Guide
How to advertise a dental practice.
To advertise a dental practice, combine channels that bring in new patients: Google Ads and a strong Google profile for people searching now, reviews and social to build trust, local SEO for steady flow, and local brand placements like counter advertising to keep your practice front of mind across the suburbs you draw from.
Below are the six channels practices actually use, what each is best for, what it costs and the catch - so you can build the mix that fills the book.
People put off the dentist for years. When they finally book, they pick a name they already know.
The options
Six ways to advertise your practice.
- 01
Google Ads + Local Services Ads
Paid search that puts your practice at the top for "dentist near me" or "emergency dentist [suburb]".
- Best for
- High-intent patients searching for a dentist right now.
- Rough cost
- Pay per click or per lead. Dental keywords are competitive.
- The catch
- Costly per new patient, needs management, and it stops the moment you stop paying.
- 02
Google profile and reviews
Your Google Business Profile and star rating - the map listing people check before they call.
- Best for
- Converting nearby searchers who are comparing practices.
- Rough cost
- Free to run; the cost is the time to maintain it and gather reviews.
- The catch
- You're compared side by side on rating and distance, and a strong review base takes months to build.
- 03
Social media
Before-and-afters, the team, patient education and community posts on Instagram and Facebook.
- Best for
- Trust, personality and interest in cosmetic treatments.
- Rough cost
- Flexible ad spend.
- The catch
- Scroll-past attention, hungry for fresh content, and hard to tie a post to a booking.
- 04
Local SEO and content
Ranking organically for "[treatment] [suburb]" through your website and helpful content.
- Best for
- Steady, compounding local visibility that doesn't stop when spend does.
- Rough cost
- Agency retainer or your own time.
- The catch
- Slow to build, technical, and competitive in most suburbs.
- 05
Local print and sponsorship
New-patient offers dropped across the catchment, plus sponsoring local clubs and schools.
- Best for
- Suburb awareness and community goodwill.
- Rough cost
- Print and distribution, or a sponsorship fee.
- The catch
- Most of it goes to the bin, and you can't measure who read it.
- 06
Counter advertising
Your practice full-screen on the payment screens at the cafés and shops across your catchment - full screen and unmissable, not a passing glance.
- Best for
- Staying front of mind with local patients between visits.
- Rough cost
- By quote - one practice per location if you want it exclusive, or shared at a lower rate. Ask us for a rate for your area.
- The catch
- It builds the name, not a same-day booking.
Side by side
The channels, compared.
| Channel | Best for | Rough cost | Measurable? | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google + Local Services Ads | Active patients | $$$ | Leads tracked | Fast |
| Google profile / reviews | Comparison shoppers | $ | Views, calls | Steady |
| Social media | Trust, cosmetic interest | $$ | Reach, hard to attribute | Slow |
| Local SEO / content | Organic visibility | $$ | Rankings, traffic | Slow |
| Local print / sponsorship | Catchment awareness | $$ | None | Slow |
| Counter advertising | Local front-of-mind | $ | Counted impressions | Steady |
Cost is relative: $ light, $$$ heavy. Every practice's numbers differ - treat this as a starting shape, not a quote.
Where Tap fits
The local trust-builder, counted.
A dental decision is low-frequency and trust-led. Most of your catchment isn't booking this month, but they will over the next couple of years - and they pick the practice they already know. Google catches the one searching today. Tap keeps your name in front of everyone else, at the cafés and shops across your catchment, at the moment they pay.
Unlike a letterbox drop, every view is real and counted, not modelled. And you can book it exclusively: one practice per location, so the screen in the local café is never shared with the practice down the road.
It won't replace your Google Ads, and it's not meant to. It's the familiarity layer that makes yours the name a nervous patient finally books.
Common questions
Dental advertising, answered.
What is the best way to advertise a dental practice?
It depends on the goal. To reach patients searching for a dentist now, Google Ads and a strong Google profile work hardest. To build the trust that decides who they pick, reviews, social, local SEO and counter advertising compound over time. Most practices run both, because a dental visit is a low-frequency, trust-led decision.
How much does it cost to advertise a dental practice?
It ranges widely. Google Ads run into the thousands a month and dental keywords are competitive. Your Google profile and reviews are free to run beyond the time they take. Counter advertising is sold by quote, exclusive or shared - ask us for a rate for your area.
How do dental practices get more patients locally?
By building local trust and familiarity. A strong Google profile with real reviews, local SEO for your suburbs, community sponsorship, and counter advertising on the payment screens at the cafés and shops the surrounding suburbs use every day all keep your practice the one a nervous patient already knows.
Be the name they already know.
Tell us the suburbs you draw from and we'll show you which local screens are open.