Search Ads vs Display Ads: Which?

1) When to use search ads

• • Best for services with strong intent: dentists, lawyers, plumbers, emergency services.
• • Keywords = demand. You capture people already looking to buy/book.
• • Pricing: usually higher CPC than display, but stronger conversion rates.

Search ads show when people actively type in queries. Great for high-intent leads. For a dental practice, 80% of revenue typically comes from search ads because they capture people ready to book today.

Search ads give you immediate feedback on ROI. You know within 2-3 weeks if a keyword is profitable or not. This makes search the ideal testing ground for new practices. Scale what works, pause what doesn't.

2) When to use display ads

• • Great for building brand awareness and staying visible.
• • Cheaper CPCs than search, but lower immediate conversion rates.
• • Perfect for remarketing campaigns to past visitors.

Display ads show banners across websites, apps, and YouTube. They're more about awareness and retargeting. Most people aren't looking for a dentist right now, so display fills the awareness gap for when they do.

Display is perfect for remarketing. A person visits your implant page but leaves without booking. Display retargets them across 2 million websites for 7-30 days, keeping your practice top-of-mind. Remarketing CPA is typically 40-60% cheaper than search CPA because the audience is already warm.

3) Pros and cons of each

• • Pros: High intent, fast results, measurable ROI, keyword control.
• • Cons: Competitive, higher CPC, limited by search volume.

• • Pros: Broad reach, cheap impressions ($0.50-$2 CPC), remarketing power, brand awareness.
• • Cons: Lower CTR (0.5-1% vs 3-5% for search), banner blindness, less immediate intent.

4) Using both together

• • Search for acquisition: capture demand at high intent moments.
• • Display for remarketing: bring back visitors who didn't convert.
• • Display for awareness: keep your brand in front of people before they're ready.
• • Measure synergy: search + display combined often improve overall CPA by 10-30%.

Running both together creates a powerful top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel strategy. Search captures hot leads ready to buy. Display keeps you in mind for the 70% who aren't ready yet. When someone finally decides they need a dentist 3-4 weeks later, your display ad reminds them of you.

Measure synergy by looking at assisted conversions. Some people see your display ad 3 times before clicking your search ad and converting. Google's data-driven attribution will show that both channels contributed. Typically, the combination of search + display improves overall CPA by 10-30% compared to search alone.

Budget Allocation Between Search and Display

Most dental practices should use this allocation formula: Start with 80 percent budget on search, 20 percent on display remarketing. This weights toward high-intent, high-conversion search while building remarketing audience. After 3-4 months, review performance. If search CPA is below $150 and growing conversions monthly, increase search to 85 percent. If search is flat or CPA is rising, shift 5-10 percent to display to diversify your reach.

Never allocate more than 30 percent to display unless you are a mature practice with search fully optimized and CPA stable. Display is a secondary channel. New practices that lead with display often waste budget on visitors with low purchase intent. Proven practices use display to scale after search is proven.

Test different remarketing audiences in display. Your website visitors are one audience. Email list is another. Past patients are another. Create separate display campaigns for each audience with tailored messages. Past patients see "come back in for your six-month checkup" messaging. Website visitors see "schedule your first exam" messaging. Strategic PPC management means tailoring messages to audience intent, not just splitting budget evenly.