Prepared by Bluehour Digital for Icarus Medical, October 2026
Google Ads proposal
A Google Ads program built around knee brace searches, with separate campaigns for patients and clinicians that lead to one dedicated landing page. Because every Icarus brace starts with a conversation, success is measured in consultation requests, not online sales.
- Main campaign type
- Google Search
- Added at Growth level
- Performance Max
- Recommended start
- $5,000/month for 90 days
- SponsoredKnee Brace for Meniscus Tears | Custom Fit From a Phone Scanicarusmedical.com · Support for torn meniscus and side-of-knee pain. See if your insurance covers it.
- 1Retailer: knee braces and sleeves
- 2Health information article
- 3Marketplace listing
- 4Video results
- 5Product review roundup
- 6Hospital patient guide
- 7Discussion forum thread
- 8Retailer: sports braces
- 9Physical therapy clinic page
- 10Icarus Medical: knee brace for meniscus tearsOrganic result, average position 9.8
Today: Icarus averages position 9.8 for this search. 11,804 impressions in 90 days produced 71 clicks.
The opportunity
Icarus already appears for many high-intent knee brace searches, but not all land in positions 1-3. Paid ads will help push these above organic results, so ads can turn demand Icarus is already showing up for into visits.
39,170impressions across these seven searches
270clicks
0.7%click-through rate
Source: Icarus Medical Google Search Console, US searches, July 11 to October 8, 2026.
Brand searches are already strong. Searches such as "icarus knee brace" are clicked 62% to 70% of the time, so brand ads only need a small budget to protect that traffic from competitors bidding on the Icarus name.
Measuring success
Icarus braces are not a buy-now product. A sale follows a consultation, a prescription, an insurance check and a 3D scan, often weeks after the first ad click. Google Ads only sees the click and what happens on the landing page, so it can't count sales the way it would for an online store.
Ad click
Impressions, impression share and click-through rate show awareness.
Submitted form
The conversion we optimize for. Measured as the form conversion rate.
Qualified consultation
The Icarus team qualifies the request.
Brace order
Often weeks later, after prescription and insurance.
Video plays, scrolls and clicks to the Brace Finder are tracked for insight but not counted as conversions, so they can't inflate the results.
Industry benchmarks
| Industry | Conversion rate | Cost per click | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8.18% | $5.42 | $66.69 |
| Health and fitness | 6.94% | $6.17 | $67.36 |
Why our targets sit lower. These averages include phone calls and bookings for routine appointments, which people decide on quickly. A request for a custom brace that needs a prescription and insurance approval is a bigger decision, so fewer people convert, and the ones who do tend to be better leads.
Our targets
| Measure | Month 1 | By day 90 | Stretch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form conversion rate | 3% | 6% | 8% or more |
| Cost per consultation request | Under $120 | Under $80 | Under $65 |
| Search click-through rate | 4% | 6% | 8% or more |
| Qualified consultation rate | Baseline set | Agreed with Icarus after month 1 | Improving month over month |
Closing the loop with Salesforce
Each form submission is saved in Salesforce with the Google click ID that brought the visitor in. When the Icarus team marks a lead as qualified, or a brace is ordered, that status is sent back to Google Ads. This shows which keywords lead to real patients and clinician partners, and lets Google bid toward those people instead of toward any form fill. Because sales can take weeks, these results build up over the first two to three months.
Two audiences, one program
Patients and clinicians search differently, so each gets its own campaign, keywords and ads. Both share one landing page, which keeps the messaging specific without creating two projects to maintain.
Patients
Adults with knee pain from arthritis, meniscus tears, kneecap pain or instability, and people recovering from knee surgery. They want to know whether a brace will help, what it costs, and whether insurance covers it.
- best knee brace for bone on bone
- knee brace for torn meniscus
- best brace for knee instability
Clinicians
Orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, orthotists and sports medicine providers. They want to know about patient outcomes, how ordering works, and how the brace is billed.
- medial unloader knee brace
- L1846 knee brace
- custom unloader brace
Getting the targeting level right
The middle ground between too generic and too specific is condition-level targeting.
Too broad
Mostly shoppers looking for a $30 sleeve. Used only in combination with a condition.
"knee brace"Condition level: where we bid
A specific need that an Icarus brace answers, with enough volume to run.
"knee brace for meniscus tear"Too narrow
Individual diagnosis terms have too little volume alone, so we group them by the brace they point to.
Single-diagnosis searchesRecommended Campaign types:
Search and Performance Max
The program runs entirely in Google Ads with two campaign types. Search is the primary campaign. Performance Max (PMax) adds reach across Google's other channels once Search has proven which messages convert.
Text ads shown on Google search results when someone searches for a knee brace or a condition.
