The Google Ads conversion tracking checklist for dentists.
Primary conversions steer Google's bidding, so if they're wrong, you're paying Google to find the wrong people. Here are the four settings to check, where each one lives, what to change, and a 2 minute self-check for each.
Google bids toward whatever you count.
In the reel I went through four settings in about a minute. This is the full version, with where each one lives and what to change. Every conversion action in your account is either primary or secondary, and the primary ones steer your bidding. So if a page view counts the same as a call, you're telling Google a page view is what you want more of.
Steers your bidding. Keep it to the actions that mean a real person reached out: calls and form submissions.
Everything else. Page views and button clicks go here, so they stop steering what Google bids toward.
The one result Google can't see on its own. Offline conversion import sends it back from your CRM.
Check these four before you judge your ads.
Each one has where it lives, what to change, a 2 minute self-check, and what good looks like. Go in order, because each setting builds on the one before it.
Make calls and forms primary. Everything else secondary.
WhereGoals > Conversions > Summary. That page lists every conversion action in the account, and each one is marked primary or secondary.
2 minute self-checkOpen the list.
Go to Goals, then Conversions, then Summary, and write every action into the list at the bottom of the checklist below.
Ask one question per action.
Does this mean a real person called, filled in a form, or asked for an appointment? If yes, it can be primary. If no, it goes to secondary.
Move the ones that fail.
Page views, button clicks and anything that fires without a person reaching out get changed to secondary.
What good looks like: only calls and form submissions are primary, and you can say out loud what each primary action means.
Illustration, not Google's screen
Don't let a one minute question count like a booking.
Call conversions default to a 60 second minimum, and they're primary by default. So say someone calls with a one minute insurance question: that call counts the same as one that booked a consult.
WhereIn Goals, open Conversions, then open your call conversion action and find how long a call has to last to count.
2 minute self-checkPull five calls that booked.
From your call tracking or phone system, find five calls from last month that ended in a booked consult.
Write down how long each lasted.
You only need the length of each call. Nothing about the patient.
Set it just under the shortest.
Say your shortest booked call ran 2 minutes 40 seconds. A minimum of about 2 minutes 30 seconds keeps every real booking and drops the quick questions. Set it too high and real bookings stop counting, which is why it sits just under.
Patient privacyListening to recorded calls? Follow your state's call recording consent rules and keep patient details private. Not legal advice.
What good looks like: your minimum sits just under your shortest booked call, and you wrote down which calls you used, so the next person can check it.
Example numbers · use your own calls
Count leads once. Count sales every time.
Each conversion action has a Count setting, One or Every. One is for leads. Every is for sales. On Every, one person who fills in your form three times shows up as three conversions, so Google thinks it found three people when it found one.
WhereIn Goals, open Conversions, then open each lead action and check its Count setting.
2 minute self-checkStart with your primary actions.
Take the calls and forms you marked primary in setting 01.
Check Count on each one.
Anything that is a lead, like a call, a form or a booking request, should read One.
Keep Every for sales only.
If you don't sell anything online, you may not need Every on any action at all.
What good looks like: every lead action reads One, and your conversion count lines up with the number of real people who reached out.
Illustration, not Google's screen
Tell Google which leads actually booked.
Calls and forms tell Google who reached out. Offline conversion import sends your booked appointments from your CRM back to Google Ads, so Google learns which of those leads booked.
WhereIn Goals, open Conversions, then follow Google Ads Help for the current offline conversion import steps. The setup depends on your CRM, so use Google's own help page, not an old screenshot.
The outlineDecide what booked means.
Pick one status in your CRM, like Consult booked, and have your team set it the same way every time.
Keep the match.
Google has to match each booking to the ad click it came from. Make sure your forms and CRM keep what Google needs for that match, and nothing more.
Send bookings back regularly.
Upload them or connect your CRM, whichever Google Ads Help shows for your setup, and keep it running, not a one time send.
Check they arrive.
After the first send, look for the new action in Goals, Conversions, Summary and check that bookings are showing up.
Patient privacySend only what is needed to match the booking to the ad click. Never send treatment, procedure or any health details. Ask your compliance person before you send anything. Not legal advice.
What good looks like: booked consults show up in Google Ads as conversions, and nothing about treatment or health goes with them.
Illustration, not Google's screen
Paste it into a doc and work down the list.
Plain text, so it pastes cleanly into Google Docs, Word, or an email to whoever runs your ads.
