How healthcare PPC pricing actually works
Healthcare PPC pricing splits into management fee + ad spend + setup fee. The management fee is what you pay us for strategy + execution; the ad spend is paid directly to Google/Meta/etc. and isn't part of our fee; the setup fee covers the initial 30-45 days of campaign architecture, conversion tracking, and creative production.
We charge the management fee as a flat monthly price on the same Practice, Hospital and Enterprise tiers as the rest of our work, so it doesn't rise automatically when your ad spend does.
Practice tier (from ₹50,000/month · $1,500)
Typical ad spend at this tier: ₹4-15L/month, paid directly to Google/Meta. Single specialty + single geography. Up to 3 active campaigns. Monthly reporting cadence. Includes campaign architecture across Google Search + Performance Max for the practice's top 3 procedure intents, conversion tracking with HIPAA-aligned server-side APIs (no PHI in tracking, BAA with analytics vendor), compliance-cleared creative (ASCI/FTC pre-clearance for all ad copy + imagery), bid management with weekly optimisation, landing page testing for top 2-3 high-intent procedures, and monthly reporting with cost-per-booked-patient, channel ROAS, and patient LTV breakdown.
Setup fee: ₹30K covers tracking deployment, campaign builds, creative production, and compliance pre-clearance for first 60 days of content. We agree ROAS and cost-per-booked-patient targets against your own baseline after the first 30 days of data, rather than quoting a number before we've seen your market. 3-month minimum.
Hospital tier (from ₹1,50,000/month · $5,000)
Typical ad spend at this tier: ₹15-50L/month, paid directly to Google/Meta. Multi-location + multi-specialty practices and hospitals. Up to 12 active campaigns. Bi-weekly optimisation cadence. Includes campaign architecture across all major paid channels (Search, PMax, Meta, LSA, YouTube), multi-location bid logic with proximity-based audience definitions, restricted-category Google Ads certification (mandatory for healthcare advertisers), creative rotation testing weekly, landing page system with procedure-specific pages, financing UX, and virtual consult booking, CRM integration for closed-loop reporting (booked appointments + patient LTV), and bi-weekly strategy calls + monthly reporting.
Setup fee: ₹1-2.5L covers tracking architecture, multi-location campaign builds, creative production, and landing page deployment. Targets are set per location and per specialty against each one's own baseline, and reviewed bi-weekly. 6-month minimum.
Enterprise (custom)
Typical ad spend at this tier: ₹50L+/month, paid directly to Google/Meta. Hospital groups, hospital lines, super-specialty centres, multi-specialty chains. Unlimited campaigns. Weekly strategy reviews. Includes department-line specific campaign architecture (cardiology / oncology / neurology each as separate but integrated programmes), account-based marketing for B2B referring-doctor relationships, international medical tourism funnels (where applicable) with country-specific creative + currency handling, conversion path optimisation across procedure intent → second-opinion → first consultation, dedicated 4-person paid pod (strategy lead + 2 specialists + analytics), and weekly strategy reviews + monthly executive reporting.
Setup is scoped custom and covers full department-line campaign architecture, international tracking infrastructure, and creative production at scale. Targets are set per department line, since cardiology, oncology and an international tourism funnel have nothing comparable about their economics. 12-month minimum.
Why management fee structure matters
A flat tier fee keeps our advice independent of your ad budget. When return dips, we can recommend you spend less without our fee shrinking with it, because we'd rather keep you long-term than maximise short-term revenue from underperforming spend. When a programme outgrows its tier — more locations, channels or department lines — the scope moves up a tier openly on the proposal instead of creeping up as a percentage of spend.
Performance-only pricing (paying per booked patient) sounds attractive but typically requires the agency to have visibility into your CRM and operations — most agencies under-perform on attribution and over-charge per "qualified lead" rather than per booked patient.
What's NOT included
Management fee covers strategy + execution + reporting on the paid channels. Does not include ad spend itself (you pay Google/Meta directly), landing page production beyond initial setup (typically ₹15-35K per high-converting procedure landing page), creative production beyond standard rotations (additional video, photography typically billed separately), email + SMS nurture campaigns (separate engagement), or SEO + content marketing (separate retainer).
We're transparent about scope on the proposal. Surprise bills don't happen.
Setup fee — what it covers
The 30-45 day setup includes complete tracking architecture (server-side APIs, BAA-covered analytics, conversion tracking), campaign builds across all approved channels, restricted-category certification with Google, compliance pre-clearance for first 60 days of ad creative, landing page deployment for top procedures, and baseline reporting infrastructure. Setup is one-time; management fees are monthly thereafter.
Tiered pricing summary
Practice · From ₹50,000/month · $1,500/month management
Single specialty + single geography practices. ₹30K setup + 3-month commitment. Ad spend (typically ₹4-15L/month) is paid directly to Google/Meta.
Included: 3 active campaigns; Google Search + PMax; HIPAA-aligned tracking; Compliance-cleared creative; Monthly reporting.
Hospital · From ₹1,50,000/month · $5,000/month management
Multi-location + multi-specialty practices and hospitals. ₹1-2.5L setup + 6-month commitment. Ad spend (typically ₹15-50L/month) is paid directly to Google/Meta.
Included: 12 active campaigns; Multi-channel mix; Restricted-category certified; CRM integration; Bi-weekly optimisation.
Enterprise · Custom management fee
Hospital groups, hospital lines, super-specialty centres. Custom setup + 12-month commitment. Ad spend (typically ₹50L+/month) is paid directly to Google/Meta.
Included: Unlimited campaigns; Department-line architecture; International funnels; 4-person dedicated pod; Weekly strategy reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Why a flat management fee instead of a percentage of spend?
A flat tier fee keeps our advice independent of your ad budget: we can recommend spending less when return dips without our fee falling, and a bigger budget doesn't raise the fee automatically. Ad spend is paid directly to Google/Meta and isn't part of our fee. Performance-only pricing usually requires CRM visibility most agencies underdeliver on.
What's the minimum useful PPC budget for healthcare?
₹4L/month ad spend is the practical floor for paid search in tier-1 markets. Below that, you can't sustain enough impressions to test bids, audiences, or creative. Sub-floor budgets should focus on organic + GBP + reviews instead.
What does the setup fee cover?
Healthcare PPC setup includes restricted-category certification with Google (mandatory), HIPAA-aligned tracking architecture (server-side APIs, BAAs with vendors), compliance pre-clearance for ad creative, and conversion tracking that respects PHI boundaries. It's one-time: ₹30K on Practice, ₹1-2.5L on Hospital, scoped custom on Enterprise.
Can I run my own ads and just pay you for strategy?
Yes for practices with in-house paid expertise — strategy + monthly review at ₹25-50K/month flat. For practices without in-house expertise, full management is more cost-effective because execution quality compounds.
How does ROAS get measured?
Booked-patient ROAS using closed-loop CRM data (not Google Ads conversion data alone). We integrate with your scheduling system to track which marketing-driven inquiries actually become paying patients, then calculate ROI against patient lifetime value (not first-booking revenue).
What happens if ROAS underperforms?
If 3-month ROAS is below target, we either reduce spend (preserve your capital), restructure campaigns (pivot strategy), or recommend pausing paid acquisition entirely (rare but happens for sub-floor markets). We don't continue running underperforming campaigns to keep collecting management fees.