Pros
- Reaches people at the moment they search for a knee brace or a condition
- Full control of keywords, negative keywords and ad copy for each audience
- Clear reporting on which searches lead to forms
- Works well with a small number of conversions
Cons
- Only reaches people who are already searching, which limits awareness
- Competitive terms can cost more per click
- Needs weekly management
One campaign that places ads across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps, using Icarus video, images and headlines.
Pros
- One campaign covers Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps
- Uses the explainer video and images, adding awareness beyond search results
- Google's automation finds the placements and audiences that convert
- Usually a lower cost per click
Cons
- Less control over where ads show and which searches trigger them
- Needs steady conversion data (about 30 a month) to optimize well
- Can take credit for brand searches unless brand terms are excluded
- Can bring in low-quality form fills if optimized to raw submissions
- Needs image, logo and video assets
Running both, or just one
Campaign plan
| Campaign | Audience | What it targets | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search: Knee Conditions | Patients | Condition and symptom searches, in ad groups for arthritis and bone-on-bone, meniscus tears, kneecap pain, instability, and post-surgery recovery | Main source of consultation requests |
| Search: Clinicians | Clinicians | Brace type, unloader and billing code searches, such as "custom unloader brace" and "L1846" | Clinician inquiries and new partners |
| Search: Brand | Both | Icarus brand and product names (Ascender, Adonis, Kronos) | Protects existing brand traffic at low cost |
| Performance Max: Patients Growth and Scale | Patients | Asset groups by theme (knee arthritis, active and sports injuries, after surgery), guided by the best-converting Search keywords and Google's predefined in-market audiences | Awareness across YouTube, Display and Discover, plus additional consultation requests |
Keyword approach
- Phrase and exact match on condition terms, grouped by the brace each condition points to: meniscus tears and one-sided arthritis toward Adonis, kneecap pain toward Ascender, post-surgery recovery toward Kronos.
- Negative keywords from day one to filter out cheap and off-target searches, such as sleeve, compression, Amazon, Walmart, CVS, kids and dog. The same list applies to Performance Max.
- Weekly search term reviews during the first 90 days, adding new negatives and moving searches that convert into their own ad groups.
Targeting rules and ad policy
- US only at launch. International markets can follow once the country pages and consent tools are live.
- Google treats medical devices for conditions such as arthritis as a sensitive health category. Remarketing lists and Customer Match can't be used for these ads, so we target by what people search for and by Google's predefined audiences, never by personal health profiles.
- Google reviews healthcare claims closely, so any ad claim about pain relief, results or insurance coverage needs Icarus's approval and supporting data.
Sample Ad messaging
Each ad opens with the reader's condition, gives one or two reasons to believe, and asks for a small next step (a consultation) rather than a purchase.
Custom fit from a phone scan
Engineers design each brace from a 3D scan of the patient's leg.
Takes weight off the knee
The unloading design reduces the load on damaged cartilage.
Insurance and Medicare
Commonly covered with a prescription. The Icarus FAQ states the average cost after insurance is under $200.
Made in the USA
With a 5-year warranty on the custom Ascender frame, hinge and tensioning system.
Ready for clinicians
Standard billing codes, ordering through existing suppliers, and Clinician Resources forms.
Sample ads
Custom-fit unloader brace designed from a phone scan. Book a consultation today.
Draft headlines and descriptions for Google's responsive search ads. Google rotates up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions per ad, so each ad group will have more than shown here.
Headline lengths: 28, 26, 26 of 30 characters. Description: 80 of 90.
Headlines up to 30 characters, descriptions up to 90. Final copy is subject to Icarus approval.
From ad click to consultation
Four steps take a person from a search to a consultation request.
The ads
Search ads answer people who are already looking. Performance Max carries the same messages, plus the explainer video and images, to Google's other channels.
Performance Max is part of the Growth and Scale levels and launches after about four weeks of Search data.
Patients
Condition ad groups (arthritis and bone-on-bone, meniscus tear, kneecap pain, instability, post-surgery), each with ads written for that condition and pointing to the matching brace.
Clinicians
Unloader, custom brace and billing code searches, with ads about ordering, billing and patient fit.
Brand
Icarus and product name searches, so people who remember Icarus find it first.
- Search
- YouTube
- Display
- Discover
- Gmail
- Maps
Knee arthritis
Explainer video, scan and fitting photos, insurance headlines.
Active and sports injuries
Meniscus and instability messaging, with photos of hiking, running and court sports.
After surgery
Kronos recovery photos and messaging.
The landing page
All ads point to one new page built for ad traffic, without the main site navigation, so visitors stay focused on the next step. Select a block in the wireframe to see what it holds.
2Explainer video and headline
A 60 to 90-second video with captions. The headline matches the audience: patient ads show a patient headline, clinician ads a clinician headline. On mobile the video comes first and the form stacks below.
For this initial page we recommend a new form built into the page rather than sending ad traffic to the Brace Finder quiz or the Contact Us page. The quiz can be linked from the page, or directly from an ad, once the post-quiz call to action is settled. Form entries go to Salesforce like the current site forms, and injury details aren't sent to Google.
