SEM for Hospitals in Dubai: Top 10 Strategies for Higher Rankings

TL;DR: SEM for Hospitals in Dubai

When people need to visit a hospital, their first instinct isn’t to scroll through social media—they head straight to Google or another search engine. This high-intent behavior makes Search Engine Marketing (SEM) one of the most effective ways to reach patients in Dubai. 

By running paid ads on search engines, your hospital can instantly connect with people actively searching for services like emergency care, specialist consultations, or routine health checkups.

Here’s how to use SEM to make your hospital more visible, attract patients, and grow your practice:

• Focus on high-intent keywords.

Target terms like “pediatrician in Dubai” or “emergency hospital near me” to ensure your ads reach people who need your services immediately.

1. Create targeted ad groups.

Organize your campaigns into specific groups (e.g., by specialties like cardiology or services like diagnostics) to improve relevance and ad performance.

1. Localize your ads.

Mention familiar Dubai locations, like “near Dubai Marina”, and use Arabic and English to make yourself accessible to different nationalities.

• Highlight your unique selling points (USPs).

Showcase what makes your hospital stand out, like 24/7 availability, world-class facilities, or insurance partnerships.

1. Leverage location extensions.

Use Google Ads features to display your hospital’s address, click-to-call options, and directions via Google Maps for easier access.

• Optimize for mobile users.

Ensure your landing pages are mobile-friendly, fast, and include click-to-call buttons or simplified appointment forms to convert mobile traffic.

1. Use remarketing.

Follow up with website visitors who didn’t convert by showing ads for relevant services, like free consultations or specialist care.

• Target expatriates and medical tourists.

Promote multilingual staff, all-inclusive treatment packages, and travel assistance to attract Dubai’s large expat community and medical tourists.

• Track conversions and refine.

Use tools like Google Ads Conversion Tracking and Google Analytics to measure performance and refine your campaigns based on data.

• Allocate your budget strategically.

Invest in high-converting services like emergency care and dermatology, and use dayparting to focus spending during peak search times.

SEM allows your hospital to connect with patients when they need healthcare the most, helping you grow your visibility and patient base. Ready to start?

Partner with MediaHolic

At MediaHolic, we’ve helped many healthcare providers in Dubai achieve incredible results with SEM by increasing their visibility and attracting more patients. Let us handle your campaigns while you focus on delivering exceptional care. 

Contact us today, and let’s create a strategy that gets your hospital at the top of Google.

Click this link to book a consultation call.

To be clear, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing), while similar in their goals, are quite different in how they operate. Both aim to get your hospital to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) on platforms like Google and Bing. However, the path they take is different:

• SEO helps you achieve top rankings organically by optimizing your website and content over time.
• SEM – also known as PPC ads – on the other hand, allows you to pay for your spot at the top, ensuring instant visibility for specific search terms.

For hospitals in Dubai, SEM offers an immediate and highly targeted way to reach patients who are actively searching for healthcare services. Whether someone is looking for an emergency room, a specialist consultation, or comparing hospital options, SEM puts your facility in front of them when they need it most.

In this article, we’ll explore 10 proven SEM strategies that can help hospitals in Dubai increase their visibility, connect with patients, and bring more people through their doors. Let’s get started!

1. Focus on High-Intent Keywords

One of the most critical SEM strategies for hospitals in Dubai is targeting high-intent keywords—the terms patients use when actively searching for healthcare services or treatments. These keywords ensure your ads are seen by people who need your services and are ready to act.

There are three main types of high-intent keywords you should target:

Service-Specific Keywords

These keywords focus on specific services your hospital offers. For example:

• Pediatrician in Dubai
• Orthopedic surgery near me
• 24/7 emergency hospital Dubai

Location-Based Keywords

Patients often search for hospitals close to their location. Location-specific keywords help make your facility more visible to local patients. Examples include:

• Hospital near Bur Dubai
• Best hospital in Jumeirah

Condition-Specific Keywords

Patients looking for treatment or specialists for a specific condition tend to use these types of keywords. Examples include:

• Diabetes treatment in Dubai
• Migraine specialist Dubai

Pro tip: Use a combination of broad match, phrase match, and exact match keywords in your campaigns to maximize reach and relevance:

• Broad match captures a wider audience (e.g., hospitals in Dubai).
• Phrase match targets users at different stages of their search journey (e.g., emergency hospital near me).
• Exact match ensures precise relevance and reduces wasted clicks (e.g., pediatrician in Jumeirah).

