Clinic marketing glossary: 40 terms in plain English
Marketing has its own vocabulary, and much of it is used loosely. This glossary explains forty terms clinic owners meet when they talk to an agency, read a report or set up a website, in a few sentences each.
It covers the marketing side only. Where a rule differs by regulator, province or state, check your own, because we are not giving legal advice.
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B
Booking widget
A booking widget is a small booking panel from your booking software that sits on your own website. Patients pick a time without leaving the page. Test it on a phone, because a cramped widget can be harder to use than a plain Book online button. See how to link Jane or Cliniko booking to your website.
Bounce rate
Bounce rate is the share of visits where the visitor did not engage with the site, for example by staying a short while or visiting another page. A high number on a page is a prompt to look, not proof of a problem. Read it alongside bookings and calls. See what a monthly report should show.
C
Call tracking
Call tracking uses a separate phone number on your website, which forwards to your clinic, so you can count calls that came from the site. It is optional, and it should never replace the number on your online profile. See how call tracking works for a clinic. Google ended call history in Business Profile in July 2024, so a tracking number is one way to count calls.
CASL
CASL is Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. It sets rules for commercial electronic messages, including newsletters and promotions: you need consent, you must identify yourself and you must include a working unsubscribe. See consent to email patients.
Click-through rate
Click-through rate, or CTR, is the share of people who saw your result or ad and clicked it. It tells you whether your title and wording are doing their job. A low rate on a search result often means the title is not clear about what you offer.
Condition page
A condition page is a page on your site about one thing you treat, written for a patient who is searching for help with it. It describes what your clinic offers and how to book, and it stays away from clinical claims. See do I need a page for each condition I treat?
Conversion
A conversion is the action you want a visitor to take, such as tapping Book online, calling or sending a booking request. Counting conversions turns “people visited” into “people acted”. See how to measure booked first visits.
Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google’s measures of how a page feels to use: how fast the main content appears, how quickly it responds to a tap and whether it jumps around while loading. A slow, jumpy page frustrates patients on a phone. See how fast a clinic website should load.
Cost per click
Cost per click, or CPC, is what you pay Google each time someone clicks your ad. It varies by search, location and competition. A low cost per click means little if the landing page does not turn clicks into bookings. See Google Ads for clinics.
D
Direct billing
Direct billing means the clinic bills the patient’s insurer directly, so the patient pays only their own share at the visit. Say clearly on your site whether you offer it and for which plans. See direct billing on your website.
DIY site builder
A DIY site builder is a tool such as WordPress, Squarespace or Wix that lets you build a site yourself. Many clinics run well on them. The risk is a site that looks fine but has no clear booking button or page for each service. See WordPress vs Squarespace vs Wix.
Not sure where your clinic stands? We’ll look at it the way a new patient does and send a short written report. No pitch.
E
Express consent
Under CASL in Canada, express consent means a person has clearly agreed to receive your commercial messages, for example by ticking an unticked box or signing up. It is not assumed from silence. Keep a record of when and how it was given. See consent to email patients.
G
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a reporting tool that shows how people use your website, such as which pages they visit and which buttons they tap. We keep patient details out of it. See reporting.
Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that appears on Google Search and Maps with your name, hours, photos, reviews and booking link. For many clinics it is the first thing a new patient sees. See the profile checklist and local SEO.
Google Search Console
Search Console is a Google tool that reports how your site appears in search, which searches show it and whether Google can read your pages. It is a good first stop when a page is not showing up. See clinic SEO basics.
I
Implied consent
Under CASL, implied consent can exist because of an existing relationship, such as a recent visit or a recent inquiry. It expires: two years after a visit and six months after an inquiry. Express consent is safer and lasts until the person withdraws it. See consent to email patients.
Impressions
An impression is one showing of your result or ad on someone’s screen, whether or not they click. Impressions show reach. They say nothing on their own about bookings.
K
Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase a person types into a search, such as “physiotherapist near me”. We choose the ones that match what you offer and where you are. See clinic SEO basics.
L
Landing page
A landing page is the first page a visitor sees after clicking an ad, a search result or an email link. It should match what they clicked and make the next step, usually booking, obvious. See Google Ads for clinics.
