You’ve invested in paid ads to bring in more patients, but are you getting the desired results? If you’re not tracking ROI from paid ads, it’s like running a clinic without tracking patient outcomes. Sure, you’re seeing some traffic, but how do you know if it’s the right traffic?
For healthcare providers, understanding which ads are truly driving patients is essential. You don’t need a complicated system or a whole marketing team to track these results—just the right metrics and a few simple tools. In this blog, we’ll break down how to track your ROI from paid ads, whether you’re using Google or Meta ads, and how to make data-driven decisions that bring in more patients. Ready to get smarter about your ad spend? Let’s dive in.
How to Effectively Track ROI from Paid Ads
The ultimate goal of your healthcare practice is growth, but how do you know if your paid ads contribute to that growth? Understanding the right metrics is crucial, and the key question is: How do you effectively track these metrics?
Here’s a quick look at the most important metrics to monitor:
Impressions
Impressions represent the frequency at which your ad was displayed to potential patients. While this metric doesn’t indicate whether someone clicked on the ad or took any action, it helps you understand how far your message is reaching.
High impressions indicate that your ads are being displayed to a broad audience, which is crucial for establishing brand awareness and recognition. The benchmark click-through rate (CTR) for healthcare ads on Google Ads is typically around 1.91%.
Clicks
Click-through rate (CTR) measures the percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it. This shows how engaging and relevant your ad is to the target audience. Higher CTRs indicate more successful ads, with a 3% increase being an excellent benchmark for Google Ads. On Meta (Facebook and Instagram), the click-through rate (CTR) is typically around 0.90%.
Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Cost per lead measures how much you pay for each ad generated through your ads. This could include someone filling out a contact form, calling your clinic, or booking an appointment. A high CPL might indicate that you’re targeting the wrong audience or your landing page isn’t converting well enough. The average cost per lead (CPL) for healthcare ads can range from $50 to $300, depending on the level of competition and the services offered.
Bookings (Conversions)
Tracking the number of bookings made from your ads is one of the most critical metrics for measuring the actual return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns. If your ads generate many clicks but few bookings, this could indicate issues with your landing page, user experience, or ad messaging. The ideal conversion rate for healthcare practices varies significantly depending on the service offered.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on ad spend (ROAS) is one of the most important metrics when evaluating the success of your paid advertising campaigns. It tells you how much revenue you generate for every dollar spent on ads.
If your ROAS is low, your ad strategy needs adjustments. According to Google data, a good return on ad spend (ROAS) for healthcare ads should be 4:1 or higher.
These metrics provide the insights you need to optimize your campaigns, adjust your strategies, and ensure that your ad spend drives real results for your practice.
How to Track Leads from Google & Meta Ads in Healthcare Marketing
76% of marketers are still struggling to track the ROI of their campaigns. When running paid ads on platforms like Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), tracking leads is crucial for understanding how effectively your campaigns perform.
Let’s explore the most effective methods for tracking those leads:
Using UTM Links for Google & Meta Ads
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) links are a simple and effective way to track the origin of your leads. By adding unique tags to the URLs in your ads, you can track specific campaigns, sources, and mediums directly in Google Analytics.
For healthcare practices, it allows you to analyze the performance of each ad more accurately and optimize your strategy based on data.
How to implement:
- Add UTM parameters to the URLs in your Google Ads or Meta Ads campaigns.
- Set up Google Analytics to track UTM parameters and monitor how users from specific ads interact with your site.
Pro Tip:
Set up Google Analytics to track UTM parameters and monitor how users from specific ads interact with your site.
Call Logs for Tracking Phone Calls
Why it matters: Phone calls are often the final step in converting a lead into a patient, especially in healthcare. Knowing how many calls your ads are generating can help you gauge the success of your campaigns.
Both Google and Meta offer methods for tracking calls generated from paid advertisements.
How to implement:
- Use Google’s call extension feature to add a clickable phone number to your ads. You can also track phone calls through Google Analytics by enabling “call tracking” in your account.
