in the West End to treat my frozen shoulder, who is available on Thursday evenings, is recognised by AXA, and treats swimmers?" 

AI does not answer that with a single keyword. It 'fans' the questions out, explores each part, and then brings everything back together to make a recommendation.

How AI search recommends clinicians

AI search systems look for clarity, relevance, and confidence. They look for evidence that you understand a specific type of patient and a specific type of problem. They look for language that matches how real people describe their symptoms. They look for proof, in the form of examples, explanations, and outcomes. 

If your private practice marketing is vague, generic, or indistinguishable from everyone else's, you make it very hard for AI to recommend you.

So how well are you really differentiating?

Are you clear on what makes you different?
Are you spending time examining what the true problem in your practice actually is? 

If you are not standing still long enough to answer those questions, then the first thing you need is not more marketing activity. It is white space in the diary. 

Clarity does not happen at full speed. 

I work with doctors, surgeons, physios, and osteopaths who want to grow their Private Practice marketing without relying on Google Ads or racing to the bottom on price. 

If you are looking for a guide to help you identify the real problem, differentiate properly, and build a Private Practice that attracts the right patients in a noisy, AI-driven world, then let's have a conversation.