Local SEO
Local SEO is the work of making your clinic easy to find for searches tied to a place, like “chiropractor in Vaughan”. It covers your online profile, your website, your reviews and the consistency of your details online. See local SEO.
Lookalike audience
A lookalike audience is a group of people a platform such as Meta picks because they resemble your existing customers. It is not available for health advertising on Google Ads, where similar audiences were retired, and other platforms have their own limits. We check the current policy pages before any ad runs. See the Google Ads rules for health clinics.
Not sure where your clinic stands? We’ll look at it the way a new patient does and send a short written report. No pitch.
M
Map pack
The map pack is the short list of three local businesses shown with a map near the top of many local searches. Appearing there depends on your online profile, reviews and website. See why is my clinic not showing in Google Maps?
Meta description
A meta description is the short summary under your page title in search results. It does not directly decide ranking, but a clear one can lead more people to click. Keep it under about 160 characters.
N
NAP consistency
NAP stands for name, address and phone number. Consistency means they match exactly on your website, online profile and other listings. Mismatches confuse both patients and search engines. See the profile checklist.
Negative keywords
Negative keywords are searches you tell Google Ads not to show your ads for, such as job searches or a service you do not offer. They stop budget going to clicks that cannot become patients. See physio Google Ads.
No-show rate
No-show rate is the share of booked appointments where the patient does not arrive and did not cancel. Reminders and a clear cancellation policy help. See how to reduce no-shows.
O
Open rate
Open rate is the share of recipients who open an email. It is a rough guide only, because email apps can distort it. Booking-link clicks tell you more. See clinic newsletters.
Organic search
Organic search is the unpaid results in Google, as opposed to ads. Your page earns its place there through relevance, quality and trust, and it takes time. See how long clinic marketing takes to work.
P
Pay-per-click
Pay-per-click, or PPC, is advertising where you pay when someone clicks, as with Google Ads. You set a budget, and your ad is shown to people searching for what you offer. See Google Ads for clinics.
R
Reactivation
Reactivation is contacting past patients who have not booked in a while. For clinics, it is a short, polite message from the clinic’s own system, sent only to people who have given consent. See patient reactivation.
Recall
Recall is a reminder to return for a regular visit, such as a check or a follow-up. It is a common way clinics bring patients back. Recall and reactivation differ in timing: recall comes before a patient lapses, and reactivation after.
Responsive design
Responsive design means a website changes layout to fit the screen it is on. Many clinic visitors arrive on a phone, so buttons and text must work on a small screen. See what a clinic homepage should include.
Retargeting
Retargeting shows ads to people who have visited your site before. For health, platforms limit it: Google Ads restricts targeting based on sensitive categories, and Meta has its own health ad policies. We check the current rules before suggesting it. See health advertising rules for clinics.
Review velocity
Review velocity is how steadily new reviews arrive. Ten reviews in one week and none for a year looks odd. A steady trickle looks real and recent. See how to ask patients for Google reviews.
S
Schema
Schema is behind-the-scenes code that labels the facts on a page, such as your name, address and opening hours, so search engines can read them. Patients never see it. It supports search but does not replace good pages.
Search intent
Search intent is what a person wants when they type a search: to learn, to compare or to book. A page that matches intent does better than one that does not. See service pages and SEO.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the work of making your site easier for search engines and patients to understand and find. It is slow, steady work rather than a switch. See clinic SEO basics.
Service page
A service page describes one thing your clinic offers, in words a patient would use, with a clear way to book. Each service deserves its own page rather than a line in a list. See service pages and SEO.
T
Title tag
A title tag is the clickable headline for a page in search results and in the browser tab. It should say what the page is and where the clinic is, in about 60 characters. It is one of the simplest things to fix.
U
UTM tags
UTM tags are short labels added to the end of a link so your analytics can tell where a visit came from, such as a newsletter or a social post. They let a report credit the right source. They hold no personal information. See reporting.
Questions owners ask
Do I need to learn all of this?
No. Knowing a few terms helps you read a report and ask good questions. We explain anything in plain words.
Is this legal advice?
No. Rules on consent and advertising differ by province, state and regulator. Check your own.
Which terms should a new clinic learn first?
Start with Google Business Profile, local SEO, conversion and booking widget. See the new clinic audit.
A term in my report is not here. What do I do?
Ask us. If we used it, we will explain it, and we will add it here.