SEM

In the marketing and online advertising arena, PPC means pay-per-click. This means that every time a visitor to a website clicks on an advertiser’s link, the advertiser pays the site’s owner an agreed-upon fee. 

This marketing tool has been particularly useful and necessary for those in the healthcare industry because not only can they control the costs of their advertising campaigns, but they can also target only a specific group or market segment whom they know will be interested in their service. 

However, despite this good news, there are underlying issues and challenges healthcare industry advertisers must tackle to be allowed to advertise. 

Why is it Important to Understand PPC Regulations? 

The main reason why all healthcare industry advertisers must know and must adhere to the PPC regulations is the fact that they are heavily regulated by “confining legislation” and Google. Before anybody from the healthcare industry should consult its legal team before releasing any advertising. 

Among the challenges posed by this legislation are restrictions on language and how to protect sensitive information. Google itself also restricts the healthcare industry from utilizing remarketing strategies (using cookies to target ads at visitors to a site after they leave your site) and the promotion of what it deems “unapproved or misleading pharmaceuticals and supplements”. 

An example of a healthcare service provider who is familiar with the regulations of Google are the rehab facilities. They have reviewed these restrictions and made sure to keep their ads and campaigns within the bounds of the laws and Google policies. 

In terms of language restrictions and sensitive information, laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and all the political issues surrounding reforms in healthcare all determine the appropriateness of an advertising campaign. 

In an interview, Sergey Rusak of WordStream said that language restrictions are a huge challenge for healthcare paid search accounts. Even such words as “prescriptions” and “drugs” can trigger automatic disapproval by Google. Despite that, “one in 20 Google searches are for health-related information”, according to a post on Google’s blog

Google recently made an update to its policies on remarketing. Now, no form of display advertising is allowed, which is bad news for healthcare marketers. They consider remarketing as the most efficient and effective way to hold on to leads in a longer sales cycle.

Why is it Important to Invest in PPC Campaigns? 

Despite the strict regulations and restrictions imposed by statues and by Google, the fact remains that PPC campaigns are still crucial to the success of a healthcare business. 

The first and most important reason why a business must invest in PPC is the fact that it can drive traffic to your site. Once a user clicks on your ad, they will immediately be redirected to your page and with that, People look for everything online, so there is a high chance that you will benefit from a paid search. 

Another advantage of using PPC is you can control the cost of your advertising campaigns while narrowing the audience and recipients of your PPC campaigns. Since you only have to pay for the advertisement when an interested user clicks on your ad, PPC looks like a very productive campaign strategy. You don’t waste resources on people who are not interested in your services. 

Is PPC for Everyone? 

Despite its many benefits, PPC is not for everyone. Aside from the regulations and restrictions imposed on general content, there are more stringent rules when it comes to specific industries. For, the healthcare and medication industries, numerous across-the-board regulations in advertising are being observed. 

Mountain Springs Recovery observes three rules in utilizing PPC campaigns. 

  1. Select the right healthcare keyword to for the campaign. Stick to keywords that are specific and resonate within the community. Stay away from broad keywords since these cannot give you real customers. 
  2. Manage content by allowing it to mirror the landing pages that link to the ads. 
  3. Never fail to adjust and monitor the PPC campaign if keywords need to be tweaked or added for new pages, ads, and, targets. 

To experience a PPC campaign that has passed muster with both state regulations and Google Adwords, and to have a deeper insight into how PPC should be used. 

The Digital Marketing Guru
Author: The Digital Marketing Guru

The Digital Marketing Guru is a full-service digital marketing agency. We’ve been providing a wide range of services to clients of all industries since 2010. Our digital marketing services include consulting and management options for a variety of online marketing tactics including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) ads, copywriting conversion rate optimization (CRO), and more. We also offer expert web design and development services for both eCommerce and B2B companies. Don’t just partner with any digital marketing agency; work with a company you can trust.