How Doctors Can Use AI and SEO to Win in AI Search Results

Large language models(LLMs) are now being used as assistants, therapists, and, increasingly, informal healthcare advisors.

Studies show younger adults are especially likely to consult AI chatbots for medical advice, sometimes even trusting their answers more than what they find on Google. While these tools are powerful, their advice isn’t always accurate or safe—which is why the visibility of real, trustworthy medical sources has never been more important.

Learning how to get AI to recommend your clinic is no longer just about growing your business—it’s a public health responsibility. When your clinic shows up in AI-generated answers, you help ensure people get guidance backed by real expertise. 

How can doctors use AI for healthcare lead generation and seo? How could doctors use AI to grow their practice and share valuable information? Stay with us to learn.

How Do AI Tools Recommend Doctors?

Let’s use ChatGPT for doctors to find specialists in Birmingham.

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As we can see, it pulls information directly from clinic websites and public listings.

Now let’s see what Google’s AI Overviews recommends:

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Here we have even less options, the LLM just picked the top rated doctor from Top Doctors UK, and even provided a link to the clinic associated with the dermatologist. If  we scroll a little bit, we can find other recommendations - mainly top rated professionals from the previous listing and Doctify. It also suggests various articles that list the most trusted professionals. 

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This supports what we already know about how AI

 gathers information—it favors reputation, trusted sources, and public feedback.
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Read our article about healthcare online reputation management to learn more.

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When someone uses ChatGPT for healthcare and asks, “Where can I find a good dermatologist in Chicago?” or “What’s the best way to treat chronic migraines?”, the answer they receive isn’t pulled from a traditional list of ranked websites, how it works in case of SEO for doctors. Instead, the AI generates a response by processing massive volumes of content, looking for information that is clear, current, and credible.

AI doesn’t “rank” results the way Google does. It builds responses based on patterns, context, and how well a piece of information fits the question. This shift is important for clinics: even a well-designed website may be left out if the content isn’t structured in a way AI understands—or if the clinic lacks digital trust signals.

What AI Actually Looks For

AI tools evaluate content by how trustworthy and helpful it seems, not just by its keywords. Behind the scenes, the models break down text into small units (called tokens) and weigh them based on how naturally they fit together. They also check whether the information is supported by high-quality external sources and matches language that has been repeated and verified in reputable places.

If your clinic's content is vague, poorly structured, or not mentioned elsewhere online, it’s likely to be skipped entirely—regardless of how high it ranks on Google.

Building Trust: The Role of EEAT

In health-related queries, trust is everything. AI systems are trained to prioritize content that meets EEAT standards:

• Expertise: Is the content written or reviewed by a medical professional?
  
  
• Experience: Does the author or brand demonstrate real-world involvement in healthcare?
  
  
• Authoritativeness: Is the website recognized in its field (e.g., linked to by other medical organizations)?
  
  
• Trustworthiness: Are the details accurate, up to date, and consistent across the web?
  
  

These principles—originally developed by Google for ranking health and finance content—are now equally vital in the age of AI-generated answers.

Publishing articles written or reviewed by licensed professionals, citing clinical sources, displaying credentials, and maintaining a consistent presence across verified platforms (like Healthgrades, WebMD, or government registries) all strengthen your clinic’s EEAT profile—and improve the odds of being recommended by AI.

The Four-Layer Trust Framework: Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned

To understand how AI forms an opinion of your clinic, we can adapt the PESO model from public relations. It breaks down your digital presence into four key areas:

• Paid: Sponsored ads or native content
  
  
• Earned: Third-party coverage like press articles or awards
  
  
• Shared: Social media mentions, shares, or endorsements
  
  
• Owned: Your website, blog posts, service pages, and structured data
  
  

According to a recent study by SE Ranking (2024), AI tools such as Google's AI Overviews rely most on earned and owned content—meaning articles written about your clinic in trusted publications and well-structured content on your own website. Shared and paid media (like social media posts or ads) have minimal influence, especially for sensitive topics like healthcare.

What Trusted Mentions Look Like in Practice

Let’s say your clinic is included in a U.S. News list of top pediatricians, or quoted in a New York Times piece on seasonal allergies. If those articles are referenced by Wikipedia, linked to from health forums like Reddit, or cited in Google’s top results—AI will likely prioritize your clinic as a credible recommendation.

Focus on being seen in the right places, not just on driving backlinks. Public relations and content quality now matter just as much—if not more—than traditional SEO tactics.

