Quick answer: Before hiring a behavioral health marketing agency, ask how much of their work is in behavioral health, whether you’ll own your website and ad accounts, how they handle LegitScript and HIPAA, how they measure admissions rather than clicks, and what the contract terms are. Walk away from guaranteed rankings, pay-per-admission pricing, call aggregation or any arrangement that looks like paying for referrals.
How we put this guide together
MGMT Digital is a marketing agency that works exclusively with behavioral healthcare providers. We’d want any treatment center to ask us these questions, and to walk away from any agency, including us, that can’t answer them well. This guide draws on Google’s advertising policies and federal law on referral payments.
The questions at a glance
| Question | Why it matters |
| How much of your work is in behavioral health? | Regulations and patient journeys are unique |
| Who owns the website, domain and ad accounts? | You should never lose your assets if you leave |
| How do you handle LegitScript and ad policies? | Required for addiction treatment ads |
| How do you handle HIPAA and tracking? | Privacy risk and legal exposure |
| How do you measure success? | Admissions matter more than clicks |
| Who will work on our account? | Senior strategy vs. junior execution |
| What are the contract terms? | Avoid long lock-ins |
1. How much of your work is in behavioral health?
Addiction and mental health marketing involves specialized advertising rules, privacy concerns and sensitive patient journeys. Ask what share of the agency’s clients are in behavioral health, and for case studies with measurable results.
“Trust is the only thing we really sell. We have to earn it from a provider before we can help them earn it from the families searching for care. Everything else is execution.” — Zach Gross, CEO
2. Who owns our website, domain and ad accounts?
You should own your domain, website, Google Ads and analytics accounts, and call tracking numbers. Agencies that keep ownership can make it painful to leave.
3. How do you handle LegitScript and Google Ads policies?
In the United States, Google requires addiction treatment advertisers to be certified by LegitScript before advertising through Google Ads. An experienced agency should know the process, and the policy limits, well.
4. How do you handle HIPAA and tracking technology?
Ask how the agency configures analytics, pixels, call tracking and forms, whether vendors sign business associate agreements where appropriate, and how they protect patient information.
5. How do you measure success?
Traffic and rankings are means, not ends. Ask how the agency tracks calls, verification-of-benefits requests and, ultimately, admissions. At MGMT Digital, for example, Google Ads work for Victory Recovery Partners is reported in admissions, averaging 17 a month from Google Ads.
6. Who will actually work on our account?
Ask who your day-to-day contacts are, their experience, and how often you’ll meet. Senior strategy shouldn’t disappear after the sales call.
7. What are the contract terms?
Ask about contract length, cancellation terms, and what happens to your assets if you leave. Long lock-ins without performance accountability are a warning sign.
8. Red flag: pay-per-admission or referral arrangements
Paying for referrals of patients to treatment can violate federal and state law. The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 criminalizes certain payments for referrals to recovery homes and clinical treatment facilities. Be wary of agencies that charge per admission or sell leads they also sell to competitors.
9. Red flag: guarantees
No agency can guarantee rankings, AI citations or admissions. Promises like “page one in 30 days” usually mean shortcuts that can backfire.
“If an agency tells you $3,000 will get you 16 admissions, ask them to show you the math. We’d rather share real cost-per-admission ranges and lose the deal than set expectations we can’t meet.” — Jake Gorman, COO
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FAQ
What should I look for in a behavioral health marketing agency?
Look for deep behavioral health experience, transparent reporting tied to admissions, knowledge of LegitScript and HIPAA, client ownership of all assets, and fair contract terms.
Do addiction treatment centers need LegitScript certification?
To advertise addiction treatment services on Google Ads in the U.S., providers must be certified by LegitScript and then by Google.
Is pay-per-admission marketing legal?
It can create serious legal risk. Federal law, including the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and many state laws prohibit certain payments for patient referrals. Consult a healthcare attorney.
Should I own my Google Ads account?
Yes. Your organization should own its ad, analytics and tracking accounts, with agency access granted as needed.
Can an agency guarantee admissions?
No reputable agency can guarantee admissions or rankings. Be cautious of anyone who does.