By focusing on high-intent keywords, your hospital’s ads will show up for searches that matter most, driving qualified leads and increasing conversions.

2. Create Targeted Ad Groups

To maximize the effectiveness of your SEM campaigns, you need to organize your ads into targeted ad groups. This means dividing your campaigns into smaller, focused groups based on the specialties, services, or audience intent you want to target. This approach improves relevance, boosts your Quality Score, and lowers your cost-per-click (CPC).

Organizing Your Ad Groups

1. By specialties

Create ad groups for specific departments or specialties within your hospital.

• Examples: Cardiology, Dermatology, Gynecology, Pediatrics
• Tailored Ad Example:
  “Trusted Cardiologists in Dubai – Expert Care for Your Heart. Book an Appointment Today!”

2. By services

Focus on the services your hospital provides to target patients searching for those offerings.

• Examples: Surgeries, Outpatient Services, Diagnostics, Health Screenings
• Tailored Ad Example:
  “Full-Body Health Screening – Accurate Diagnostics in Dubai. Schedule Now!”

3. By audience intent

Separate ad groups based on user intent, such as patients seeking emergency care versus those booking routine check-ups.

• Examples: Emergency Care, Preventive Health, Specialist Appointments
• Tailored Ad Example:
  “24/7 Emergency Hospital in Jumeirah – Immediate Care When You Need It Most!”

Why Targeted Ad Groups Work

When your ad groups are specific and relevant, you can:

• Improve relevance: Your ads closely align with what users are searching for.
• Boosts Quality Score: Google rewards relevance with better ad placement and lower costs. (We’ll discuss Quality Score in detail in the next step)
• Increase conversion rates: Patients are more likely to click on ads that directly address their needs and lead to dedicated landing pages.

Pro tip: Pair each ad group with a dedicated landing page. For example, an ad for “cardiology care” should link to a landing page about your cardiology department—not your hospital’s general homepage. This improves user experience and drives better results.

By structuring your campaigns into targeted ad groups, you’ll deliver personalized messaging to the right audience, making your SEM efforts more effective and efficient.

3. Localize Your Ads

Localizing your SEM ads ensures you’re targeting patients who are closest to your hospital and most likely to visit. By making it clear where you’re located, you eliminate the guesswork for potential patients, making their search process faster and easier—especially for those seeking convenience or dealing with an emergency.

How to Localize Your Ads

• Include local landmarks or areas

Mention familiar locations to help patients quickly identify where you are and decide if your hospital is convenient for them.

Examples: “Conveniently located near Dubai Marina” or “Close to Sheikh Zayed Road in Al Barsha.”

• Use both Arabic and English

Of course, because of Dubai’s diverse population, search queries are usually done in both English and Arabic. Writing ads in both languages ensures you connect with all potential patients. 

• Highlight accessibility and convenience

Focus on how easy it is for patients to find and reach your hospital.

Example: “Walk-in emergency care available near Bur Dubai Metro Station.”

Why Localizing Ads Works

Localized ads make it easier for patients near you—those who are most likely to visit your hospital—to find you. You offer them a convenient search process, eliminating the need to figure out your location after finding your ad. This is especially useful for people seeking immediate care or a quick, hassle-free solution.

Pro tip: Use Google Ads’ location extensions to display your hospital’s address, phone number, and directions directly in your ad. This adds credibility and helps patients navigate to you with just one click.

4. Improve Your Quality Score

Quality Score is a key factor in determining your Ad Rank, which influences where your ad appears in search results. This score is Google’s way of measuring the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.

What is Quality Score?

Your Quality Score is rated on a scale of 1-10 and can be found in the “Status” column of your Google Ads account for each keyword. It’s based on:

• Ad relevance: How closely your ad matches the user’s search query.
• Click-through rate (CTR): How likely users are to click on your ad when they see it.
• Landing page experience: How user-friendly and relevant your landing page is once someone clicks your ad.

A high Quality Score lowers your cost-per-click (CPC) and improves your Ad Rank, which means your ads can appear higher in search results without needing to outbid competitors.

