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Process walkthrough · Clinics and healthcare

Clinics and healthcare: from the first search to the patient who returns for check-ups

In healthcare, trust comes before the booking. The process puts the doctors, clear explanations and indicative prices first, with patient data protected at every step.

The pain points this process addresses

  • Patients who don't turn up for their appointment.
  • The same phone questions about prices and preparation.
  • Distrust of procedures and costs.
  • Competition on the same local searches.

From cold traffic to LTV, stage by stage

1. Cold traffic

People who don't know you see you for the first time.

Strategy

Answer health questions with correct information, checked by doctors.

Tools

  • SEO on conditions and procedures
  • Google Ads on search (under Google's healthcare rules)
  • Google Business Profile
  • YouTube with the clinic's doctors

Execution

  1. Articles signed and reviewed by doctors, with the update date.
  2. Ads only on searches with clear intent, such as “ophthalmologist appointment [city]”.
  3. On Meta, don't target by medical condition: the platform restricts targeting on sensitive topics.

Metrics tracked

  • New visitorsPeople reaching the site for the first time, by source.
  • CTRThe share of people who clicked after seeing the ad or the search result.
  • CPCThe cost of one click.

2. Interest

They come back, read, watch and compare.

Strategy

Trust comes from the doctors, the equipment and transparency.

Tools

  • Doctor pages
  • Procedure pages with steps and indicative prices
  • Reviews

Execution

  1. Every doctor has a page with specialty, experience and schedule.
  2. Indicative prices are public, together with what they include.

Metrics tracked

  • Engagement rateSessions in which people read, scrolled or interacted, out of all sessions.
  • New reviews and average ratingHow many genuine reviews appear each month and how the rating moves.

3. Lead

They leave a signal: an enquiry, a booking, a sign-up or a basket.

Strategy

Booking takes less than a minute.

Tools

  • Online booking
  • Phone
  • WhatsApp Business
  • Form with explicit consent for health data

Execution

  1. The form asks for the minimum; health data is requested only with explicit consent.
  2. Instant confirmation with the date, address and any preparation needed.

Metrics tracked

  • Conversion rateThe share of visits that become an enquiry, a booking or an order.
  • CPLThe cost of one lead: an enquiry, a booking or a subscriber.
  • Time to first responseHow long it takes from enquiry to first contact.

4. Qualification and offer

You check the fit and make the proposal.

Strategy

Correct triage: the right specialist at the right time.

Tools

  • Reception triage guide
  • Booking system
  • Automatic reminders

Execution

  1. Reception follows a triage guide written by the doctors.
  2. A reminder 24 hours before, with a rescheduling option.

Metrics tracked

  • Show-up rateAppointments or bookings honoured, out of those made.
  • Offer acceptance rateOffers or plans accepted, out of those sent.

5. Customer

The first order or the first contract.

Strategy

The first consultation explains the plan and the costs clearly.

Tools

  • Written treatment plan
  • Payment options
  • Patient record

Execution

  1. The patient leaves with the written plan and the next step booked.
  2. The patient's source is recorded without linking it to medical data in marketing tools.

Metrics tracked

  • CACCustomer acquisition cost: everything spent on marketing and sales, divided by new customers.
  • Average valueThe average value of an order, a bill or a contract.

6. Delivery and activation

The customer reaches the first good result quickly.

Strategy

Continued care after the consultation.

Tools

  • Post-procedure messages
  • Written instructions
  • Satisfaction survey

Execution

  1. A message 48 hours after the procedure: how you feel and what comes next.
  2. An NPS survey without medical questions.

Metrics tracked

  • NPSHow likely a customer is to recommend you, on a scale from 0 to 10.
  • New reviews and average ratingHow many genuine reviews appear each month and how the rating moves.

7. Retention and expansion

They come back, renew and buy more.

Strategy

Regular check-ups and prevention.

Tools

  • Check-up reminders, with consent
  • Prevention newsletter
  • Medical subscriptions, where relevant

Execution

  1. A check-up reminder at the interval recommended by the doctor.
  2. Monthly prevention content, without aggressive sales messages.

Metrics tracked

  • Repeat purchase rateCustomers who buy again or renew within a given period.
  • ChurnCustomers lost in a period, out of those at its start.

8. LTV and referrals

Value over the whole relationship and new customers brought by existing ones.

Strategy

The satisfied patient brings their family.

Tools

  • Organic referrals
  • Reviews
  • Family packages

Execution

  1. Ask for a review after a result, without incentives.
  2. Measure how many visits a patient makes over 3-4 years.

Metrics tracked

  • LTVThe margin a customer brings over the whole relationship.
  • Referral rateNew customers who came through referrals, out of all new customers.
  • LTV : CACHow much a customer brings compared with what it costs to win them.

