SEO vs Google Ads For Dental Practices: Comparison Guide
Alpha Dog Team
•
July 2025
If you're a dental practice owner trying to decide between Google Ads and SEO, you're asking the wrong question.
The real question is, "Should I start with Google Ads, SEO, or both?"
After working with dental practices for over a decade, we've seen what works and what doesn't. The truth is, most successful practices eventually use both strategies. The key is knowing which one to prioritize based on your current situation.
This guide breaks down the real costs, timelines, and outcomes of Google Ads vs SEO, plus how AI Search changes the game for both strategies.
The Current Reality: AI Search Is Changing Everything
Before we dive into the traditional Google Ads vs SEO comparison, we need to address the elephant in the room: AI Search platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google's own AI Mode are changing how patients find dentists.
What does this mean?
Traditional SEO still works, but you also need to optimize for AI-powered search results.
Google Ads now appear alongside AI-generated answers, creating new opportunities.
Patients are increasingly using conversational queries instead of keyword searches.
The practices preparing for AI Search now will dominate the next few years. The ones sticking to old-school SEO and Google Ads strategies will watch their competition pull ahead. It’s that simple.
Google Ads: The Sprint Strategy
Think of Google Ads as a sprint. You can start today and see results within days or weeks.
How Google Ads Work For Dental
When someone searches "dentist near me" or "emergency dentist," your ad can appear at the top of search results immediately. You pay only when someone clicks your ad and visits your website.
Minimum Investment: $1,000/month in ad spend, which does not include agency fees. Anything less than this won't generate meaningful results in competitive dental markets.
Google Ads Timeline
Week 1-2: Your campaigns go live and begin to collect initial data.
Month 1: We start performance optimization based on early results.
Month 2-3: We can begin refined targeting and improved conversion rates.
Month 4+: Your campaigns fall into consistent patient acquisition with ongoing optimization.
Google Ads Pros
Immediate Results: You will start getting patients within days of launching campaigns.
Predictable Costs: You know exactly what you're spending and can scale up or down quickly.
Precise Targeting: You can target specific services, locations and patient demographics.
Measurable ROI: You can track exactly which keywords and ads generate patients.
Control: You can turn campaigns on or off instantly, adjusting budgets in real-time.
Google Ads Cons
Ongoing Costs: If you stop paying, stop getting those patients immediately. You have to continue to feed the machine.
Competitive Markets: In metro areas, popular keywords can cost $50+ each. Yes, you read that right, $50 per click. Imagine paying for 20 of those clicks before even one patient books. That’s why management matters.
Learning Curve: Poorly or minimally managed campaigns waste money very quickly. It is not a ‘set it and forget it’ situation.
Ad Fatigue: Creative needs constant refreshing to maintain performance, ideally monthly. You need new hooks for every level of the patient acquisition funnel.
SEO: The Marathon Strategy
SEO is more similar to a marathon. It takes months to see significant results but the long-term payoff can be enormous.
How SEO Works For Dental
SEO involves optimizing your website and online presence so you rank higher in organic (non-paid) search results. When someone searches "dentist in [your city]," you want your practice to appear on the first page.
Our SEO Timeline & Benchmarks
We use a structured approach with specific checkpoints.
Month 1: NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency and technical backend fixes.
Month 3: Full optimization complete, content strategy implemented.
Month 6: Keyword improvement audit, strategy refinement and backlink acquisition.
Month 12: Comprehensive audit, competitive analysis and backlink reconciliation.
Real results typically appear in the 6-12 month range for local SEO. Anyone promising faster results is either lying or using tactics that could hurt you long-term. Could it happen? Definitely. But no responsible agency should be promising certain benchmarks within the first few months. We’ve seen dentists burned by this exact promise too many times.
SEO: What You're Actually Paying
Unlike Google Ads where you pay for clicks, SEO costs include the below.
Agency Expertise: This includes strategy development, technical optimization and content creation.
Backlink Acquisition: You need to get other reputable websites to link to yours, it’s the SEO lifeblood.
Ongoing Monitoring: Including tracking rankings, traffic, and algorithm changes from platforms.
Content Development: You’ll want to create valuable content that maximizes user experience.
The Importance Of Backlinks: Think of backlinks as votes of confidence from other websites. Google views your practice as more authoritative when other reputable sites link to you. Quality backlinks are crucial for ranking competitively in dental markets. And good backlinks can get expensive. Bad backlinks will give you zero boost and in some cases, will hurt your ranking as Google catches on.
How We Measure SEO Success:
We track keyword value to show what you would have paid in Google Ads for the same organic traffic. For example, if you rank #1 for "dentist in [your city]" and get 100 clicks monthly from that keyword, we calculate what those 100 clicks would have otherwise cost you in Google Ads.
This often shows SEO generating $5,000-15,000+ worth of "free" clicks monthly once fully optimized.
SEO Pros | SEO Cons |
|---|---|
Long-Term Results: Once you rank well, you can maintain those positions with ongoing optimization. Credibility: Patients trust organic results more than paid ads, that’ll likely never change. Cost-Effective: After initial investment, the ongoing cost per patient acquisition decreases. 24/7 Marketing: Your website works to attract patients even when you turn Google Ads off. Compound Growth: Success builds on itself over time. | Slow Start: It usually takes 6-12 months to see significant results. Algorithm Changes: Google updates can and do temporarily affect rankings. Competitive: Established practices with strong SEO are hard to outrank. No Guarantees: Results vary based on competition, market conditions and backlink investment. |
HALFTIME: Not sure which makes sense first for your practice? Email Kyle for a zero-pressure strategy session. He’ll walk through your options directly for free.