How to Improve Your Quality Score

1. Ensure keyword alignment: Use keywords in your ad copy and landing pages to improve relevance.
2. Write click-worthy ad copy: Make your ads compelling, with clear calls to action encouraging users to click.
3. Optimize your landing pages: Provide a better user experience with fast-loading, mobile-friendly pages that align with your ad’s promise.

(For more details about mobile-friendly design, go to step 7.)

By making Quality Score a top priority, you’ll improve the efficiency of your SEM campaigns, reduce costs, and achieve better visibility in search results.

5. Leverage Location Extensions

Location extensions in Google Ads are a powerful tool to make your hospital more accessible to patients searching for healthcare services. These extensions directly provide key information in your ad, helping potential patients take immediate action, whether calling, visiting, or navigating to your facility.

How to Use Location Extensions

Display your address

In the ad, show your hospital’s location to help patients find you quickly. This is especially important for people searching for “hospital near me” or other location-based queries.

Enable the click-to-call feature

Add a phone number to your ad so mobile users can call your hospital directly with just one tap. This is particularly useful for emergencies or urgent inquiries.

Provide directions with Google Maps

Make it easy for patients to navigate to your hospital by including a link to your location on Google Maps.

Location extensions increase visibility and convenience for patients by offering all the key information they need—address, phone number, and directions—right in your ad. This leads to higher engagement, increased foot traffic, and ultimately, more appointments.

Pro tip: Combine location extensions with other ad features like sitelinks or callouts to highlight specific services (e.g., “24/7 Emergency Care”) and make your ad even more impactful.

6. Optimize for Mobile Users

With most healthcare searches happening on mobile devices, tailor your SEM strategy for mobile users. Patients searching for hospitals on their phones often need urgent care or quick access to information, so your ads and landing pages must deliver a seamless mobile experience.

How to Optimize for Mobile

• Make landing pages mobile-friendly and fast

Ensure your landing pages load quickly on mobile devices and adapt to smaller screens. A slow or poorly formatted page can lead to users leaving before they take action.

• Include a click-to-call button

Add a click-to-call feature on your landing pages so patients can contact your hospital instantly. This is especially useful for emergencies or inquiries where speed matters most.

• Simplify appointment booking forms

Keep your forms short and easy to fill out on mobile. Limit the number of fields required, and use dropdown menus or autofill features to save time for users.

Mobile optimization ensures patients can find and connect with your hospital easily, no matter where they are. For users seeking convenience or urgent care, a smooth mobile experience makes all the difference in converting clicks into appointments.

Pro tip: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check how well your landing pages perform on mobile devices and identify areas for improvement.

By optimizing for mobile users, you’ll provide a better experience for patients, increase engagement, and drive more conversions from your SEM campaigns.

7. Use Remarketing

Not every visitor to your website will convert on their first visit—and that’s okay. Remarketing allows you to follow up with these potential patients and gently remind them about your hospital. By showing targeted ads to users who’ve interacted with your site, you keep your services top-of-mind and encourage them to return.

How to Use Remarketing

Reinforce offers or services

Show ads promoting your free consultation, health checkups, or other services they might have considered. For example: “Don’t wait—book your free consultation with our specialists today!”

Personalize ads based on browsing history

Target users with ads related to the pages they visited.

Example: If a visitor explored your orthopedics page, serve them ads for your orthopedic treatments or specialists.

Focus on dynamic messaging

Customize your ads to reflect each user’s previous actions. Highlight relevant information, such as services they searched for or conditions they viewed, to make your ads more engaging.

Remarketing helps you convert warm leads—patients who have already shown interest but didn’t take action. These personalized ads remind them of your services and make it easier for them to take the next step.

Pro tip: Use time-based remarketing to target users who visited your website recently. For example, run ads within 7 days of their visit for a higher chance of re-engagement.

By leveraging remarketing, you can re-engage interested patients and guide them back to your website to book appointments or explore your services further.

8. Target Expatriates and Medical Tourists

With Dubai’s large expat population and reputation as a hub for medical tourism, your SEM campaigns should focus on attracting these key groups. Expats and medical tourists often seek high-quality care with added convenience, and tailoring your ads to meet their needs can drive more patients to your hospital.

