How to Choose a Dental Marketing Agency: Questions to Ask
By Bruno Vasconcellos, founder of Beatus MídiasOctober 1, 2026 · 6 min read
Which questions should you ask?
- How do you measure results, and will you report booked and new patients?
- Who owns the Google Ads and Meta ad accounts, and the data?
- How much is the fee, and how much goes to ad spend?
- How long is the contract, and how do I leave?
- What happens after a lead comes in? Who answers, and how fast?
- Who writes the ads, and do I approve them before they run?
- How do you handle health ad rules and my state board's advertising rules?
- How often will we meet, and who is my point of contact?
- What will you need from my team?
- What will you do in the first 30 days?
What are the red flags?
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed top rankings | No one can guarantee a ranking on Google |
| The agency owns your ad accounts | You can lose your history and data if you leave |
| Long lock-in contracts | You keep paying even when results don't come |
| Reports with only clicks and impressions | Activity is not patients |
| Ad spend mixed into the fee | You can't see what actually went to the platforms |
| No plan for lead follow-up | Leads you paid for go cold |
What should good reporting look like?
A short view of spend, leads, booked appointments, show rate and cost per new patient, by treatment and by channel. A good agency explains what changed, why and what comes next, in plain language, and connects every number to your schedule.
The bottom line
The right dental marketing agency measures what you measure: patients in the chair. Own your accounts, see your spend, avoid lock-in and choose a partner who cares about what happens after the click.
Frequently asked questions
Should my dental practice own its Google Ads account?
Yes. The account, the history and the data should belong to the practice, with the agency given access to manage it. If you ever change agencies, you keep the learning, the conversion data and the billing history. An agency that refuses this is a warning sign worth taking seriously.
How long should a dental marketing contract be?
Long enough for a fair test, but without a lock-in that keeps you paying when results don't come. Campaigns need some weeks of learning, so many practices evaluate over a few months. Look for clear exit terms, transparent fees and reporting based on booked patients from the start.
What is the difference between ad spend and the agency fee?
Ad spend is the money paid directly to Google or Meta for your ads. The agency fee is what you pay for strategy, setup, creative, management and reporting. Keeping them separate lets you see exactly what reached the platforms and judge the agency's value on its own.
Want more booked patients?
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