The two things you are actually paying for
Almost every dental marketing arrangement has two separate costs, and confusing them is where practices get caught out. The first is the management fee: what you pay an agency or freelancer for their work and expertise. The second is media spend: the money that goes to Google or Meta to actually run your ads. These are not the same thing, and a good provider keeps them clearly separated.
The management fee covers the actual work: strategy, building and maintaining your website, local SEO, writing and running ad campaigns, managing your reputation, reporting, and the time of the people doing it. It is a fee for a service, and it stays broadly predictable month to month.
Media spend is different. It is your money, paid to the ad platforms, and it varies with how much you choose to invest and how competitive your area is. The important principle is that this budget should stay yours. On our standard tiers we do not take a percentage of your ad spend, so there is no incentive for us to push you to spend more than makes sense.
What you should expect for the money
A fair arrangement should give you clarity, not mystery. You should know what is being done, see regular reporting you can actually understand, and be able to ask questions and get straight answers. If you cannot tell what you are paying for, that is a problem regardless of the price.
Set expectations on timelines honestly. Paid advertising can generate enquiries within weeks. Websites, local SEO and reputation work compound over months, and the meaningful results usually arrive gradually rather than overnight. Any provider promising guaranteed rankings, a fixed number of new patients, or results by a specific date is overselling, and in healthcare that kind of guarantee also runs into ASA and GDC advertising rules.
Finally, expect the work to be compliant. Dental advertising sits under GDC and ASA guidance, which affects how reviews are gathered, how before and after images are used, and what claims can be made. A provider who understands this protects you from complaints and regulatory trouble.
How to work out what is right for you
Start from what you actually need rather than the biggest package offered. A practice with a strong reputation but a poor website has a different priority from a new practice that no one has heard of. Match the spend to the gap, and be honest about which problem you are solving first.
Think about total cost, not just the headline fee. A management fee plus a sensible media budget is the real number. A practice running paid ads properly should budget for both, and a good provider will help you set a media budget that fits your goals rather than pushing the largest one.
Above all, favour transparency. Published prices, a clear separation of fee and ad spend, honest timelines and compliant methods are the signs of a provider worth trusting. Vague pricing, guaranteed results and a percentage cut of your ad budget are the signs to walk away.