Google Ads in Quebec · Private orthopedics
Google Ads for orthopedic surgeons and private clinics.
A patient who types “private orthopedic surgeon” or “private knee replacement cost” has already chosen to explore the private sector, and compares before calling. We build the campaigns that show you at that moment, a page that takes Quebec’s Code of ethics of physicians into account and the tracking that ties every call to its cost. The goal: fill your private consultation slots.
Let’s talk about your next consultationsSee the mistakes to avoid- Your Google Ads account in your name
- Every inquiry tied to its campaign
- Your results online, anytime
What your patients search for
What do patients type when looking for a private orthopedic surgeon?
Words about access, wait times and price: “private orthopedic surgeon” followed by a city, “private orthopedic clinic,” “private hip replacement,” “knee arthroscopy private cost,” “orthopedic surgeon without referral.”
According to the report published in August 2026 by Quebec’s Ministry of Health, 29,359 orthopedic surgeries were on the waiting list, 968 of them for more than a year, not counting Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec, missing from the latest data. That wait starts from the decision to operate; the wait to see the specialist comes on top.
This context doesn’t permit everything: the Code prohibits any advertising aimed at people who are vulnerable, notably because of their age or condition (s. 93.3), and the Collège des médecins lists degenerative diseases among its examples, which directly concerns osteoarthritis. Your ads inform: they play neither on pain nor on waiting, and don’t disparage another physician’s services (s. 88.0.1). When in doubt about a wording, check with the Collège.
The prefix “ortho” also draws useless clicks: orthopedic shoes and pillows, orthotists, orthodontists, jobs, public hospitals, RAMQ. A negative keyword list built for orthopedics in Quebec screens them out from the start, then the search terms report, read regularly, completes it.
Example: searches that trigger your ads
- private orthopedic surgeon lavalpaid
- private knee replacement cost quebecpaid
- orthopedic shoesexcluded
- orthopedic surgeon salaryexcluded
- orthodontist near meexcluded
The most expensive mistakes
Five mistakes specific to medical advertising.
Each one can be checked in a few minutes, in your Google Ads account or on your page. None is fixed by raising the budget.
- 01
An ad without the physician’s name or title.
The Code of ethics of physicians requires all advertising to clearly state the physician’s name and a recognized specialist title, such as orthopedic surgeon (s. 92). The Code makes no exception for Google Ads, whose headlines are short. Since Google assembles the headlines of a responsive ad itself, the name is pinned in first position and “Orthopedic Surgeon” in second: those two positions appear in every version. The page repeats them.
Check: do your ads and your page name the physician and their title of orthopedic surgeon?
- 02
A page that promises the outcome.
A physician cannot guarantee, even implicitly, the effectiveness of a treatment (s. 83), or use a testimonial in an untimely manner (s. 88.1). “Guaranteed return to sport” is therefore a problem. According to the Collège, a testimonial requires the patient’s written authorization, and before-and-after photos are allowed with the prescribed warning, their source and the patient’s written consent.
Check: does your page promise an outcome, and does every testimonial have the patient’s written authorization?
- 03
A price advertised without its conditions.
Nothing requires you to state your prices in your advertising (they must, however, be posted in your waiting area, s. 105), but patients often type “price.” Decide before writing whether you answer it. An advertised price comes with whatever applies: validity period, restrictions, services or fees not included, fees related to the payment method (s. 93.2).
Check: do your posted prices state what is included, what isn’t and how long they are valid?
- 04
Ads for PRP or stem cells.
Google prohibits the promotion of cell and gene therapies, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells. Only purely informational content is allowed. Joint replacements and arthroscopy are not covered by this rule.
Check: do your keywords, your ads or your landing page mention PRP?
Google Ads policies, experimental treatments and cell therapies
- 05
A strategy that relies on remarketing.
Google classifies health as a sensitive category, including surgical procedures, injections and arthritis treatments. These ads therefore cannot target your website visitors or your patient lists. The campaigns rely on searches.
Check: does your advertising plan count on retargeting your website visitors?
To take stock of your own account, our free Google Ads audit asks a few questions and shows which fixes to make first.
What the engagement includes
Campaigns built for a costly decision.
One team handles the campaigns, the page and the tracking, and adjusts them every month based on the consultations and procedures performed.
