A dermatology practice is usually two businesses sharing a waiting room. The medical side takes referrals and insured patients for skin cancer screening, acne, eczema and biopsies, where the constraint is scheduling capacity rather than demand. The cosmetic side sells injectables, lasers and skin treatments to self-paying patients who research privately, compare on price and book close to home. Those two halves need different marketing, are measured differently and are regulated differently, and the single most common failure in this market is an agency that runs one plan across both. This guide sets out how to separate them, what moves the price, and what to demand from a provider.
Split the medical and cosmetic sides before you brief anyone
Start by deciding what you actually want more of, because the answer is rarely everything. Many practices are full on general dermatology and short on cosmetic bookings, in which case spending on medical dermatology terms adds waiting list rather than revenue. Others want to grow surgical or Mohs volume and need referral relationships with primary care rather than consumer advertising. The medical side is largely won with local search visibility, an accurate Google Business Profile, insurance and referral information that is easy to find, and appointment availability that is honestly stated. The cosmetic side is won with treatment pages that answer the questions a nervous first-time patient types, before and after material handled properly, transparent pricing or at least an honest range, and an intake path fast enough to catch someone comparing three clinics in an evening. Brief the two separately, budget them separately, and insist that reporting separates them too, or you will never know which half your money bought.
What the work covers and what moves the price
A typical engagement spans local search, treatment and condition pages, reviews, paid advertising for cosmetic services, and sometimes email for recall and retention. Three inputs set the price. The number of treatments and conditions you want pages for, since each needs its own genuinely written page. The number of locations, because each needs its own profile, its own page with real detail and its own local relevance; Google's local ranking guidance describes relevance, distance and prominence as the drivers, and no amount of content substitutes for proximity. And the competitiveness of your metro, where established practices publishing for years demand sustained content production rather than a launch push. Judge a quote against your own arithmetic: aesthetic patients are typically repeat buyers, so the value of one acquired cosmetic patient is a course of treatments rather than a single appointment. Ask for a disclosed minimum before you discuss your budget, because a provider who prices off what you can afford is not pricing off the work.
Compliance is part of the scope, not a disclaimer
Dermatology advertising sits inside health advertising rules, and the obligations land on the practice rather than on the agency that drafted the copy. Claims about outcomes need substantiation of the kind a regulator would accept, and the FTC's health products compliance guidance sets that standard out plainly. Patient testimonials and influencer arrangements require clear disclosure of any material connection, and before and after images that imply typical results while showing an exceptional one are a problem regardless of who uploaded them. Practically, three things belong in the contract: who drafts and who signs off clinical claims, where consent records for patient images are stored and who verifies them before publication, and what the takedown process is when a page must change. Add a fourth if you advertise: healthcare advertising carries platform restrictions, so ask how the agency handles policy rejections before a campaign is built rather than after it is disapproved.
How to vet a provider on evidence
Ask for three current dermatology or aesthetic clients and check them yourself. Search the treatments those practices should own, read the pages, look at whether the Business Profiles are categorised correctly and whether reviews arrive steadily rather than in bursts. Ask who else they serve within driving distance of you, because two practices in the same catchment sharing an agency are competing with each other using your money. Ask for a redacted sample report and confirm it traces booked consultations, and ideally treatments performed, to specific pages and campaigns; anything that leads with rankings and sessions is a report about the agency rather than about your practice. Ask how they intend to build review volume and refuse anything involving incentives or gating negative feedback. Finally, confirm ownership of the website, content, Business Profile, call tracking numbers and analytics before you sign, since those are what you take with you if the relationship ends.
Questions people ask about dermatology digital marketing
Should medical and cosmetic dermatology share one website?
Usually yes, with clearly separated sections, navigation and calls to action. Splitting into two websites doubles the maintenance and divides your authority. What must be separated is the marketing plan, the budget and the reporting, so you can see which half of the practice each dollar filled.
Do we need a page for every condition and treatment?
For treatments you actively want to sell, yes, because patients search by treatment rather than by practice. For conditions, write the ones tied to services you want more of. Do not publish pages for procedures you do not perform, which wastes effort and creates a compliance and conversion problem at the same time.
How should we handle before and after photographs?
Only with documented patient consent covering the specific use, stored where you can produce it. Present results honestly, avoid implying that an exceptional outcome is typical, and keep images consistent in lighting and angle. Agree with your agency in writing who verifies consent before anything is published.
How long before dermatology marketing pays back?
Profile and technical work can shift local visibility within weeks. New treatment pages generally need a quarter to establish and two or three in competitive metros. Paid advertising for cosmetic services can produce enquiries immediately but needs several weeks of conversion data before cost per booked consultation is meaningful.