If you run a healthcare practice and you’re deciding whether to put your marketing budget into Google Ads or Facebook Ads, here’s the direct answer. For most Canadian clinics, Google Ads is the better place to start. Facebook and Instagram have a real role, but a narrower one than most agencies suggest, and Meta’s recent limits on health data have made it narrower still.
This guide explains how each platform works for clinics, what they cost, what changed with health data rules, and how to split a budget as your practice grows.
The fundamental difference
Google Ads captures demand that already exists. Someone searching “chiropractor Victoria BC” or “physio for back pain Saanich” already has a problem and is looking for help. Your ad appears at the moment they’re choosing where to book.
Facebook and Instagram ads create awareness before demand exists. They reach people who match your ideal patient but weren’t looking for you. You’re introducing your practice to someone who may need you later, or who may pass it on to someone who does. The path from ad to appointment is longer and harder to measure.
Neither is better in every case. They serve different stages of a patient’s decision. But they aren’t interchangeable, and treating them as if they are is the most common way clinics waste money on both.
Google Ads for healthcare: the case for
High-intent patients, ready to book
Healthcare searches are some of the highest-intent searches online. Someone typing “registered massage therapist Victoria” or “ICBC chiropractor Saanich” isn’t browsing; they want an appointment this week. In the Canadian clinic accounts we manage, search leads typically cost about $40–$100 depending on specialty and city, and a front desk that answers promptly turns half to three-quarters of them into first visits.
Fast to start
A search campaign can be live within a week and bring in calls within days. For a new practice, a new associate or a new service line, that speed matters.
Works for every specialty
Chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy, dental, counselling, acupuncture and naturopathic medicine all have steady local searches.
Measurable
With conversion tracking set up, every call, form and booking can be traced to the keyword and ad that produced it. You know your cost per enquiry to the dollar.
Google Ads: the limitations
- It only captures existing demand. If people in your area don’t know a service exists, such as a newer modality, there won’t be many searches to capture.
- Costs vary widely. Dental clicks in Vancouver can cost several times what they do in a smaller BC city. Check your market before budgeting. Our Victoria cost breakdown and dental guide show typical ranges.
- Health remarketing is restricted. Google’s health in personalized advertising policy doesn’t allow targeting people based on health conditions, so condition-based retargeting is off the table there too.
Facebook and Instagram for healthcare: the case for
Reach people before they search
Meta’s strength is reaching the right people before they need you. A well-targeted campaign can introduce your practice to parents of young athletes, office workers near your clinic, or new residents in your neighbourhood, before any of them type a search. When they later search on Google, your name is already familiar.
Build trust with video and faces
Healthcare is a trust decision. Short videos of your team, a clinic walkthrough or a practitioner explaining what a first visit looks like help people feel comfortable before they book. This matters most where rapport is central, such as counselling, massage therapy and acupuncture.
Promote things people don’t search for
A new service, a workshop, extended hours or a new location in a neighbourhood are all things people won’t search for by name. Social ads are a good way to tell them.
Facebook and Instagram: the limitations
Meta’s health data restrictions
Since early 2025, Meta has restricted data sharing for health and wellness advertisers. Depending on how your account is classified, you may find that:
- Custom audiences built from website visitors shrink or stop working, so retargeting past visitors becomes unreliable.
- Campaigns can’t optimize for lower-funnel events like bookings, only upper-funnel actions such as page views.
- Reporting in Events Manager is limited, making it harder to see which ads lead to appointments.
The restrictions apply by region and account and can change, so check your own Events Manager. For many clinics, the “Facebook retargeting” playbook that agencies sold for years no longer works the way it did.
Ad content rules
Meta doesn’t allow targeting based on health conditions, and ads that imply someone has a condition (“Struggling with back pain?”) are often rejected. Before-and-after imagery is restricted. Healthcare ads on Meta work best when they focus on the practice, the people and general wellness rather than symptoms.
Weaker intent
People scrolling Instagram weren’t looking for a clinic. Leads can be cheaper, but fewer turn into booked appointments, and the path from ad to visit is harder to measure.
Side-by-side comparison
These are typical figures from the Canadian clinic accounts we manage; your market will vary.
| Google Ads (search) | Facebook and Instagram | |
|---|---|---|
| Patient intent | High: actively searching | Low: passively scrolling |
| Time to first bookings | Days to weeks | Weeks to months |
| Typical cost per click | $3–$12 (dental higher) | $0.50–$2.50 |
| Share of leads that book | 50–75% | 20–40% |
| Retargeting for health services | Restricted | Restricted and often unreliable since 2025 |
| Measurability | Strong with conversion tracking | Weaker, especially under health data limits |
| Best for | Filling the schedule now | Awareness, trust, new services |
What we recommend by clinic stage
- New practice (first year). Start with Google Ads only. Put the budget where people are already searching, establish your cost per new patient, and fill the schedule before adding a second platform. Our guide to whether Google Ads is worth it shows how to check the numbers.
- Growing practice (one to three years). Once Google is paying for itself, test Meta with a modest budget for awareness: team videos, new services, community events. Judge it on whether branded searches and direct bookings rise, not on clicks.
- Established multi-practitioner clinic. Run both with coordinated messaging. A split of roughly 55–60% Google, 30–35% Meta and 10–15% content and SEO tends to work at this stage. Pair it with an active Google Business Profile and local SEO.
For the organic side of the same decision, see SEO vs Google Ads for Canadian clinics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Ads or Facebook Ads better for a healthcare clinic?
For filling appointments, Google Ads usually wins because it reaches people who are already searching for care. Facebook and Instagram are better for awareness and trust once Google is working.
Can I run both on a small budget?
Below about $1,000 a month in total, we recommend putting it all into Google search. Split smaller than that and neither platform gets enough budget to learn. Add Meta once Google is producing predictable results.
Does Facebook retargeting still work for clinics?
Often not as it used to. Since 2025, Meta limits the data health and wellness advertisers can share, so custom audiences built from website visitors may shrink or stop working. Check what your account allows in Events Manager before building a plan around it.
What healthcare ad rules apply on each platform?
Both ban targeting based on health conditions and restrict condition-focused claims. Google disapproves outcome promises and misleading claims; Meta also restricts before-and-after images and ads that imply a viewer has a condition. Your college’s advertising standards apply on both. Our self-audit of common mistakes covers the Google side.
Which is better for counsellors and therapists?
Google search, in most cases, because remarketing is restricted for mental health services on both platforms. Our guide for counsellors and therapists goes into the details.
Not sure where to spend first?
We’re a small team led by a practising chiropractor, and we manage Google Ads for clinics across Canada for a flat monthly fee. If you’re weighing Google against Facebook, get in touch. We’ll look at your market and your goals, and tell you honestly where your first dollar should go.
