Addiction Treatment and Behavioral Health

    Treatment ads play by stricter rules. Is your account turning clicks into admissions?

    Addiction treatment is one of the most regulated categories in Google Ads. You need LegitScript certification before the first ad runs, remarketing lists are off limits, and every wasted click is expensive. I audit your account for the policy gaps, tracking problems and wasted spend that keep calls from turning into admissions. No pitch. You keep the report.

    Takes 24-48 hours. You keep the report regardless.

    Google Partner Badge

    Running Google Ads since 2007, including addiction treatment and behavioral health programs with call tracking tied to the admissions process. Google Partner.

    Real Treatment Program. Apr to Sep 2024.
    Spend Per Month$3,515
    Intensive Inquiries Per Month36
    Cost Per Inquiry$96.55
    Oct 2024 to Mar 2025
    Spend Per Month$4,707
    Intensive Inquiries Per Month53
    Cost Per Inquiry$88.48
    The gap: Budget up about a third, inquiries up 46%, and each inquiry cost less. The account counted only completed inquiry forms, so the extra budget went after inquiries rather than clicks.

    More rules, higher stakes, less room for waste.

    A general Google Ads approach breaks down here. The certification rules decide whether ads run at all, the health rules decide who you can target, and the only number that matters is admissions, which Google Ads can't see on its own.

    Before Your First Ad
    LegitScript
    In the US, Google only approves drug and alcohol treatment advertisers that hold LegitScript's Addiction Treatment Certification, plus Google's own healthcare certification.
    Remarketing
    Off Limits
    Health is a sensitive category. Remarketing lists and customer uploads can't be used for targeting. Google's predefined audiences still can.
    What Counts
    Admissions
    Calls and form fills are only the start. The account should be judged on the ones that become admissions, which takes call tracking tied to your intake process.

    Policy points are from Google's Healthcare and medicines, Addiction services and Health in personalized advertising policies. Behavioral addictions like gambling fall outside the addiction certification but are still a sensitive health category.

    Four things that decide whether treatment ads pay off.

    Every audit covers the whole account, but these four areas decide whether ads run, who sees them, and how much of the spend turns into admissions.

    01

    Policy and Certification

    Whether your certification covers what you advertise, which ads and assets are disapproved or limited, and whether ads or landing pages use restricted drug terms or claims that trigger reviews. Disapprovals often go unnoticed while the budget shifts to weaker ads.

    02

    Call Tracking and Admissions

    Most treatment leads call. I check whether calls are tracked from the ad through to intake, whether short and repeat calls are counted as conversions, and whether tracking reaches your CRM without sending patient details to Google.

    03

    Search Terms

    Searches for jobs, free or state-funded programs, other facilities by name, and services you don't offer use up budget fast in this category. I pull the full search terms report and show you what's recoverable each month.

    04

    Targeting

    Whether your location targeting matches where your patients actually come from, and whether any audience settings break the health targeting rules. A policy-safe account relies on keywords and location more than audiences.

    Three steps. 48 hours. No fluff.

    I keep it simple on purpose. The point is for you to understand what I found, not to sit through a 60-minute presentation.

    01

    Share read-only access

    You grant read-only access to your Google Ads account. Takes about two minutes. I can't make changes or see billing details. Just the campaign data.

    2 minutes
    02

    I pull the data and build the report

    I review policy status, conversion and call tracking, search terms, targeting and spend. You get a complete written report, not a slide deck with screenshots.

    24-48 hours
    03

    Review it. Decide what's next.

    I walk you through the findings on a call. If the numbers don't justify hiring me, I'll tell you that. You keep the report either way.

    Your call

    Built for treatment centers and behavioral health practices.

    Residential and outpatient addiction treatment, and behavioral health practices running Google Ads, who need to know which ads produce admissions and which ones just produce calls.

    Treatment Centers

    Addiction Treatment Centers

    Detox, residential, PHP and IOP programs spending on Google Ads to fill beds and outpatient slots.

    • LegitScript certified or applying
    • Paying for calls that never reach intake
    • Not sure which campaigns produce admissions
    • Ads disapproved or limited by health policy
    • Frustrated with vague agency reporting
    Behavioral Health

    Behavioral Health Practices

    Therapy practices, intensive programs and mental health services that depend on inquiries from search.

    • Running Google Ads for therapy or intensive programs
    • Not sure what the health ad rules allow
    • Want inquiries tracked through to booked intakes
    • Spending more each month without clearer results
    • Adding a new location or program

    46% more inquiries, at a lower cost each.

    A national therapist-led treatment program built around a 5-day intensive. Budget raised by about a third in October 2024.

    The first two figures are six-month averages from the program's own Google Ads data, counting completed inquiry forms only. The third is a separate addiction treatment center account.

    53Intensive inquiries a month, up from 36
    $88.48Cost per inquiry, down from $96.55
    $135K+Managed spend for an addiction treatment center, with 1,600+ tracked conversions

    Common Questions

    Find out which of your ads lead to admissions.

    Takes 2 minutes to request. Report delivered in 24-48 hours. No cost, no commitment.

    ✓

    No long-term contracts. I work month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime.

    "He continued to exceed my expectations each month with his detailed reports and clear, in-depth explanations of his work. I would hands-down recommend him to any business owner who is serious about improving their Google Ads account."

    UC

    Upwork client

    Google Ads coaching engagement, 2026

    Don't know it? Leave it blank, I'll walk you through finding it.

    By submitting, you agree to grant read-only Google Ads access so I can pull your account data. I don't share your information with third parties. Read our privacy policy.