One campaign per procedure.
Hip replacement, knee replacement, arthroscopy, consultation: each has its own keywords, ads and budget, limited to the territory your patients actually come from.
Keywords · Exclusions · TerritoryA page that answers before the consultation.
Process, realistic wait times, where the procedure takes place, prices if you publish them, your team and a qualification form that asks for no unnecessary health details. Its answers come straight to you, never to Google Ads or Google Tag Manager. No patient reviews, no promise of results. Your website stays in place.
Copywriting · Design · A/B testsEvery call and form, tied to its source.
A trackable phone number, conversion tracking in Google Tag Manager and your tracking portal: you know which campaign produced which consultation, and at what cost. Our guide to call and form tracking explains the method.
Trackable number · Google Tag Manager · Tracking portalArchived pages, a tracked status.
The Code requires keeping a complete copy of all advertising, along with a copy of any related contract, for at least three years after it was last published (s. 93). We keep every version of your page, including those from our A/B tests. For ads, keep your own copy: Google Ads change history only goes back two years. If your status changes, the campaigns follow: non-participation authorizations under the temporary regime end no later than April 24, 2027.
Page archives · Non-participation statusEverything included in an engagement with our Google Ads agency
Is this the right time?
For clinics ready to welcome new patients.
We manage campaigns for orthopedic clinics. What weighed most on results: the quality of the landing page and lead tracking, which shows which campaigns produce consultations. In the accounts we take over, we often find one or two basic mistakes, sometimes more: ads that lead to the home page, the search partner network turned on, a simple click counted as a lead, no trackable number. The private sector remains small: the RAMQ listed 36 non-participating orthopedic surgeons in September 2026, mostly in the Montréal, Capitale-Nationale and Laval regions. Google Ads delivers when the clinic can offer a consultation quickly, explain its prices and call back without delay. Dental implant clinics deal with similar advertising rules.
- Your patients come mostly through referrals, at a pace you don’t control.
- You already pay for advertising without knowing how many procedures it produced.
- You want consultation requests for the procedures you offer privately.
Frequently asked questions
Costs, timelines, ethics: your questions about Google Ads.
How much does Google Ads cost for a private orthopedic clinic?
Two amounts, always kept separate. Our management fees generally range from $700 to $3,000 per month, depending on the number of campaigns and pages to create. Your ad budget is added on top and paid directly to Google: plan for at least $1,000 per month, often more depending on competition in your market. The proposal states both amounts before any commitment. Our Google Ads cost guide details what makes the budget vary.
How soon do the first inquiries come in?
Your landing page is ready in 7 to 10 days, and a standard campaign is live in about two weeks. The first inquiries come in over the following weeks. To know whether Google Ads is profitable, meaning how many consultations become procedures, allow three to six months. The engagement requires a six-month minimum commitment, with fees billed monthly. Our guide to reading a Google Ads report shows what to watch in the meantime.
Can we advertise the price of a knee replacement?
Yes. Section 93.2 of the Code of ethics of physicians then requires stating the price and, where applicable, its validity period, the restrictions, the additional services or fees not included and the fees related to the payment method. The Collège specifies that a discount must be calculable from the regular rate posted in the waiting area.
Who is responsible for advertising prepared by an agency?
The physician. The Code prohibits a physician from making or “allowing to be made” in their name advertising that is false, misleading or incomplete (s. 88). The Collège specifies that a physician cannot hide behind a commercial entity, nor distance themselves from advertising of their prices prepared by an agency. The page is therefore shown to you before it goes live. On request, we also submit each ad to you before it runs.
Can you advertise PRP on Google Ads?
No. Google prohibits the promotion of cell and gene therapies, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells; only purely informational content is allowed. Joint replacements, arthroscopy and consultations can be advertised normally, within the Code of ethics of physicians.
Other industries
Google Ads in other lines of work.
Construction and renovation
Legal services
Health and care
Industry
Our guides answer the questions business owners ask before they invest.
Let’s start with your clinic
Let’s talk about the patients you want to see.
Tell François which procedures you offer privately, where your patients come from and how many consultations you can add. You will find out whether Google Ads can bring them, and whether Kasvu is the right partner. If not, he will tell you. The first conversation comes with no commitment.
