Updated September 10, 2026
A Local Services Ads inquiry is the beginning of a conversation, not proof that a patient has booked or is suitable for a procedure. For a cosmetic surgery practice, the operational task is to respond appropriately, understand whether the request fits the practice and keep a reliable record of what happened.
First confirm that the actual business category, location and services are eligible. “Cosmetic surgery” in a business description does not establish automatic approval. Our plastic surgery LSA setup guide links to Google’s eligibility and screening requirements.
Define who owns each inquiry
Assign responsibility for calls and any other contact options available in the account. Set a realistic response process for office hours, missed calls and periods when staff are unavailable. Make sure profile hours and contact details match what the practice can support.
A staff checklist should answer: who reviews a new inquiry, how it is assigned, when follow-up is appropriate, and where the outcome is recorded. Do not collect detailed medical histories through an advertising conversation merely to qualify a marketing lead. Move clinical questions to the practice’s appropriate care process.
Use clear outcome categories
An illustrative reporting model is:
- New inquiry: a contact has been received but not assessed.
- Relevant request: the requested service and location fit the practice’s offering.
- Contact attempted or completed: distinguish an unanswered callback from a conversation.
- Consultation requested or booked: distinguish interest from a confirmed time.
- Other outcome: duplicate, unrelated service, existing-patient question or no further interest.
Use operational labels without turning marketing reports into patient records. Agree on who can access each system and retain only information needed for its purpose.
Review charges without promising credits
A lead can be chargeable without resulting in a booking. Google describes the model in How leads work. It also states that lead credits are not available for healthcare verticals in its current credit policy.
Keep a record of repeated mismatches and inspect service selections, geographic coverage and profile wording. Do not build the budget on the assumption that unwanted inquiries will be refunded.
Check the profile and review process
Describe the real practice and providers accurately. Google now uses Google Verified badging; older claims about Google Screened or Google Guaranteed should be reviewed. Verification is not a clinical endorsement or a guarantee of a particular result.
Ask for honest feedback consistently rather than selecting only people expected to leave positive reviews. Avoid incentives, fabricated reviews or revealing a person’s treatment relationship in a public response. Follow Google’s contributed-content policies and the practice’s privacy process.
Evaluate a useful reporting period
Compare advertising spend, valid inquiries, relevant requests and known consultation bookings. Document the dates and definitions. If staff follow-up or available appointment capacity changed, include that context before attributing all movement to the ads.
For example, a rise in inquiries with no increase in completed conversations may point to staffing or routing rather than poor search visibility. Conversely, repeated requests for an unavailable service should prompt a coverage and profile review.
Review this workflow alongside paid-search budgeting and your broader practice marketing plan. Ask Redux Labs to review the path from advertising inquiry to recorded outcome.