Step-by-Step Plan for Healthcare AI Optimisation

To make sure AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Gemini recommend your clinic, you need to shift from traditional SEO to a broader strategy: Healthcare AI Optimisation. This means structuring your online presence in a way that not only ranks in search engines but also feeds into AI models as a reliable, authoritative medical source.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

1. Strengthen Your Website’s Structure and Medical Credibility

AI models prioritize content that is clear, well-organized, and trustworthy.

What to do:

• Use a clear heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3) across every page and article.
  
  
• Create service pages that answer common patient queries like “When should I see a neurologist?” or “How is eczema treated?”
  
  
• Include author bios that display medical credentials (e.g., MD, DO, licensed therapist).
  
  
• Add structured data using schema.org tags (MedicalClinic, Physician, FAQ, etc.).
  
  
• List the date of last review/update and who reviewed the content.
  
  

2. Align All Content with EEAT Principles

AI systems—and Google—use EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) to determine if health content is safe to recommend.

What to do:

• Attribute every blog or service article to a real clinician, and include a short bio.
  
  
• Display relevant certifications, memberships (e.g., AMA, AAD, ADA), and affiliations on your site.
  
  
• Keep information accurate, up to date, and supported by reputable sources (Mayo Clinic, NIH, WHO, etc.).
  
  
• Create a dedicated “About Us” page that highlights your clinical leadership and years of experience.
  
  

3. Create and Organize Topic Clusters Around Key Services

AI understands content better when it’s grouped by subject.

What to do:

• Develop content “hubs” around each area of care.
  

For example:

Parent page: Pediatric Care Services
Supporting articles: Vaccination Schedule by Age, When to Call a Pediatrician, Common Allergies in Children

• Link these pages together to help AI connect related content.
  
  
• Use internal links to guide users (and crawlers) through your expertise areas.
  

4. Get Featured in Trusted Medical and Local Sources

AI favors clinics mentioned in high-authority sources like health publications, news outlets, and institutional databases.

What to do:

• Pitch your physicians for expert quotes in health articles via services like HARO or Qwoted.
  
  
• Reach out to journalists covering local health topics and offer your clinic as a trusted source.
  
  
• Apply for “Best Doctor” or “Top Clinic” listings in credible directories like U.S. News & World Report, WebMD, or Healthgrades.
  
  
• Write guest posts on respected platforms like Psychology Today, MedCity News, or regional medical association blogs.
  
  

5. Build a Library of Helpful, Human-Centered Content

AI favors content that helps users solve specific problems.

What to do:

• Write blog posts that directly answer common patient questions.
  

• Add FAQ sections to all major service pages.
  
  
• Use plain, empathetic language—AI picks up on tone and clarity.
  
  
• Include images with descriptive alt text that explain what’s being shown (e.g., “Doctor examining patient with a skin rash under clinical light”).
  
  

6. Monitor How AI Tools Treat Your Content

There’s no standard dashboard for AI visibility (yet), but there are ways to track how you’re doing.

What to do:

• Use tools like SE Ranking, Ahrefs, or SurferSEO to track whether your pages appear in Google AI Overviews.
  
  
• Perform manual searches on ChatGPT or Perplexity using prompts like:
  
  
  • “What’s the best dermatology clinic in [city]?”
    
    
  • “What treatments are available for adult ADHD?”
    
• Compare the tone and structure of the answers to your own content—and adjust accordingly.

7. Keep Your Reputation Consistent Across the Web

AI systems cross-check your identity and credibility using multiple sources.

What to do:

• Make sure your clinic’s information (name, address, services, phone number) is consistent across Google Business, Yelp, Healthgrades, Zocdoc, and insurer directories.
  
  
• Encourage patients to leave honest, detailed reviews—especially on Google and health-focused platforms.
  
  
• Respond to reviews professionally, even the critical ones.
  
  
• Highlight awards, certifications, and partnerships visibly on your homepage and service pages.
  

8. Publish Regularly and Keep It Fresh

AI prefers content that is current and actively maintained.

What to do:

• Add the current year in titles (e.g., “Treatment Options for Chronic Back Pain in 2025”).
  
  
• Set a calendar to review and refresh outdated pages every 6–12 months.
  
  
• Publish at least 1–2 new articles per month to keep your site active and growing.
  

Start Now: Getting Your Clinic Ready for AI Search

We may not have all the metrics yet to perfectly track AI visibility, but the direction is already clear. AI tools are quickly becoming a go-to source for health information, and clinics that adapt now will have a major advantage. By applying the steps we've covered, you're building the foundation for AI systems and potential patients to find and trust your clinic.

At Promodo, we’re already helping healthcare providers show up in AI results like ChatGPT responses and Google’s AI Overviews. If you want your clinic to stand out in this new digital landscape, we’re here to help. Let’s make sure you’re not just online, but the clinic AI recommends first.

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