How to Target Expatriates and Medical Tourists

Highlight multilingual staff

Expats and tourists feel more comfortable when healthcare providers can communicate in their native language. Advertise the availability of multilingual doctors, nurses, or support staff to show inclusivity and ease of care.

Promote package deals for medical tourists

Offer all-in-one packages for treatments like cosmetic surgery, dental implants, or health checkups. These include consultations, procedures, follow-ups, and additional services like airport transfers.

Target specific regions

Focus on regions where most expats and tourists in Dubai originate, such as South Asia, GCC countries, and Europe. Adjust your ad language, visuals, and messaging to resonate with these audiences.

Expats and tourists are actively searching for hospitals that meet their needs. Appeal to them by addressing their pain points, like language barriers, logistical challenges, or cost concerns.

Pro tip: Use geo-targeting in Google Ads to show your campaigns in specific countries or regions, especially during peak travel seasons. This ensures your ads reach the right audience at the right time.

9. Track Conversions and Refine

No SEM campaign is complete without regular tracking and optimization. Monitoring your performance ensures your ads are achieving their goals—whether that’s booking appointments, increasing calls, or driving traffic to your hospital’s website. The key is to measure what works and refine what doesn’t.

How to Track and Refine Your Campaigns

Use Google Ads conversion tracking

Set up conversion tracking to measure specific actions, like appointment bookings, form submissions, or phone calls. This helps you see exactly how your ads are performing and which keywords or campaigns are delivering the best results.

Leverage Google Analytics

Track on-site behavior to understand how visitors interact with your website. Metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and page views can help identify whether your landing pages are effective or need adjustments.

Focus on key metrics

Regularly monitor critical metrics like:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Are users clicking on your ads?
• Quality Score: Are your ads and landing pages relevant enough to boost your Ad Rank?
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Are you generating enough value from your campaigns compared to what you’re spending?

Refine based on data

Use the insights from your tracking tools to make informed changes. For example, pause underperforming keywords, adjust ad copy that isn’t driving clicks, or allocate more budget to high-performing campaigns.

Tracking conversions helps you identify what’s driving results and where you’re wasting budget. Refining your campaigns based on data ensures your SEM strategy stays cost-effective and continues to deliver value.

Pro tip: Schedule a weekly or monthly review of your campaigns to stay on top of performance. Even small adjustments, like tweaking ad headlines or reallocating budget, can lead to significant improvements over time.

10. Allocate Budget Strategically

To get the most out of your SEM campaigns, it’s essential to allocate your budget wisely. Instead of spreading your funds too thin, focus on services and times that generate the highest return on investment (ROI). A well-planned budget ensures your hospital’s ads reach the right audience at the right time.

How to Allocate Your Budget

Prioritize high-converting services

Focus on services that are in high demand or have a higher likelihood of converting patients.

• Example: Emergency care, dermatology, pediatrics, or specialized treatments like cosmetic surgery. Ads promoting these services are more likely to deliver results because they address urgent or popular healthcare needs.

Use dayparting to optimize spend

Allocate your budget to match peak search times for different services:

• For routine care (e.g., health checkups), prioritize daytime hours when people are most likely to book appointments.
• For emergency services, run ads 24/7 to capture patients searching for urgent care at any time.
  Dayparting helps you avoid wasting budget during low-traffic periods.

Adjust Based on Campaign Performance

Analyze your campaign data to identify what’s working and allocate more budget to high-performing keywords, ad groups, or times of the day.

Strategically allocating your budget ensures that every dirham you spend is used effectively. By focusing on high-converting services and targeting the right time slots, you can maximize ROI while reducing wasted ad spend.

Pro tip: Start with a small budget for each campaign, analyze the results, and then scale up spending on the ads and services that generate the best performance.

Final Thoughts

SEM can seem like a complex puzzle at first, but after going through this article, you should now have all the pieces to create an effective strategy for your hospital. By leveraging search engines, you can make your hospital more visible, connect with patients actively searching for healthcare, and stand out in Dubai’s competitive healthcare market.

Are you ready to rank at the top of Google?

At MediaHolic, our search engine marketing experts specialize in helping hospitals and healthcare providers increase their visibility, attract more patients, and grow their practice. Let us handle the complexities of SEM while you focus on providing exceptional care to your patients. 

Contact us today, and let’s build a winning strategy for your hospital.