Google Ads for therapists
Mental health clicks are cheap, $4.22 each, but leads cost $141.17, the highest of the 16 specialties in LocaliQ's 2025 healthcare benchmarks, because only 1.85% of clicks became leads (US campaigns, October 2024 to September 2025). Google also treats mental health counseling as a sensitive category, so Customer Match and lookalike audiences are off the table.
Therapy cost per click and per lead
| Category | Data period | Cost per click | Click-through rate | Conversion rate | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Health[1] | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | $4.22 | 4.46% | 1.85% | $141.17 |
| All healthcare[1] | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | $5.64 | 6.07% | 8.09% | $66.02 |
| Physical Therapy[1] | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | $4.95 | 6.61% | 15.35% | $32.79 |
Mental health clicks cost $1.42 less than the healthcare average, yet each lead cost $75.15 more.[1] The gap is almost all conversion rate, which is the part a practice controls through its page, intake form and response time.
Across industries, the RunAds Google Ads Benchmark 2026 found a median cost per click of $1.36 and a median cost per conversion of $41.53, based on 224 live Google Ads accounts.
Cost drivers for therapy practices
- Research searches. Questions about symptoms, tests and self-help bring clicks from people who aren't ready to book.
- Directories and online therapy apps bid on the same terms and rank for many of the same searches.
- Insurance. Searches with an insurer's name convert well for in-network practices and waste money for private-pay ones.
- Fit. People want a specific kind of therapist, such as one who works with couples, teens or trauma, and a generic page loses them.
- Response time. A message left on a Friday that gets a reply on Tuesday often goes to another practice.
A budget for 15 consultation requests a month
A three-clinician group practice has open caseloads and wants 15 new consultation requests a month.
15 therapy leads a month
Google can spend up to twice the daily budget on a single day and up to 30.4 times it in a month.[4] If your own conversion rate beats the benchmark, the click-based figure will drop fast, so recheck after 30 days.
The two budgets differ because the benchmark cost per lead, cost per click and conversion rate are each calculated separately across thousands of campaigns, not taken from one account. Plan for the higher one, then use your own numbers after 30 days.
RunAds plans the campaign at your budget and writes the ads.
Campaign structure for a therapy practice
Split by the kind of therapy people search for, so each ad leads to a page about that work and the clinicians who do it.
| Campaign | Ad groups | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual therapy | Therapist near me, counselor near me, anxiety therapist, depression counseling | The main budget. A page that lists clinicians, fees or insurance, and how to book. |
| Couples and family | Couples counseling, marriage counselor, family therapist | Often private pay. Its own page. |
| Teens and children | Teen therapist, child counselor, therapist for my son | Written for parents. Only if you see minors. |
| Specialties | Trauma therapist, EMDR therapy, grief counseling | Small groups per specialty you actually offer. |
| Brand | Practice and clinician names | Cheap clicks. People search a clinician's name after reading a profile. |
Keywords to start with
"Therapist", "counselor" or "counseling" in the keyword separates booking searches from symptom research. Start in phrase and exact match.
General
therapist near mecounselor near metherapist accepting new clientsin person therapy near me
Concerns
anxiety therapistdepression counselingtrauma therapistgrief counselor
Couples and family
couples counseling near memarriage counselorfamily therapist near me
Teens
teen therapist near mechild counseloradolescent therapy
Negative keywords for therapists
These remove self-help, career and free-service searches. Add plural forms as well.[3]
testquizsymptomsmeaningworksheetpdfbookappjobssalarylicensedegreeschoolfreehotlinereddit
Ad copy examples
Two sets of responsive search ad assets. Keep the tone calm, avoid promises about outcomes, and list only the insurance and formats you offer.
Individual therapy
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- Therapist Near You18
- Now Accepting New Clients25
- In Person and Online20
- Book a Free Phone Consult25
- Licensed Local Therapists25
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- Talk with a licensed therapist about anxiety, stress, depression or life changes.81
- Tell us what you need and we will match you with a clinician who fits. Book online.83
Couples counseling
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- Couples Counseling18
- Marriage Counselor Near You27
- Evening Appointments20
- Talk to a Counselor19
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- Work through conflict and communication with a licensed couples therapist.74
- Sessions in person or online. Book a short call to see if we are the right fit.79
Add call assets for the hours someone can answer, and count calls with call reporting.[5] Change "Free Phone Consult" if you don't offer one.
Google's audience rules for mental health
Google's health in personalized advertising policy lists counseling services for mental health issues like depression, anxiety and addiction as an example of sensitive health content. When you promote in that category, advertiser-curated audiences can't be used: Customer Match, your data segments, audience expansion and lookalike segments.[2] Predefined Google audiences are still allowed.
So don't plan on uploading a client list or remarketing to people who read your anxiety page. Search keywords and location targeting carry the account, and the landing page has to do the work of building trust in one visit.
How RunAds runs Google Ads for therapists
What the agent does for you
- Reads your site and builds campaigns for the kinds of therapy you offer, limited to the area you serve in person or are licensed for online.
- Writes calm, specific ads and shows you the full launch before anything goes live.
- Keeps advertiser-curated audiences off mental health campaigns, in line with Google's health audience policy.
- Watches search terms daily, flags spend on quiz, symptom and job searches, and tracks consult requests server-side with Smart Pixel.
See everything the agent does, how a campaign gets built, or the pricing section.
Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend.
Common questions
How much do Google Ads cost for therapists?
LocaliQ's 2025 healthcare data has mental health at $4.22 per click, a 1.85% conversion rate and $141.17 per lead. All healthcare specialties averaged $5.64 per click and $66.02 per lead.
Why is the cost per lead so high for therapy practices?
Only 1.85% of mental health clicks became leads in LocaliQ's data, against 8.09% across healthcare. Many people searching about anxiety or depression are reading, not booking, and reaching out to a therapist is a hard first step. Pages that make that step easy lower the cost per lead.
Can therapists use remarketing or Customer Match in Google Ads?
No. Google's health in personalized advertising policy names counseling services for mental health issues like depression, anxiety and addiction as sensitive. Ads in sensitive health categories can't use advertiser-curated audiences, which include Customer Match, your data segments, audience expansion and lookalike segments.
How much should a private practice therapist spend on Google Ads?
15 consultation requests a month at $141.17 each is $2,118. Sized by clicks it comes to $3,422. A group practice with open caseloads can scale from there; a solo clinician with a few openings may need far less.
Can RunAds run Google Ads for a counseling practice?
Yes. RunAds builds the campaigns from your site, writes calm, plain ads and asks for your approval before anything launches. It keeps restricted audiences off your campaigns. Signing up is free and credit packs start at $25.
Sources
- Healthcare Search Ads Benchmarks for 16 Specialties, LocaliQ, by Susie Marino. Last updated January 13, 2026; data from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025.3,542 US search campaigns, at least 43 per specialty. The page says its averages are medians.
- Health in personalized advertising, Google Advertising Policies Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Customer Match, your data segments, audience expansion and lookalike segments can't be used when promoting in sensitive health categories, which include cosmetic surgery and injections.
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Negative keywords don't match close variants, so synonyms and singular or plural forms have to be added separately. Casing and misspellings are covered automatically.
- About average daily budgets, Google Ads Help. Checked Oct 30, 2026.A campaign can spend up to 2x its average daily budget on a given day, and up to 30.4x it in a month.
- About call assets, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Numbers can be set to show only when the business can take calls, and call reporting counts calls as conversions.
Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it.
Related pages
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