- Meta offers a feature called “Call Now” buttons, which allow potential patients to call directly from the ad. You can track these calls through your CRM or by linking Meta with a call-tracking tool.
Pro Tip:
If you’re using call tracking, integrate this data into your CRM system to connect phone leads with patient appointments and track which ads are driving the most phone calls.
Form Fills for Lead Generation
Form fills are highly valuable leads. By offering something like a free consultation or an appointment scheduling form, you’re collecting crucial information that can help you convert leads into patients. Google Ads and Meta offer forms that can be integrated directly into your ads, making it easy for potential patients to submit their information without having to leave the platform.
How to implement:
- Use Google Ads’ lead form extension feature. This allows users to fill out a simple form directly from the ad, collecting information such as name, phone number, and email.
- Meta Ads offers a native lead generation form that enables users to submit their details directly within the Facebook or Instagram app. Once they submit the form, the data is automatically stored in your Meta Ads Manager.
Pro Tip:
To ensure prompt follow-up on form submissions, set up automated responses to acknowledge submissions instantly.
Want to simplify the tracking process even further? Let’s explore some dashboard tools and templates that make lead tracking easy—no technical expertise is required. Keep reading!
Easy-to-use Dashboard Tools to Track Your Ads
Not everyone has a marketing team or the technical expertise to operate complex tracking tools. Fortunately, simple yet powerful tools are available that can help healthcare providers track their ad performance.
One of the most accessible options is using Google Sheets. It’s an excellent option for non-tech users because it’s free, easy to use, and integrates well with other tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Meta. Plus, you can set up automatic updates, so you don’t have to input data manually every time.
How it works:
- Step 1: Connect your Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts to Google Sheets using Google Analytics and Supermetrics. Supermetrics is a tool that enables the extraction of data from multiple platforms into Google Sheets.
- Step 2: Set up a Google Sheets dashboard with columns for metrics such as impressions, clicks, cost per lead, and conversions. This will allow you to see your ad performance at a glance.
- Step 3: Add formulas to calculate your key metrics. For example, you can use a formula to calculate your ROI or cost per lead in real-time.
This simple structure enables you to track performance across various platforms, ensuring a clear understanding of your campaign’s impact. You can also use this approach to track your ad performance and regularly identify areas for improvement.
Monthly Review Checklist
Tracking the success of your paid ads is an ongoing process. Once you’ve set up your tracking systems, you must regularly review your performance to ensure your ad campaigns consistently align with your growth goals.
Here’s a simple checklist to guide your monthly review process:
- Review Key Metrics: Check impressions, clicks, cost per lead (CPL), bookings, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Analyze Ad Performance: Compare results across Google Ads and Meta Ads to gain a comprehensive understanding of your ad performance.
- A/B Testing Results: Determine which ad variations are yielding the best results.
- Adjust Budget Allocation: Increase the budget for top-performing ads.
- Refine Targeting: Ensure your ads are reaching the right audience.
- Optimize Landing Pages: Review landing page conversion rates and make improvements.
- Track Patient Journey: Identify drop-offs from ad click to appointment booking.
- Check for Seasonal Trends: Adjust ads based on seasonal patient demand.
- Update Ad Copy & Design: Refresh messaging and visuals to stay relevant and compelling.
- Monitor Competitor Ads: Stay informed about competitor ad strategies and adjust your own accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Trust us, tracking ROI from paid ads doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right metrics, tools, and strategies, you can gain valuable insights that help you optimize your ad campaigns and improve patient acquisition. By regularly reviewing key metrics, adjusting your budget, and analyzing performance, you can ensure that every ad dollar is working for your healthcare practice.
However, remember that if you ever need assistance setting up or optimizing your ad tracking, we’re here to help. At ZealousWeb, we specialize in digital marketing for healthcare providers and can guide you through the process step-by-step. We’re just a call away to help you track your marketing efforts and grow your practice.
