Why Med Spas Are Wasting Money on Google Ads (And How to Fix It)
After auditing dozens of med spa Google Ads accounts, we see the same five mistakes over and over. They're bleeding budget silently while owners wonder why ads "don't work."
Most med spas waste 40–60% of their Google Ads budget on 5 avoidable mistakes: generic keywords, homepage traffic, no call tracking, no remarketing, and targeting too wide a geographic area. Fixing even 2–3 of these can cut cost per lead by 50%.
- ✓Mistake 1: Bidding on 'med spa' instead of 'botox near me'. Generic terms get 1% CVR. Procedure-specific terms get 5–8%.
- ✓Mistake 2: Sending all traffic to the homepage. Service-specific landing pages convert 3–4x better. Not complicated.
- ✓Mistake 3: No phone call tracking. 60–80% of med spa bookings happen by phone. You're flying blind without it.
- ✓Mistake 4: No remarketing. 80% of visitors don't convert the first visit. If you're not following up, competitors are.
- ✓Mistake 5: 30-mile radius targeting. Med spa patients book within 5 miles of home or office. Wider is not better.
Broad Match Keywords Without Negative Keywords
Running 'botox' on broad match means your ads show for 'how to remove botox,' 'botox side effects,' and 'botox overdose.' Add thousands of negative keywords from day one, or use exact/phrase match exclusively. We've seen accounts where 40% of spend was going to irrelevant searches.
Sending Traffic to the Homepage
Your homepage is for brand building. Google Ads traffic needs dedicated landing pages. A person searching 'botox near me' should land on a page about your botox services, with your price, your before/afters, and a booking button — not your homepage with a navigation menu full of distractions.
No Call Tracking
Most med spa bookings happen by phone. If you're not tracking which keywords and ads drove phone calls, you have no idea what's working. Google's call tracking is free. Use it. Every number on every ad should be tracked back to a keyword.
Location Targeting Too Broad
A med spa in Beverly Hills doesn't need to show ads to people in San Diego. Tight radius targeting — 5–15 miles depending on market — keeps CPCs lower and conversion rates higher because you're reaching people who can actually come in.
Not Bidding on Your Own Brand
Your competitors are bidding on your brand name. When someone searches 'Glow Med Spa,' your competitor shows up first. Branded keywords are cheap — usually $0.50–$2.00 per click — and convert at extremely high rates because the searcher already knows you.
Get a Free Account Audit
We'll check your med spa account for all five of these issues and more — free, no commitment.