Form conversion tracking
Every consultation request is tied to the ad click that produced it, from the first visit through to a qualified lead or a brace order.
Only the fact of a submission goes to Google, never the answers in the form.
ClickGoogle Ads
Google adds a click ID to the landing page address, and the page saves it in a hidden form field.
Form submittedGoogle Ads
Google Ads records one "Consultation request" conversion.
Lead createdSalesforce
The lead is created with its click ID, campaign and keyword.
Lead outcomeSalesforceGoogle Ads
When the Icarus team marks the lead as qualified, or a brace is ordered, the status is imported back into Google Ads.
OptimizationGoogle Ads
Bidding shifts toward the keywords and audiences that produce qualified consultations.
Re-engaging past visitors (RLSA)
Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA) let a Search campaign bid higher, or show a different ad, when someone who already visited the landing page searches again. For a considered purchase like a custom brace, most people don't request a consultation on their first visit, so this is normally a strong tactic.
Limited by Google's current policy
Medical devices used to manage conditions such as arthritis fall under Google's Health sensitive category, where remarketing lists are not supported. We can ask Google for a policy review, but the plan doesn't depend on RLSA.
Returning visitors are still reached through
- The brand Search campaign, which shows an Icarus ad first when someone comes back and searches the name.
- Performance Max, which shows the explainer video and images across YouTube and Display to people in Google's predefined in-market audiences.
- Fast follow-up from the Icarus team by phone and email once a form is submitted.
Budget options
Ad spend is paid directly to Google. Choose a level to see how the budget is split and what it is expected to produce each month.
- Search: patients$5,000
- Search: clinicians$800
- Search: brand$200
- Performance Max$4,000
Estimated each month
- Search clicks
- 1,090 to 1,710
- Performance Max clicks
- 1,140 to 2,670
- Consultation requests
- 50 to 183
Assumes $3.50 to $5.50 per Search click and $1.50 to $3.50 per Performance Max click (which includes cheaper YouTube and Display clicks), with 3% to 6% of Search visitors and 1.5% to 3% of Performance Max visitors requesting a consultation. All figures will be checked in Google Keyword Planner during setup.
Compare all three levels
| Item | Starter | Growth (recommended) | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly ad spend | $2,500 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Search: patients | $2,000 | $3,000 | $5,000 |
| Search: clinicians | $300 | $400 | $800 |
| Search: brand | $200 | $200 | $200 |
| Performance Max | Not included | $1,400 | $4,000 |
| Est. Search clicks per month | 450 to 710 | 650 to 1,030 | 1,090 to 1,710 |
| Est. Performance Max clicks per month | Not included | 400 to 930 | 1,140 to 2,670 |
| Est. consultation requests per month | 14 to 43 | 26 to 90 | 50 to 183 |
Investment
Bluehour Digital fees are separate from ad spend. Management starts with a 3-month minimum so campaigns have time to collect data.
Setup and launch
- Account structure, keyword research and all ad copy
- Performance Max asset groups
- GA4 and conversion tracking, and call tracking
- Salesforce lead-outcome import, working with Fred
- Design and build of the dedicated landing page, with the form connected to Salesforce, audience-specific headlines and page speed optimization
- Landing page video script and direction for Icarus to record with
Monthly management
- Ongoing optimization
- Weekly search term reviews
- Ad and asset testing
- Monthly report and review call
Explainer video production is not included and can be quoted separately if needed.
Timeline
Realistically, the campaign would go live in early November.
Launching into the holiday season. Early November is the start of the holiday season, which can drive Google Ads costs per click up by 30% to 50%. Many people also start to tune out ads as promotions pile up, so generic ads are easy to ignore. This matters for how the ads are written and for how far the budget goes during this period.
- Weeks 1 to 2
Tracking, account build, keyword research, ad copy and Performance Max assets for approval, and landing page build.
- Week 3
Landing page live and Search campaigns launched.
- Weeks 7 to 8
Performance Max launched (Growth and Scale), after about four weeks of Search conversion data.
- Months 2 to 3
Weekly optimization, Salesforce outcome import live, and a budget review at day 90.
What we need from Icarus
- The explainer video, or a decision on producing one, plus logos, product photos and lifestyle photos for Performance Max.
- Approval of claims used in ads: insurance and Medicare wording, the under-$200 average cost after insurance, whether consultations are free, and any results statistics.
- Admin access to Google Ads (or approval to create an account), GA4 and Salesforce.
- Who follows up on patient and clinician requests, and how quickly, so we can schedule ads around when the team can respond.
- A budget level and start date.
To discuss: a dedicated phone number. A phone number used only on the ad landing page would make call conversions easier to track. Some people will still come back directly and won't be tracked, but it makes conversion reporting more accurate.
Next steps
- Choose a budget level.
- Approve the setup and landing page scope.
- Campaigns launch about three weeks later.