What to Look For
Most dental growth comes from people searching nearby for a dentist they can book this week, so the agencies worth a call tend to be strongest in local search, booking and reviews rather than brand campaigns.
- Local search depth: Google Business Profile management for every location, service pages that match how patients search (implants, emergency visits, Invisalign, pediatric care), and a plan for location pages that are not near-duplicates.
- Booking and call tracking: Experience connecting ads and calls to your practice management system so you can see which campaigns produce booked, kept appointments rather than form fills.
- Insurance and fee positioning: Messaging that reflects whether you are in network, fee-for-service or a mix, since that changes which patients you should pay to reach.
- Treatment-specific campaigns: Separate funnels for high-value cases like implants and clear aligners, with consult follow-up handled by your front desk or a call team.
- Review operations: A compliant process for requesting reviews and a playbook for replying without confirming that anyone is a patient.
Compliance and Advertising Rules
Tracking is the first thing to check. HHS Office for Civil Rights guidance says tracking tools on authenticated pages such as patient portals generally touch protected health information, and that scheduling tools on public pages can too. A 2024 federal court decision vacated the part of that guidance covering a visitor’s IP address on unauthenticated public pages, but the rest still stands, including the point that a cookie banner is not a valid HIPAA authorization. Ask how the agency handles pixels around online booking and whether its vendors will sign a business associate agreement.
Review replies are a known enforcement area. In December 2022 OCR announced a $23,000 settlement with a California dental practice that disclosed patient names, treatment and insurance details while answering online reviews. The FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in effect since October 21, 2024, also bans fake reviews, reviews bought on the condition that they are positive, and undisclosed reviews from staff or relatives.
Professional rules apply on top. The American Dental Association added an advisory opinion on social media to its code in February 2025, stating that the false or misleading standard extends to influencer content and that paid partnerships must be disclosed. State dental boards also set their own advertising rules, which can cover specialty claims and discount offers, so ask the agency to have new campaigns checked against your board’s rules or by counsel.
How Engagements Usually Work
Engagements usually start with a 30 to 60 day setup period covering tracking, profile cleanup and campaign builds, followed by a monthly retainer for SEO, paid search and reporting. Ad spend is usually billed separately, and you should own the ad accounts, analytics and call tracking numbers outright.
Ask for monthly reporting that goes past clicks to new patient calls, booked appointments and, where the practice management integration allows, production by source. Clarify contract length and notice period, who owns website content if you leave, and whether the agency works with competing practices in your area.
Red Flags
- Guaranteed rankings or patient counts: No agency controls Google’s results or your case acceptance.
- Pixels on booking pages without a plan: A vendor that cannot explain how it handles tracking around scheduling has not read the OCR guidance.
- Review gating or bought reviews: Filtering unhappy patients away from review sites or paying for positive reviews creates FTC exposure.
- Ad accounts in the agency’s name: You lose your history and data when you leave.
- Identical sites for every client: Templated content rarely ranks and makes your practice look interchangeable.
