This case study documents the Google Ads results for a chiropractic clinic on the Saanich Peninsula in Victoria, BC. The clinic serves a mix of acute injury, chronic pain, sports and ICBC patients, and before this campaign it relied entirely on word-of-mouth and organic search for new patients.
The Challenge
The clinic had strong patient retention and a solid reputation in the community, but new patient volume had plateaued. Organic Google rankings were established for branded terms, but the clinic wasn’t appearing for high-intent searches like “chiropractor Saanich” or “back pain treatment Victoria BC”, the terms new patients actually use when they’re looking for care.
Two things made the plateau harder to fix:
- No paid presence at all. When a new patient searched and compared clinics, this one simply wasn’t in the paid results at the top of the page.
- No conversion tracking. The website had a single generic contact page. There was no way to tell which service (general chiro, sports injury, ICBC) was driving inquiries, so there was no way to spend a budget intelligently even if ads had been running.
The goal was straightforward: generate a consistent flow of new patients beyond the existing referral base, with a measurable cost per acquisition the clinic could compare against patient value.
The Approach
Campaign Structure
We built separate campaigns for the clinic’s core service areas rather than one generic “chiropractor near me” campaign:
- General chiropractic. Back pain, neck pain and headaches.
- Sports injury treatment. Active patients and weekend athletes.
- ICBC motor vehicle accident claims. Patients recovering from a crash.
- Shockwave therapy. A specific service with its own search terms.
Splitting by service meant budget, bidding and ad copy could each be tuned to how that patient actually searches and books. Someone with an ICBC claim researches differently from someone with a nagging low-back issue. Each campaign targeted a tight radius around the clinic, with higher bids on mobile (most bookings start with a call) and during business hours, when staff could answer the phone.
Keywords
We used phrase and exact match keywords rather than broad match. That kept the ads relevant and cut wasted spend on searches that were never going to become patients: job seekers, students researching chiropractic school and people looking for at-home stretches. Core converting keywords combined location and service, plus specific condition searches such as “chiropractor for sciatica Victoria”.
We built the negative keyword list from the search terms report, with most of it coming from the first few weeks of data. Our guide to reading the search terms report walks through the same process.
Landing Pages
Each campaign sent clicks to a service-specific landing page with a prominent click-to-call button, the clinic’s Google review count, practitioner credentials and a short booking form. No ad sent traffic to the homepage. The ICBC page in particular answered the questions those patients actually ask (do I need a doctor’s referral, does ICBC cover this, what if my claim is still open) instead of generic “book now” copy. Our healthcare landing page guide covers how we build these.
Conversion Tracking
We tracked both form submissions and phone calls through a Google forwarding number, so the clinic could see which campaigns and keywords produced real inquiries rather than just clicks. This is the step most clinics skip, and it’s why many self-managed chiropractic accounts look unprofitable on paper even when they’re working. Our conversion tracking guide explains the setup.
The Results
After 90 days of campaign management:
- New patient inquiries per month: up from an average of 8–10 (referral only) to 22–28.
- Cost per lead: $67–$94 depending on the campaign. The ICBC campaign had the lowest cost per lead and general chiropractic the highest.
- Conversion rate (click to inquiry): 11.4% across all campaigns.
- Return on ad spend: a conservative estimate of 4:1, based on average new patient value over 12 months.
How the First 90 Days Unfolded
- Month 1: campaigns went live and most of the work was search term review and building the negative keyword list while Google gathered conversion data.
- Month 2: with tracking data coming in and the negative list maturing, cost per lead came down and inquiries climbed above the referral baseline.
- Month 3: inquiry volume settled in the 22–28 per month range, with the ICBC campaign leading on cost efficiency.
The ICBC campaign was the standout. Motor vehicle accident patients tend to have frequent appointments and often need extended care, which makes their value to the clinic higher than the average new patient.
Key Takeaways
- Geographic targeting matters in Victoria. The market has real search volume but is small enough that a tight radius avoids paying for clicks from people who would never drive to the clinic.
- ICBC campaigns are underused by Victoria chiropractors. They were the best performer here on cost per lead.
- Service-specific landing pages beat the homepage. Matching the page to the search removes friction at the moment a patient decides whether to call.
- Phone call tracking is essential. About 60% of bookings came by phone, not the form. A clinic that only measures form fills can’t see most of its results.
- Negative keywords need ongoing attention. The first month of search term data is where most wasted spend gets found and cut.
For more on running ads for a Victoria practice, see our guide to Google Ads for chiropractors in Victoria BC and our Victoria Google Ads cost breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Google Ads cost for a chiropractic clinic in Victoria BC?
In this campaign, cost per lead ranged from $67 to $94 depending on the service, with the ICBC campaign the most efficient. Your costs will depend on competition in your area, campaign structure and whether conversion tracking is set up properly from day one.
How long does it take to see results from Google Ads for a chiropractic practice?
This clinic saw inquiries climb in month two and settle by month three. Google needs a steady flow of tracked conversions before automated bidding can do its job well, so the first month is mostly about cleanup and data.
Is Google Ads worth it for a clinic that already ranks well organically?
Often, yes. This clinic ranked well for its own name but was missing from non-branded searches like “chiropractor Saanich”. Paid ads and organic rankings tend to capture different searches and different moments in a patient’s decision.
Do ICBC patients search for chiropractors on Google?
Yes. In this case study the ICBC campaign had the lowest cost per lead of the four service campaigns.
Want Results Like These for Your Clinic?
If your chiropractic clinic is in Victoria or elsewhere in BC and you want to see what a campaign could look like for your practice, get in touch with SEO Medics. As practising chiropractors ourselves, we understand your practice model and patient economics, and we’ll tell you honestly what’s working and what isn’t.
