By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    health benefits of taking a vacation to reduce stress
    Relaxing European Destinations to Reduce Stress Risks to Health
    October 11, 2021
    pain management tips
    Managing Pain Differently: Alternative Pain Management Techniques
    January 12, 2022
    5 Ways to Promote Wellness in Your Home
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    CDC’s State of Aging and Health in America [VIDEO]
    October 18, 2013
    aca supreme court.jpg
    Breaking News: Supreme Court Upholds ACA
    June 28, 2012
    New Ways to Track the Flu
    January 17, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: What Google’s New Adwords Update Means for Medical Marketers
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > What Google’s New Adwords Update Means for Medical Marketers
BusinesseHealthTechnology

What Google’s New Adwords Update Means for Medical Marketers

Jonathan Catley
Jonathan Catley
Share
6 Min Read
Scrabble letters spelling 'adwords'
SHARE

Scrabble letters spelling 'adwords'

Contents
The Short of It(Likely) Big Changes for SEM and SEODiversity Will Be Key

This week, Google rolled out some significant changes to its AdWords platform. Medical marketers in particular will want to respond to this update by diversifying their efforts in order to effectively engage their intended audiences.

Scrabble letters spelling 'adwords'

This week, Google rolled out some significant changes to its AdWords platform. Medical marketers in particular will want to respond to this update by diversifying their efforts in order to effectively engage their intended audiences.

More Read

Top 5 Facts About CPPA Accreditation
Hospital Readmissions
Google’s 2014 Algorithm Updates: Implications for Your 2015 Medical Marketing Strategy
5 Things to Consider in Your Healthcare Big Data Strategy
Protect Patient Information: Teaching Healthcare Employees about Phishing Scams

Google is turning heads as it aims to turn a larger profit. The team behind AdWords unveiled significant changes this week that will affect companies and industries around the world — the shift breaks the SEO mold by moving away from two long-time search engine feature mainstays. Even before the dust settles, the question on everyone’s mind is, how exactly will this changeup impact the ad search landscape?

While the marketing world has been on the edge of its seat (or more accurately, jumping and shouting) for updates about what these changes will mean, medical marketers shouldn’t panic just yet — but they should be paying very, very close attention.

The Short of It

The first principle AdWords change is the elimination of almost all ads on the right hand window of desktop search engine results pages (SERPs) with two exceptions, which we’ll get to later. The second is that Google has increased the number of ads above organic search results from three to four — but only for “highly commercial queries,” according to Search Engine Land.

Google says that such commercial queries include ones like “car insurance” or “hotels in New York City” — in other words, those that demonstrate an intent to buy. It remains to be seen exactly which medical queries will qualify, but the inclusion of searches like “asthma treatment” and “hearing aids,” for example, already reflect the changes.

A Google search page for 'asthma treatment'

The two exceptions to Google’s elimination of sidebar ads are right sidebar desktop results for Product Listing Ads (PLAs), which feature specific product pictures and descriptions, and Knowledge Panel ads, which showcase relevant search information and local listings. Both will be unaffected by the update, which is good news for medical device marketers, local hospitals, and physicians, as their product ads and/or local search information will still show up above the fold.

A Google search page for 'hearing aids'

Above all, these changes seem to be consistent with Google’s push to make its desktop search results more similar to its mobile display (though Google shows two to three top ads on mobile).

(Likely) Big Changes for SEM and SEO

This shakeup will mostly likely create two tiers of paid search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns: expensive, but highly-effective top-of-page ads (which are overwhelmingly preferred by users) and relatively cheaper, lower-impact ad links at the bottom of the search results page, according to the media image.

While advertisers gain one additional top-of-fold ad for commercial searches, the total number of first-page ads has been reduced from 11 to a maximum of seven, observes the SEM Post. Stiff competition for this limited marketing space will probably mean a higher cost-per-click (CPC) rates for AdWords campaigns.

Google may very well have determined right-side ads to be ineffective in the first place, which, with more top spot ads, could make their removal a non-factor for top-of-page ad cost. Search Engine Land reports that CPC rates have indeed remained unchanged, at least for now — we’re not totally convinced.  

However, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies will almost certainly suffer, as organic (non-paid) results are pushed even lower on the page. While SEO campaigns will still hold undoubted significance, especially for local search results, medical marketers may want to expect less clickthrough traffic as a direct result.  

But for those who can capture top spots, both paid and unpaid, the rewards will be massive.

Diversity Will Be Key

Social

In light of this increased competition, running a smart, well-placed campaign will be more critical than ever for medical marketers — once-dependable Google ads may now not guarantee results. As such, marketers must be sure to diversify their online efforts, extending well-managed paid advertisements across multiple channels.

Paid social ads, particularly on Facebook, will be increasingly central for online medical outreach. And, of course, SEM and SEO campaigns will need to be seeded more deliberately than ever.

While we’re not quite ready to make any final judgements on Google’s AdWords update, what does seem certain is that medical marketers will need to adapt and evolve to stay on top of the game.

(Main image credit: FirmBee/Pixabay; John LeMasney/flickr)

Targeted Medical Marketing, Digital Marketing

TAGGED:AdWordsGoogle
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Cracking the Code on Health Information Exchange: Is It Time to Start Over?

April 10, 2014

WorldWide Lessons in HealthCare IT Webinar Storified

September 6, 2012
understand the benefits of medical alert systems
Medical InnovationsTechnology

Who Should Have a Medical Alert System?

February 16, 2022

Should Incentive Payments Relative to EHR Adoption Be Suspended?

November 13, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?