GMB Ads for Healthcare
Google Search ads that carry your clinic's Business Profile: address, star rating, distance and a call button, shown to patients searching nearby at the moment they decide where to go.
"GMB ads" are Google Search ads linked to a clinic's Google Business Profile through location assets, so the ad shows the address, distance, rating and a call or directions button. For clinics, they turn high-intent "near me" searches into calls and visits more directly than a standard text ad that sends people to a website.
Why GMB ads work for clinics and hospitals
Most clinic decisions are local. Someone searching "dermatologist near me", "dentist open now" or "physiotherapy clinic in [area]" has already decided they need care. They are choosing who, and how soon.
A plain text ad asks that person to visit a website and trust it. A GMB ad shows the things they actually check first: how far away you are, how other patients rate you, and a button to call or get directions. Fewer steps means fewer people lost along the way.
For multi-location groups, location assets pick the nearest branch automatically, so one campaign can serve every centre without sending a patient across the city.
How we run Google Ads, and where it sits in the patient journey
- 0Foundations
- 1Demand gen
- 2Capture
- 3Lead quality
- 4Lead mgmt
- 5Scheduling
- 6Show-up
- 7Conversion
- 8Retention
It works in demand capture. Spend should follow the searches that book, and every paid enquiry should be screened and called back fast.
Every month starts with targets per stage, drawn from your own audit data, and part of the fee can be tied to platform KPIs you can check yourself. You see progress on the same screens we work from.
Clusters every search term, finds campaigns bidding against each other, and shows where spend leaks.
What "GMB ads" actually are
"GMB ads" isn't a separate product you switch on in Google Ads. The term means Search campaigns set up so that the clinic's Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is pulled into the ad through location assets. Once the profile is linked to the Google Ads account, a plain text ad can show "2.1 km away · 4.7★ (312) · Call", turning it into a local listing patients already trust.
| Format | Where it shows | What triggers it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Search ad | Google search results | Keyword | Awareness and informational searches |
| Search ad + location assets ("GMB ad") | Search results, with address, distance and rating | Keyword + proximity | High-intent "near me" and "[treatment] in [area]" searches |
| Local pack placements | The map results on Search | Local relevance + proximity | People comparing nearby clinics |
| Google Maps placements | Inside Google Maps | Location-based browsing | People already deciding where to go |
A well-built Search campaign with location assets becomes eligible for several of these placements automatically, based on Google's reading of each search.
Searches GMB ads are built for
Radius: Tight radius (3–10 km) for routine visits such as GP, dental check-ups and physiotherapy; wider (15–40 km) for high-value treatments patients travel for, such as IVF, hair transplant or cosmetic surgery.
Compliance: Every ad is written to Google's healthcare advertising policies and the NMC's 2026 advertising guidelines: no outcome guarantees, no before-and-after claims, and educational, evidence-led wording.
Results from a live account: dermatology clinic, India
An anonymised dermatology clinic in India, managed by ICG's performance team. Search campaigns with location assets, 1–30 September 2026, read directly from the Google Ads account.
A second campaign for a higher-value pigmentation treatment produced 73 enquiries at ₹416.45 each (10.3% conversion rate): a higher cost per enquiry, for a treatment worth far more per patient. Read the full case study →
How we set up and run GMB ads
- Service lines first. We list the services with the most demand and margin, and give each its own ad group.
- Keyword clusters by intent. "[Service] near me", "[service] in [area]" and treatment searches, kept apart from informational queries.
- Geo and radius. The real catchment, not a whole state or country, with a tighter radius for "near me" searches.
- Business Profile linked and complete. Location assets verified, and every field, photo and service filled before budget scales.
- Review process. An ethical routine to ask satisfied patients for reviews, and a reply to every review within 48 hours.
- Concern-led ad copy. Ads speak to the problem and the doctor's credentials, with city and area names in headlines.
- Assets. Call, location and sitelink assets pointing to specific treatment pages.
- Tracking before launch. Calls, direction requests, WhatsApp clicks and forms as primary conversions, plus offline import of booked visits.
- Bidding in stages. Maximise Conversions to gather data, then Target CPA once there is enough volume.
- Weekly hygiene. Search-term reviews, negative keywords ("course", "salary", "jobs") and budget moved to what produces calls and visits. Our Google Ads MCP tool finds overlapping and wasted terms.
What we count as a result
| Conversion | What it captures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Phone calls | Calls from the ad's call button or the website | Primary |
| Direction requests | Taps on "Directions" from the ad or profile | Primary |
| WhatsApp chats | Conversations started from the ad or landing page | Primary |
| Booking forms | Appointment requests on the site or in-ad lead forms | Primary |
| Offline conversion import | Booked and attended visits uploaded from the CRM | Primary, the true measure |
| Website clicks | Visits to the site | Secondary |
Calls and direction requests carry the most intent: a patient who taps "Call" has skipped several steps a website visitor still has to go through.
Common mistakes we fix in audits
- Running Search ads without linking the Business Profile, so no location assets ever show.
- An incomplete profile: missing hours, photos or services.
- Targeting a whole city or state instead of the real catchment.
- One ad group for every treatment instead of one per service line.
- Counting website visits and calls as equally valuable, which misleads automated bidding.
- No negative keywords, so budget goes to job-seekers and students.
- No offline conversion import, so Google never learns which enquiries became patients.
- Call ads running when nobody can answer the phone.
GMB ads by specialty
Search behaviour, radius and compliance differ by specialty. These pages cover the details.
Pricing
Google Ads management from ₹25,000/- per month; media is paid directly to Google. Every engagement is Goals-Driven, and Performance-Linked Payout Models are available. Retainers across services start from ₹20,000/- per month. GST additional.
Frequently asked questions
What are GMB ads?
GMB ads are Google Search ads connected to a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) through location assets. The ad shows the clinic's address, distance, star rating and call or directions buttons, and can appear in search results, the local pack and Google Maps.
Are GMB ads a separate product in Google Ads?
No. There is no "GMB ads" campaign type. They are Search (or Performance Max) campaigns with the Business Profile linked to the Google Ads account, so location assets can show automatically.
Which healthcare businesses benefit most?
Any practice patients choose by proximity and trust: dermatology and skin clinics, dental clinics, physiotherapy centres, eye clinics, diagnostic labs, GP clinics and multi-location chains. High-value treatments benefit too, with a wider radius.
What should a clinic measure?
Calls, direction requests, WhatsApp chats and booking forms as primary conversions, with website clicks as secondary. Importing booked visits from the CRM lets bidding learn from real patients, not clicks.
How much does it cost?
Media is paid directly to Google. ICG's Google Ads management is ₹25,000/- per month, and Performance-Linked Payout Models are available, so part of the fee can depend on results you can check in your own account.
Do GMB ads replace local SEO?
No. Paid visibility puts you in front of patients on demand; organic map rankings take longer but cost nothing per click. The strongest results come from running both off the same well-maintained Business Profile.
The team that runs your account
One team of 100+ healthcare marketing specialists at our Gurgaon headquarters, with a named lead for every discipline. A member of our Sr. Leadership team leads every diagnostic.
Hanuman SihagHead of Innovation Chamber & SEO Lead
Raman SoniHead of Performance Marketing
Sabhyaa GuptaConsulting Head
Akanksha TyagiCreative & CRO Lead
Abhishek KumarAnalytics Lead
Himanshu RanjanEngineering Lead
Meet the full team.
