An orthopaedic patient searching for knee replacement, ACL surgery or spine treatment in their city is usually close to booking a consultation. Google Search ads put your practice in front of that search. Done carelessly, they also burn budget on people looking for exercises, jobs or free advice, and they can break the NMC’s October 2026 advertising guidelines. This guide covers how to set them up properly.
Build campaigns around procedures and locations
Group campaigns by the procedures you want more of, such as knee replacement, hip replacement, arthroscopy and ligament surgery, spine care, and fracture and trauma care, each with its own budget and ads. Add the localities and cities you actually draw patients from. That way you can see which procedure brings enquiries at what cost, and move money accordingly.
Keep out the searches that waste money
Add negative keywords from day one. Orthopaedic searches attract a lot of non-patient traffic: knee exercises at home, physiotherapy courses, orthopaedic jobs, free consultation, YouTube, and product searches for braces and supports. If you don’t offer physiotherapy as a standalone service, exclude it too.
Write ad copy within the rules
The NMC’s Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication (6 October 2026) apply to registered doctors. For ad copy that means:
- No superlatives such as “best”, “No. 1” or “top orthopaedic surgeon”.
- No guaranteed outcomes, “painless” surgery, success rates or recovery promises.
- No discounts, package offers or limited-time deals as promotion.
- No patient testimonials or before-and-after images.
Factual copy works well: the procedure, the city or locality, the surgeon’s qualifications, and how to book a consultation.
Send each click to the right page
A click on a knee replacement ad should land on a knee replacement page, not the homepage. That page should explain who the procedure is for, what the consultation involves, recovery in general terms and the risks, written for patients and reviewed by the surgeon. It should make booking easy, with a phone number, WhatsApp and a short form.
Track enquiries, not clicks
Set up call and form tracking so you can see the cost per consultation request for each procedure. Count the enquiry as an event without sending patient details to Google. Google also limits how health advertisers can use their own audiences, so plan around search keywords rather than remarketing lists.
Common mistakes
- One broad campaign for “orthopaedic doctor” competing with large hospitals.
- No negative keywords, so budget goes on exercise and job searches.
- Ads pointing to the homepage instead of a procedure page.
- Judging the account on clicks rather than consultation requests.
- Ad copy written before October 2026 that still uses superlatives or offers.
For related guides, see Google Ads for surgeons, or how we approach digital marketing for orthopaedic practices and paid campaigns.
This article is general information about advertising rules and practice. It is not legal advice.
