How competitive is healthcare marketing in Austin?
Competitive on reviews, wide open on access. In our 2026 benchmark of 460 Austin practices, chiropractors have the deepest review profiles of 20 US metros (median 294.5) and dental practices a median of 378. Yet only 13.4% of Austin dental practices list a weekend day, against 25.5% nationally. Access is the opening.
- Review depth is above average: an index of 1.05, 8th of 20 metros.
- Weekend access is below the national share in 7 of 9 specialties; Austin is last of all metros in med spa, dermatology and cosmetic and plastic surgery.
- No Austin plastic surgery practice in our sample lists weekend hours.
- IVF clicks are a planning estimate of $26.30, the 2nd most expensive of 16 metros.
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Austin practices close on weekends more than almost anywhere
Most "how competitive is my city" analysis looks at reviews and ad prices. In Austin, the most striking number is about hours. We checked which practices list at least one weekend day on their Google Business Profile, and Austin falls below the national share in 7 of the 9 specialties we measured. It ranks last of every metro in med spa, dermatology and cosmetic and plastic surgery.
Share of practices listing a weekend day. Bar = Austin (red where below national); dark tick = national. Source: US Healthcare Google Benchmarks 2026.
The gaps are large. 13.4% of Austin dental practices list a weekend day, about half the national 25.5%. In dermatology it is 12.1% against 27.5%, in physical therapy 6.7% against 20.6%, and not one of the 47 Austin plastic surgery practices in our sample lists weekend hours. Even Austin med spas, a category that usually opens weekends, list one only 40% of the time against 74.2% nationally.
On reviews, Austin is above average
The review picture points the other way. Austin's review-depth index is 1.05, 8th of 20 metros, and in its biggest clinical categories the profiles are deep:
| Specialty | Austin n | Median reviews | National | Rank of metros | Avg rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiropractic | 40 | 294.5 | 125 | 1st of 20 | 4.92 |
| Dermatology | 66 | 176.5 | 125 | 7th of 20 | 4.81 |
| Physical Therapy | 45 | 152 | 122 | 4th of 20 | 4.86 |
| Dental | 112 | 378 | 319.5 | 8th of 20 | 4.84 |
| IV Therapy & Wellness | 82 | 54.5 | 52 | 10th of 20 | 4.8 |
| Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery | 47 | 110 | 107 | 9th of 20 | 4.75 |
| Med Spa | 20 | 123 | 148 | 14th of 19 | 4.9 |
| Hair Restoration | 14 | 22.5 | 33 | 12th of 19 | 4.73 |
| Medical Weight Loss | 34 | 27.5 | 42 | 16th of 20 | 4.91 |
Rank 1 = deepest review profiles among metros that report the specialty. September 2026.
Chiropractic stands out: the median Austin chiropractor has 294.5 reviews, more than double the national 125 and the highest of any metro. Only 2.7% of Austin dental practices have fewer than 50 reviews. Ratings are high too, at 4.92 stars for chiropractic and 4.81 for dermatology, so a newcomer cannot rely on a better star rating to stand out.
The thinner corners are the newer cash-pay categories. Austin medical weight loss clinics have a median of 27.5 reviews (national 42) and 64.7% have fewer than 50.
Clicks are mid-priced, except in fertility
Our 2026 planning estimates put Austin general-dentistry clicks at about $9.80, the 11th most expensive of 20 metros, with orthodontics at $17.90 and cosmetic dentistry at $31.80. Medical dermatology runs about $7.10 a click and cosmetic dermatology $18.60, both a little above Houston and Dallas.
Fertility is different. Austin IVF clicks are about $26.30, the 2nd most expensive of 16 metros, and a new patient consultation about $920. Texas requires group insurers only to offer IVF coverage, and employers may leave it out, so many Austin patients compare cash prices and packages. The benchmark also finds that clinics which spell out employer fertility-benefit acceptance on their pages convert 28% to 46% better in tech-heavy metros such as Austin, a planning range from a small client sample.
What this means for your practice
- Use hours as marketing. If you can open even one weekend morning, publish it on Google, your website and your ads. In Austin that alone sets you apart in most specialties.
