Addiction treatment centers operating outside of the United States probably don’t need to be reminded that if they want to run paid ads for their facilities on platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Bing, they need to first become LegitScript certified.
For years, drug rehab centers across the globe could bid on phrases, boost posts, do video advertising, etc., and simply throw money at the engines and social platforms to stir up interest in their treatment services. Those days came to a screeching halt back in mid-to-late 2017 when Google started to shut down drug and alcohol rehab ads on their search engine and affiliated network of sites which was soon followed by Facebook, Instagram, and Bing.
Google Lifts Ban on Addiction Treatment Ads for the United States
Fast forward a few months, Google announced that in order to run ads, treatment centers would first have to be vetted by LegitScript to ensure treatment centers had the proper licensing, SOP’s, etc., and thus operating a “legit” facility in order to start advertising on the engine. Fast forward the clock a bit more and Facebook, Instagram, and Bing all followed suit with requiring LegitScript certification for treatment center paid advertising as a means to advertise on their platforms with Bing being the last to embrace it in March of 2019.
Centers in the United States were overjoyed with the ability to once again start running ads for their services but weren’t necessarily thrilled with the associated review fee of $995 and an annual fee of $1,995 per year per location. Nonetheless, centers looked at the fees to become LegitScript certified as a pittance in comparison to the achievable ROI they could realize by getting back on these platforms to advertise to the masses.
Why Google Still Restricts Rehab-related Marketing Internationally
Addiction treatment centers operating outside of the USA aren’t celebrating just yet. Why? Because as it stands today, LegitScript certification only applies to the US market and the US market only with no anticipated date of LegitScript offering its certification to centers outside of the US. It’s unfortunate since there are plenty of great and ethical centers operating around the world, but they’re left with no choice but to seek other options to shore up additional admits outside the realm of paid placement options the likes of Google and Facebook.
If you’re operating a rehab center outside the United States, don’t freak out! There are plenty of other options such as SEO for addiction centers and organic rehab social media marketing that can keep your facility front and center to help people overcome their addictions.
How Organic SEO for Drug Rehab Makes Things Possible
Here at Lead to Recovery, we’ve helped countless treatment centers with organic SEO and organic Social Media Marketing when LegitScript certification wasn’t in the cards so to speak. Besides, most of the traffic that will come to your center’s site won’t be coming from paid placement, it will come from organic depending on keyword demand and placement, of course.
Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs Search Optimization
Look. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing the likes of Google and Facebook is great and all, but in the case of Google, in particular, it can get outrageously expensive due to the competitive keyword bids in the addiction rehab industry. However, PPC is more of a sprint event whereas organic SEO is more of a marathon when it comes to advertising your center online.
In the end, the tortoise beats the hare (marathoner vs. sprinter) since research shows organic far outweighs PPC both in terms of targeted traffic potential and provides the strongest ROI in comparison.
So, stop licking your wounds from not being able to run ads on search engines and social platforms and get to it organically. People need treatment right now and if they’re not finding your center, they’re getting help elsewhere.
Reviewed by:
Matthew Travers
Rehab Marketing Expert