GOOGLE ADS CONVERSION TRACKING CHECKLIST FOR DENTAL PRACTICES From closingmorecases.com/google-ads-conversion-tracking-for-dentists THE RULE Every conversion action is primary or secondary. Primary actions steer Google's bidding, so only count what you want more of. SETTING 1. PRIMARY VS SECONDARY Where: Goals > Conversions > Summary (lists every conversion action) Don't: leave page views or button clicks as primary. Do: make calls and form submissions primary. Everything else secondary. 2 minute check: [ ] Open Goals > Conversions > Summary [ ] Write every action into the list at the bottom [ ] For each one ask: does this mean a real person reached out? If no, it goes to secondary. Good looks like: only calls and form submissions are primary. SETTING 2. CALL LENGTH Google's default: call conversions count at 60 seconds and are primary. Don't: keep the 60 second default without checking it. Do: time a few calls that booked and set the minimum just under the shortest one. (Blake's rule, not a Google default.) Where: in Goals, open Conversions, then open your call conversion action. 2 minute check: [ ] Find 5 calls from last month that booked a consult [ ] Lengths: _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ [ ] Shortest booked call: ______ [ ] Minimum now: ______ [ ] New minimum: ______ Good looks like: the minimum sits just under your shortest booked call. Privacy: if you listen to recorded calls, follow your state's call recording consent rules and keep patient details private. Not legal advice. SETTING 3. COUNT Don't: set Count to Every on calls and forms. Do: Count = One for leads. Every is for sales. Why: on Every, one person who fills in your form 3 times = 3 conversions. Where: in Goals, open Conversions, then open each lead action. 2 minute check: [ ] Check Count on every primary action [ ] Every lead action reads One Good looks like: your conversions match the number of real people who reached out. SETTING 4. OFFLINE CONVERSION IMPORT Don't: let Google's learning stop at the form fill. Do: send booked appointments from your CRM back to Google Ads, so Google learns which leads booked. Where: in Goals, open Conversions, then follow Google Ads Help for offline conversion import (the steps depend on your CRM). Outline: [ ] Pick one CRM status that means booked [ ] Make sure each lead keeps what Google needs to match it to the ad click [ ] Send bookings back regularly, by upload or a CRM connection [ ] Check the new action shows up in Goals > Conversions > Summary Privacy: send only what is needed to match the click. Never treatment or health details. Ask your compliance person first. Not legal advice. Good looks like: booked consults show up in Google Ads, and nothing about treatment or health goes with them. YOUR CONVERSION ACTIONS 1. Action: ____________________ Status: _______ Should be: _______ Count: ______ Should be: ______ 2. Action: ____________________ Status: _______ Should be: _______ Count: ______ Should be: ______ 3. Action: ____________________ Status: _______ Should be: _______ Count: ______ Should be: ______ 4. Action: ____________________ Status: _______ Should be: _______ Count: ______ Should be: ______ 5. Action: ____________________ Status: _______ Should be: _______ Count: ______ Should be: ______ Checked by: ______________ Date: ______________
Fill in the list with your own actions, then fix anything that doesn't match Should be.
One sitting, four settings.
Do it in this order. Each step makes the next one count for more.
Open Goals, Conversions, Summary.
List every conversion action in the account and whether it is primary or secondary right now.
Set primary and secondary.
Calls and form submissions primary. Page views, button clicks and the rest secondary.
Fix call length and Count.
Set the call minimum just under your shortest booked call, and set Count to One on every lead action.
Send bookings back.
Set up offline conversion import so Google learns which leads booked, with no treatment or health details in what you send.
The Implant Consult Playbook + Toolkit: the whole consult, from the first call to the follow up.
Tracking tells Google which leads booked. The paid playbook covers what your team says on the phone and in the chair, in 8 parts, in order: the rule the whole playbook runs on, the first call, the free consult that isn't free, before they sit down, in the chair, when they can't decide today, after they leave, and the numbers. The toolkit adds 14 ready-to-use tools, including a call log with speed to lead and a weekly scorecard spreadsheet with all 10 numbers.
Your ads can only learn from what you count.
Primary conversions steer bidding. So before you change your budget, your keywords or your agency, make sure Google is counting the right things.
You can pay us to run your Google Ads, or you can do this yourself with the checklist above. My agency, Closing More Cases, runs SEO, Google Ads, Meta ads and websites for dental practices.
Questions, answered.
Where do I find my conversion actions in Google Ads?
Go to Goals, then Conversions, then Summary. That page lists every conversion action in the account, and each one is marked primary or secondary.
What is the difference between a primary and a secondary conversion?
Primary conversions steer Google's bidding. Secondary ones don't. So keep primary for the actions that mean a real person reached out, like calls and form submissions, and set page views and button clicks to secondary.
Should phone calls be a primary conversion for a dental practice?
Calls and form submissions are the two we'd keep primary, because they mean a person reached out. Google already makes call conversions primary by default, so the real question is how long a call has to last before it counts.
What is the default minimum call length, and what should I set it to?
The default is 60 seconds, so a one minute call from your ads counts whether it booked or not. My rule, not Google's: time a few calls that booked and set the minimum just under the shortest one, so every real booking still counts.
Should Count be set to One or Every?
One for leads, Every for sales. On Every, one person who submits your form three times counts as three conversions, so Google thinks it found three people when it found one.
What is offline conversion import?
It sends results that happen after the click, like a booked appointment in your CRM, back to Google Ads. That way Google learns which leads booked, not only which ones filled in a form. Google Ads Help has the current setup steps for your CRM.
Is it safe to send patient information to Google Ads?
Send only what is needed to match the booking to the ad click, and never treatment or health details. Ask your compliance person before you set it up. This is not legal advice.
How often should I check these settings?
Any time something changes: a new website form, a new phone system, a new CRM, or someone new running the account. A quick look at Goals, Conversions, Summary once a month keeps surprises small.
Will fixing my tracking lower my cost per patient?
There's no promise of that. What it does is make sure Google learns from the actions that matter to you, so you can judge your ads on booked consults instead of clicks and page views.
Can CMC set this up for me?
Yes. Closing More Cases runs Google Ads for dental practices, and the conversion setup is part of that. See how we run it on our Google Ads page, or reach us through our contact page.
Check the four settings tonight.
Copy the checklist, open Goals, Conversions, Summary, and work down the list. It's free, and it's yours to keep.