'Physical therapy exercises for [condition]' searches are people wanting to self-treat at home. They're looking for YouTube videos and exercise lists, not appointments. Without filtering, 35-45% of clicks are DIY exercise researchers.
A patient searching 'knee physical therapy' has a different concern than 'stroke rehab' or 'sports injury PT.' Generic physical therapy messaging doesn't address specific conditions. Condition-specific ads have 40-60% higher click-through rates.
Many PT searchers need their insurance verified before booking. 'Physical therapy that takes [insurance]' is high-intent, but if your landing page doesn't address insurance, these patients bounce to competitors who clearly list accepted plans.
Broad match keywords trigger your physical therapist ads for searches like "physical therapist jobs" and "physical therapist salary". Without negative keywords, you're paying for clicks that will never convert.
Fix: Add comprehensive negative keyword lists and switch high-value keywords to exact match.
Your homepage isn't optimized for conversions. Physical Therapists who click ads expecting specific services bounce when they land on a generic page.
Fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each service with clear CTAs and matching message.
You're paying the same CPC at 3 AM as you are during peak hours. But physical therapist searches convert differently throughout the day.
Fix: Analyze your conversion data by hour and day, then adjust bids accordingly.
Running the same ads for months means you're leaving performance on the table. Different messages resonate with different physical therapist customers.
Fix: Run at least 3 ad variations per ad group and let Google optimize.
These keywords waste budget without delivering customers:
Home exercise seekers wanting free YouTube content.
DIY treatment at home, avoiding professional help.
Career/education search, not patients.
Career researchers, not potential patients.
Education search, not treatment search.
Two powerful tools for physical therapists to improve your Google Ads performance
CPC Benchmarks
Average cost per click for physical therapists
Best Keywords
High-converting keywords to target
Budget Guide
How much to spend on Google Ads
ROI Calculator
Expected return on ad spend
2025 Benchmarks
Industry performance metrics
Physical Therapists Audit
Complete physical therapist Google Ads guide