NDIS Google Ads keywords: what to target and what to block

Build keywords around supports and places

Start with the supports you have capacity for and the areas you cover. Searches that combine a support with a place or with NDIS, such as an NDIS occupational therapist in a named suburb, or mobile physio NDIS, usually show stronger intent than broad terms like NDIS provider or disability services on their own.

Group keywords by support type so each ad group has ads and a landing page about that support. If you offer supports to children and adults, consider separate groups, since families and adults often search differently.

Support coordinators and plan managers search too, often with more specific terms, such as a support type with the area and current availability. Make sure your landing pages answer their questions as well as participants' questions: capacity, areas covered, funding arrangements you accept and how to make a referral.

• One ad group per support type.
• Support plus suburb, region or NDIS.
• Only supports you currently have capacity for.

Use match types with care

Google says broad match is the default match type and can show ads on searches related to your keyword, including ones that do not contain its exact words, and that it should be used with Smart Bidding. That can work once tracking is reliable, but in NDIS accounts it can also pull in many admin and information searches. Phrase and exact match give more control while you learn which searches bring enquiries.

Block admin, job and study searches

Negative keywords stop ads showing on searches you do not want. In NDIS accounts the usual candidates are searches about logging in or using the portal, myGov, contacting the agency, payments and claims, provider registration, worker screening checks, jobs and careers, courses and training, and free resources. Review each one against your own search terms before adding it, since some words can appear in genuine searches too.

Google notes that negative keywords do not automatically cover close variants, so add plurals and common alternatives. An account-level negative list is a simple way to keep the core exclusions across every search campaign.

• Portal, login, myGov and payment searches.
• Jobs, careers, courses and worker screening.
• Provider registration and pricing research.

Read the search terms report every week

The search terms report shows the actual searches that triggered your ads. In the first months, read it weekly and sort searches into three groups: good searches to add as keywords, searches to block and unclear searches to watch. Google omits some low-volume searches for privacy, so the report will not show everything, but it shows enough to find most wasted spend.

Look at searches that brought calls and forms too, not just the poor ones. They often reveal how participants and coordinators describe a support, which helps with ad text and landing pages.

Keep a simple record of what you blocked and when. If enquiries drop after a round of changes, you can see what changed and undo it, rather than guessing. This also helps anyone else who works on the account understand why each negative is there.

Stay inside Google's health ad rules

Google's personalised advertising policy restricts targeting people based on health, so remarketing lists built from health information and uploads of participant lists are not allowed. Google also has a healthcare and medicines advertising policy that can limit some health-related ads, so check ad and keyword status after changes.

If your team includes Ahpra-registered practitioners, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists or psychologists, Ahpra's advertising guidelines also apply to your ad text: no testimonials, no promised outcomes and clear terms on any offer.

Write ad text in the same plain, respectful language you would use on the phone. Say which supports you offer, the areas you cover and whether you have current capacity, and send each ad to a page about that support rather than the homepage.

Measure enquiries, then tune keywords

Keyword decisions are only as good as your tracking. Count calls from ads with a minimum call length and completed enquiry or referral forms, not taps on a phone number. In one allied health account Seam Media audited, taps made up 97% of the reported conversions, so the ads were optimising for the wrong result.

Once tracking is right, compare cost per enquiry by ad group and move budget to the supports and areas that bring participants you can help. Seam Media's allied health page explains how we run Google Ads for NDIS and allied health providers, including our enquiry guarantee for new Google Ads clients, with the full terms on that page.