- Do not try to out-review the field in year one in chiropractic, dental or dermatology; set a steady monthly review target and reply to every review.
- Move fast in thin categories. Weight loss and hair restoration clinics can reach the local median quickly with a disciplined review routine.
- Fertility clinics: show prices, packages and benefits. In a cash-heavy market, clear pricing and employer-benefit pages earn the expensive click.
- Measure cost per booked patient, not clicks, so mid-priced Austin clicks turn into patients rather than traffic.
Where our US team can help: healthcare SEO in Austin · paid search in Austin · dental marketing in Austin · fertility clinic marketing in Austin.
Get the full Healthcare Google Reviews dataset + PDF summary
The numbers behind this page, ready for your own spreadsheet or slide deck.
- CSV, 187 rows: national figures for 9 specialties plus every metro with at least 10 practices.
- Fields: average Google rating, median review count, review-count bands, website, phone and hours listed, weekend opening, days open per week.
- PDF summary with the tables, methodology and a citation line.
Public Google Business Profile data for 9,452 US healthcare practices, September 2026. Aggregates only. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
How we know: source, sample, date and limits
Google benchmark: public Google Business Profile data for 460 Austin practices in 9 specialties, found through Google searches and collected in September 2026, from the 20-metro sample behind the State of US Healthcare Marketing 2026. "Weekend day" means the profile lists opening hours on Saturday or Sunday. Review-depth index: each specialty's Austin median divided by its national median; the index is the median of those ratios. Click costs: planning estimates from our dental, dermatology and IVF benchmark reports, January to August 2026.
- Specialty groups range from 14 to 112 Austin practices; hair restoration (14) and med spa (20) are small.
- Listed hours may not match hours actually offered; we measure what patients see on Google.
- Cost figures are planning estimates, not quotes or guarantees. Texas IVF rule: RESOLVE, insurance coverage by state.
Want this benchmarked for your practice?
Send a short note and a member of our US team replies within one US business day with next steps. No obligation.
Prefer to talk? Book a 30-minute call or call +1 (724) 612-3694.
Related research and services
State of US Healthcare Marketing 2026
The metro review-depth index for all 20 cities.
Texas med spas: Dallas, Houston, Austin
How the three Texas metros compare.
How competitive is Houston?
The second-deepest market of 20.
Chiropractic Google benchmarks 2026
Every metro's chiropractic row.
Texas advertising rules
What Texas practices can claim in ads.
Fertility clinic cost per lead
Why non-mandate states cost more.
Common questions
Is Austin a competitive market for medical SEO?
Moderately. Austin ranks 8th of 20 US metros in our 2026 review-depth index (1.05). It is very deep in chiropractic (median 294.5 reviews, the deepest of 20 metros), dental (378) and dermatology (176.5), but thinner than average in medical weight loss and hair restoration.
Are Austin dentists open on weekends?
Few are. In our 2026 benchmark, 13.4% of Austin dental practices list at least one weekend day on Google, against 25.5% nationally. Practices are open 4.6 days a week on average.
How many Google reviews does an Austin chiropractor have?
The median Austin chiropractic practice in our study has 294.5 Google reviews, more than twice the national median of 125 and the highest of the 20 metros we measured. Only 12.5% have fewer than 50.
How much do Google Ads cost in Austin for medical practices?
Our 2026 planning estimates put Austin at about $9.80 per click for general dentistry, $31.80 for cosmetic dentistry, $7.10 for medical dermatology and $26.30 for IVF. IVF is the outlier, the 2nd most expensive of 16 metros.
What is the fastest way for a new Austin practice to stand out on Google?
Offer and publish hours that competitors do not. In specialties where Austin practices rarely open on weekends, accurate Saturday hours on your Google Business Profile make you one of the few options for weekend searchers, without waiting years to match local review counts.
A note on this article: it reports aggregate research and explains marketing practice. It is not legal advice, and cost figures are planning estimates, not guarantees of results.
Find your opening in Austin
A free 30-minute call with the US team. We compare your Google profile, hours and ad costs with the Austin benchmarks for your specialty.