Copywriting on the industry's pain points

The same message written in five different frameworks. We use each at the right stage and test them against each other.

AIDA

Cold traffic ads and landing pages. · Cold traffic

Attention
Is your vision blurry when driving at night?
Interest
It may be easy to correct, but only an examination can confirm it.
Desire
A complete examination in a single visit, with plain explanations and the next steps in writing.
Action
Book online in less than a minute.

PAS

Ads and emails, when the pain is clear and recognised. · Interest

Problem
You keep postponing the check-up because you don't know how long it takes or what it costs.
Agitation
Meanwhile the symptoms stay and the worry grows.
Solution
Public indicative prices, the consultation length announced in advance and online booking.

FAB

Product pages, technical sheets and offers. · Qualification and offer

Feature
[Name] diagnostic equipment in the clinic itself.
Advantage
Tests are done during the same visit.
Benefit
You find out sooner what is wrong and what comes next.

BAB

Case studies, retargeting and nurturing emails. · Lead

Before
Repeated trips and fragmented information.
After
A clear plan after a single visit.
Bridge
A complete examination, tests on site and a written plan.

4U

Headlines, email subject lines and the first lines of ads. · Cold traffic

“A complete examination in a single visit: public indicative prices and online booking”

  • Useful
  • Urgent
  • Unique
  • Ultra-specific

Proposed A/B test

Hypothesis
An indicative price on the procedure page increases bookings.
Variant A (control)
“Procedure page without a price”
Variant B
“Procedure page with an indicative price and what it includes”
Primary metric
Conversion rate

Language and visuals adapted to the industry

Lexical field

  • consultation
  • diagnosis
  • specialist
  • appointment
  • treatment plan
  • check-up
  • prevention
  • safety
  • transparency
  • recovery

Words to avoid

  • guaranteed cure
  • painless (without qualification)
  • the best results
  • miraculous

Word family

to treat

  • treatment
  • treated
  • treatable
  • untreated

Language structure

Calm, empathetic and precise. Medical terms are explained simply, without promises of results. A courteous, formal register is usually the right one.

Visual structure

Real photos of the doctors and consulting rooms, equipment explained, procedure steps illustrated, indicative prices in plain view. No stock images of smiling white coats.

Calculator: from budget to LTV

Change the values and see how CAC, LTV and the payback period move.

Monthly results

Visits
1,000
Leads
60
New customers
48
CAC
€31
LTV (margin)
€800
LTV : CAC
25.6 : 1
CAC payback (months)
1.9

The calculator values are an example calculation for the chosen industry, not a client's results. Enter your own figures.

Visits = budget ÷ CPC · Customers = visits × conversion 1 × conversion 2 · CAC = budget ÷ customers · LTV = value × purchases per year × margin × years · Payback = CAC ÷ monthly margin per customer

The metrics, in plain words

New visitors
People reaching the site for the first time, by source.from Google Analytics 4
CTR
The share of people who clicked after seeing the ad or the search result.clicks ÷ impressions
CPC
The cost of one click.cost ÷ clicks
Engagement rate
Sessions in which people read, scrolled or interacted, out of all sessions.engaged sessions ÷ sessions
New reviews and average rating
How many genuine reviews appear each month and how the rating moves.per platform, monthly
Conversion rate
The share of visits that become an enquiry, a booking or an order.conversions ÷ visits
CPL
The cost of one lead: an enquiry, a booking or a subscriber.cost ÷ leads
Time to first response
How long it takes from enquiry to first contact.average, in hours
Show-up rate
Appointments or bookings honoured, out of those made.honoured ÷ made
Offer acceptance rate
Offers or plans accepted, out of those sent.accepted ÷ sent
CAC
Customer acquisition cost: everything spent on marketing and sales, divided by new customers.total cost ÷ new customers
Average value
The average value of an order, a bill or a contract.revenue ÷ orders
NPS
How likely a customer is to recommend you, on a scale from 0 to 10.% promoters minus % detractors
Repeat purchase rate
Customers who buy again or renew within a given period.repeat customers ÷ customers
Churn
Customers lost in a period, out of those at its start.lost ÷ customers at the start
LTV
The margin a customer brings over the whole relationship.value × purchases per year × margin × years
Referral rate
New customers who came through referrals, out of all new customers.from referrals ÷ new customers
LTV : CAC
How much a customer brings compared with what it costs to win them.LTV ÷ CAC

Further reading

Other industries