TL;DR
Review actual search terms and approved lost-inquiry categories against each location's verified service offer. Separate unavailable services, unavailable access, employer-route confusion and unknown reasons. Correct targeting when the query is wrong, the destination when the message is wrong and the receiving process when the handoff is wrong. A low encounter total alone cannot choose the repair.
Begin with service coverage rather than a keyword list
Have the clinic supply a current register of promoted services, locations, access conditions and fact owners. Keep an unconfirmed capability out of the active offer. A broad urgent-care label should not stand in for evidence that every requested service is available at every office.
Ask the agency to retain the actual campaign, ad, destination and observation period. The public promise matters because a relevant search can still reach a misleading page. Conversely, a clear page cannot make an unsupported service query appropriate for the campaign.
This is a marketing fit audit. Clinical staff decide whether an individual request is within the clinic's appropriate process. The agency should work with approved operational categories rather than patient narratives or symptom-level targeting judgments.
Use the query-to-service audit
Inspect available query evidence and the destination together. Fill these fields from the actual account and clinic register, without constructing pretend search volumes.
| Audit field | Evidence to retain | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Search term or documented inquiry category | Actual reported text where appropriate, or approved category | What request is being attracted |
| Campaign and destination | Named ad group, ad and landing page | Which public promise needs inspection |
| Service-location fit | Verified available, unavailable or unconfirmed service | Whether promotion has a supportable offer |
| Access fit | Actual walk-in, registration, appointment or employer process | Whether the route matches the request |
| Receiving outcome | Relevant request, service mismatch, access misunderstanding, unresolved or another approved state | Where the journey stopped |
| Source confidence | Direct record, staff category, self-report or unknown | How strongly the evidence connects to the campaign |
| Action and owner | Targeting repair, page repair, routing repair or further investigation | What changes and who accepts it |
Google says its search terms report includes terms used by a significant number of people that triggered ad impressions and clicks. The reported terms can differ from the keyword list. Google's search-terms documentation. Treat the available report as evidence with coverage limits, not a complete transcript of all demand.
Choose the repair from the mismatch
If a reported term concerns a service the clinic does not offer, have the agency assess relevant exclusions and matching settings. Google describes negative keywords as a way to prevent ads for irrelevant searches. The correct exclusion still needs review against the actual campaign; a broad term may also describe supported work. Google's search-term management guidance.
If the service is supported but only elsewhere in the group, correct the location offer and routing. Do not silently send someone to another office while the ad continues to name the requested location. If the service is temporarily unsupported, resolve the operating state and affected promotion rather than permanently labeling all related demand irrelevant.
If the query fits but callers ask for an appointment the registration process does not reserve, inspect the wording. If an employer contact is arriving in the consumer queue, inspect buyer type and destination. These are different repairs from excluding the service keyword.
Give reception a usable lost-inquiry category
Agree categories with the receiving team before asking them to classify activity. Record only what their workflow can appropriately establish. An unanswered contact with no further evidence stays unknown. A declined option does not establish price sensitivity, and a non-arrival does not establish poor lead quality.
Keep the working record inside approved practice systems. Ask the privacy owner to assess the actual summary, purpose and recipient before agency use. Remove unnecessary sensitive detail from the marketing discussion; an aggregate label is not automatic permission to share a report.
Use the service-by-location guide when the coverage facts are unclear. Use the Search Console review for organic page evidence. Organic queries and paid search terms should retain their separate sources and periods.
Accept a correction after inspecting its effect
Record the observed mismatch, proposed change, approved service fact, implementer and acceptance check. Review the ad and destination after implementation. Where routing changed, coordinate a synthetic administrative test that prevents unwanted appointments and outreach.
Preserve earlier evidence so the next report can explain the change. Do not promise that an exclusion eliminates every unsuitable inquiry or that a wording repair creates encounters. The useful result is a better defined offer and an interpretable next observation.
GetPatients has a commercial interest in healthcare visibility services. Apply the same evidence requirement to its recommendations and other providers. Ask which correction is included in the quoted scope and which account or software dependency remains outside it.
Frequently asked questions
Should every inquiry that fails to arrive become a negative keyword?
No. Establish the service and access issue first. Missing outcomes can reflect unknown source, unavailable service, a handoff problem or a person's choice.
Does a missing search term prove nobody searched it?
No. Retain the report's coverage limits. Use only the available evidence and avoid presenting omitted terms as verified absence.
Can reception determine which medical searches we should exclude?
Reception can report approved administrative categories. Qualified clinic leaders establish service scope; the agency implements the approved targeting decision without creating clinical triage rules.