How much do Google Ads cost for doctors in India?
Google Ads for doctors in India typically cost ₹15 to ₹150 per click depending on specialty and city. Monthly Google Ads spend for an individual specialist practice ranges from ₹30,000 to ₹2 lakh; for multi-location chains, ₹2-5 lakh per month. The cost per qualified lead (CPQL) — the metric that matters — runs from ₹420 (GP) to ₹2,200 (plastic surgery) under ICG management in ICG's public CPQL dataset, against market medians of ₹700 to ₹3,800.
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Quick answer
How much do Google Ads for doctors cost in India?
Google Ads for doctors in India cost whatever the click auction sets for your specialty and city, plus any agency fee, so the useful measure is cost per attended consultation. In ICG's dataset that median is ₹1,220 against a ₹2,100 market median, ranging from ₹420 for GP practices to ₹2,200 for plastic surgery.
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Google Ads cost per attended consultation by specialty
The cost per attended consultation from Google and Meta ads varies more than fourfold across specialties. These are national figures from ICG's CPQL dataset, where CPQL is media spend divided by first consultations that actually took place.
| Specialty | ICG CPQL | Market CPQL | Engagements |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP / Family Physician | ₹420 | ₹700 | 12 |
| Dental (General) | ₹780 | ₹1,100 | 38 |
| Aesthetic Dermatology | ₹950 | ₹1,400 | 43 |
| Ophthalmology (LASIK) | ₹1,080 | ₹1,800 | 22 |
| IVF / Fertility | ₹1,180 | ₹2,400 | 57 |
| Hair Transplant | ₹1,350 | ₹2,100 | 18 |
| Orthopaedics (Elective) | ₹1,420 | ₹2,400 | 7 (directional) |
| Cardiology (OPD) | ₹1,650 | ₹2,800 | 9 (directional) |
| Plastic Surgery | ₹2,200 | ₹3,500 | 14 |
Source: ICG Healthcare CPQL Benchmark Database India 2026 (Q2 refresh, 272 engagements). Rows under 10 engagements are directional.
Use these as planning anchors, not quotes. Your own figure depends on how quickly the front desk calls back, how many slots you offer and how competitive your locality is. The market column shows what clinics not managed by ICG paid for the same outcome, which is a fair test of whether your current campaigns are on track.
Google Ads for doctors in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore: what changes by city
Google Ads for doctors in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore usually face more advertisers per search than in smaller cities, so the same specialty can cost more per click and the radius around the clinic matters more. Metro patients also compare several clinics before calling, which makes reviews and the landing page part of the cost equation.
- Delhi NCR: searchers cross city lines easily, so separate Gurugram, Noida and Delhi campaigns stop one area eating the budget.
- Mumbai: travel time drives choice; keep radius tight around each branch and schedule ads around clinic hours.
- Bangalore: a large working population searches on mobile during office hours, so call extensions and quick WhatsApp replies matter.
City detail lives on our local pages: healthcare PPC in Mumbai and Google Ads for clinics in Bangalore.
What else goes into a doctor's Google Ads budget besides clicks
A doctor's Google Ads budget has four parts: media spend paid to Google, GST on that spend, the agency or consultant fee, and the cost of tracking and landing pages. Google invoices Indian advertisers with 18% GST added to ad spend, which many first-time budgets forget.
- Media spend: set by the auction and your daily budget; paid directly to Google.
- Management: ICG retainers start from ₹20,000/month, custom-scoped; ad spend is billed separately.
- Tracking: call tracking numbers, WhatsApp click tracking and conversion import from your front desk or CRM.
- Landing pages: one page per treatment converts better than sending every ad to the home page.
Ads must also stay within Google's healthcare and medicines policy and the NMC conduct rules for doctors, which rule out outcome promises and patient testimonials. For full account management, see our healthcare PPC agency page.
Why Google Ads cost doctors more than they should
Most overspending on Google Ads for doctors comes from a few fixable settings, not from high click prices. Check these before raising the budget:
- Job and course searches. Without negative keywords, ads show for "dermatology course", "dentist vacancy" or "MBBS salary", none of which bring patients.
- Ads running while the clinic is shut. Calls at 11 pm go unanswered; schedule ads to staffed hours and use WhatsApp after hours.
- Every ad pointing to the home page. A treatment-specific page with timings, location and a call button converts more of the same clicks.
- Radius too wide. Patients rarely cross a city for routine care, so tighten targeting around the clinic.
- Bidding for form fills. If Google only sees forms, it finds people who fill forms. Feed attended consultations back as conversions.
Fixing these usually lowers cost per attended consultation faster than any bid change.
Common questions
Do Google Ads work for doctors in India?
Yes, when the campaign targets treatment and doctor searches near the clinic, sends people to a relevant page, and the clinic answers calls and WhatsApp messages quickly. They work less well for doctors who cannot see new patients promptly or whose Google profile has weak reviews. Judge results on attended consultations over at least one full decision cycle for your specialty.
Can doctors in India advertise on Google under NMC rules?
Doctors can appear in Google Ads if the ads stay factual: name, qualifications, specialty, location and timings, plus educational information. Claims of superiority, guaranteed results, patient testimonials and discounts on treatment conflict with the 2002 ethics regulations that still guide the NMC, and Google's healthcare and medicines policy applies on top. Many doctors run ads in the clinic's name for this reason.
How long before Google Ads bring patients to a clinic?
Search ads can bring enquiries within days of approval, but steady results usually take a few weeks while Google learns from conversions and wasted searches are removed. How fast enquiries become consultations depends on specialty: in ICG's CPQL dataset the median is one day for GP visits, 21 days for aesthetic dermatology and 120 days for IVF.