AI Search: The New Player
AI search platforms are becoming a third option that combines elements of both paid and organic strategies. Think of it like asking a trusted colleague which dentist they’d pick, except the colleague is an AI scanning every review, website, and signal online.
How AI Search Works
When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude "What's the best dentist in [city]?" the AI provides recommendations based on online information about practices. This includes reviews, website content, and other digital signals.
Key Factors AI Considers:
Online reviews and ratings, especially recent.
Website content quality, comprehensiveness and speed.
Professional listings and directory presence, with consistent information.
Patient testimonials and case studies, either on your website or elsewhere.
Practice information completeness, confusion is a ranking killer.
Which Strategy Should You Choose?
The answer depends on your current situation and goals.
Choose Google Ads When:
You need patients immediately. New practices or those with declining patient volume can't wait 6-12 months for SEO results. You’ll need to supplement with ads in the meantime.
You have specific capacity to fill. If you have immediate openings and want to fill them quickly, you’ll need to lean into ads with specific messaging.
You're testing a new service. Google Ads let you quickly test demand for cosmetic dentistry, implants, or other specialized services. This is extra helpful when you are rolling out a new offering.
Your local SEO is already strong. Use ads to supplement organic traffic and dominate search results. You basically get two shots at a new patient for the price of one.
Choose SEO When:
You're consistently booked out. If you're already busy, SEO builds long-term visibility for when you expand capacity.
You want long-term growth. SEO creates sustainable patient acquisition that doesn't require ongoing ad spend. If you can ride your current revenue for awhile, this is the play.
Your competition isn't investing in SEO. Opportunity to dominate local search results before they catch up. A good agency will be able to run a competitive analysis audit and let you know if this is the case.
You have patience for results. Understanding that meaningful SEO results take 6-12 months minimum. Don’t expect massive increases in new patients immediately.
Choose Both When:
You have the budget. Most successful practices eventually use both strategies for maximum market coverage. Every successful practice you see in metro areas is running both.
You want to dominate search results. Appearing in both paid and organic results increases overall click-through rates. Again, the two shots to land that new patient rather than just one.
You're in a competitive market. Major cities often require both strategies to maintain strong patient flow. It’ll be tough to break through and see a worthwhile conversion rate running just one or the other.
Real Example: Fairport, NY Practice
One of our solo practice clients in Fairport, NY started with SEO-only in their first month. They quickly realized that SEO is indeed a process that requires patience. They admitted they were expecting SEO to work like a light switch. Flip it on, see new patients. SEO doesn’t work that way.
Month 2: After some back and forth, we convinced them to add Google Ads to supplement their SEO efforts while organic rankings developed.
The Result: They've been running both strategies for years now. The Google Ads provided immediate patient flow while SEO built long-term visibility. Today, they get patients from both channels and have the security of diversified patient acquisition. As long as you are making more than a dollar for every dollar spent, there’s no need to stop. This is why knowing your Patient LTV is so important!
Cost Comparison: What You're Really Paying
Google Ads Investment
Ad Spend: $1,000/month Minimum
Management: Agency Retainer -or- Internal Staff
Landing Pages: Optimized Pages/Software
Call Tracking: Measuring Conversion & ROI
Total Monthly Investment: $2,000-$5,000+
SEO Investment
Strategy & Implementation: Agency Retainer -or- Internal Staff
Content Creation: On-Page Copy, FAQ, Etc
Technical Optimization: Website Speed, Performance
Backlink Acquisition: Third-Party Acquisition
Total Monthly Investment: $2,000-$5,000+
ROI Comparison
Google Ads ROI: This is more predictable and immediate. You can calculate cost per patient acquisition quickly and adjust spending based on results. The key factor is having your data and acquisition funnel buttoned up.
SEO ROI: This takes longer to materialize but often provides better long-term value. Once established, organic traffic costs significantly less per patient than paid traffic. If data tracking is setup correctly, you’ll be able to draw a clear line between paid acquisition and organic acquisition.
The AI Search Factor
Both Google Ads and SEO need to adapt for AI search platforms.
For Google Ads: Ads now appear alongside AI-generated answers, potentially increasing visibility and click-through rates. Not to mention, ChatGPT will be rolling out ads within their platform next year.
For SEO: Traditional keyword optimization must expand to include conversational queries and comprehensive topic coverage that AI platforms value. You’ll realistically need to keep an eye on 3-4 AI Search Engines right now.
Our Recommendation For Most Practices
For most solo dental practices, the optimal strategy is outlined below.
Months 1-3: Launch Google Ads for immediate patient flow while beginning SEO foundation work.
Months 4-6: Continue ads while SEO implementation progresses and early organic improvements appear.
Months 7-12: Optimize both channels as SEO results strengthen and ad performance improves with data.
Year 1+: Maintain both strategies with budget allocation based on performance and goals. Once SEO is in a strong position, you can focus your ad strategy toward unique search queries and areas that you don’t rank well organically.
This approach provides immediate results while building long-term sustainability.
The Bottom Line
The Google Ads vs SEO debate misses the point. The most successful dental practices use both strategies strategically.
Google Ads provide immediate patient flow and predictable results. SEO builds long-term visibility and sustainable growth. AI Search optimization ensures you're ready for the future.
The key is understanding when to use each strategy and how they work together to maximize your practice's patient acquisition.
Ready to explore whether agency partnership makes sense for your practice? Email Kyle directly for an honest conversation about your situation. No high-pressure sales tactics, just realistic assessment of your options.
Because at the end of the day, you fix teeth. And we fill chairs. We should talk.
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