The Client
BetterLife Physical Therapy (betterlifephysicaltherapy.com) is a physical therapy practice competing for patients in a category where hospital networks and insurance directories dominate the default search results.
Why Is Google Ads Hard for Physical Therapy Clinics?
- Healthcare advertising policies restrict how conditions and outcomes can be described in ads.
- Patients search by symptom, by treatment, and by insurance — three different query families that need separate handling.
- Hospital systems and national franchises outrank independent clinics organically, making paid visibility essential.
- Exercise-tutorial and "at home" queries can consume a clinic's budget without ever producing a patient.
What Did We Do Differently?
- Built Search campaigns around treatment- and condition-specific queries with genuine appointment intent.
- Applied continuous negative keyword discipline against DIY exercise, career, and informational searches.
- Implemented conversion tracking across calls and appointment forms so every lead traced back to its keyword.
- Concentrated budget in the service lines and geographies where verified lead costs were strongest — driving a 6.91% account-wide CTR.
What Results Did BetterLife Physical Therapy Get From Google Ads?
| Metric | Verified Result |
|---|---|
| Patient leads | 5,651 |
| Cost per lead | $22.50 |
| Ad spend | $127K |
| Clicks | 41,833 |
| Impressions | 605,338 |
| Click-through rate | 6.91% |
Key Takeaways
- 5,651 patient leads at $22.50 each is a full clinic schedule, bought predictably month after month.
- A 6.91% CTR means the ads answered exactly what patients were searching for.
- Independent clinics don't need to outspend hospital networks — they need to out-target them.
How Much Should a Physical Therapy Clinic Spend on Google Ads?
This practice invested $127K over the life of the account and received 5,651 tracked patient leads — $22.50 per lead. Against the lifetime value of a physical therapy patient completing a course of care, that acquisition cost funds itself many times over. The right budget is the one that keeps your schedule full at a lead cost your margins support; this account shows $22.50 is achievable in the category.
About This Campaign
All figures are lifetime totals pulled directly from the Google Ads account. Leads include tracked calls and appointment form submissions.