Navigating the Next Wave: AI-Assisted Search in Healthcare Marketing

The healthcare industry has a significant opportunity to get ahead of the next major shift in how patients and consumers find health-related information online. Google's AI Overviews (formerly SGE) technology is just one example of a broader shift to AI-assisted search that aims to provide more comprehensive answers directly in search results by synthesizing and generating relevant content from across the web. 

Let's delve into some FAQs that healthcare marketers should consider in light of this search disruption and its implications for their strategies and campaigns.

Q: How is AI disrupting organic search? 

A: For healthcare search ranging from conditions and treatments (what is acne?) to provider research (dermatologist near me), AI-assisted search could instantly surface richly detailed responses, stitched together from sources across the web, without users having to click through to different sites. This could profoundly impact how healthcare organizations' websites and content get discovered.

With comprehensive answers being "pre-bundled" on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), AI search may reduce website click throughs from healthcare-related searches, with initial research suggesting a 25-75% reduction in click-through. This could disrupt lead generation, appointment booking, and revenue models. For searches that do result in a click-through, it’s likely that visitors will arrive further down the conversion funnel and closer to a transaction, because on-SERP (zero-click) queries may have already resolved “top of the funnel” needs.

Advancements in artificial intelligence are not only evolving traditional website search engines like Google, but enabling more accessible, multimodal web experiences by improving voice assistants and audio search, and by improving image and video search. This evolution, driven by AI technologies like natural language processing and computer vision, creates both challenges and opportunities that healthcare organizations must proactively address.  

This disruption creates an imperative for healthcare organizations to adapt their content strategies, website experiences, and digital health initiatives to ensure continued visibility and patient engagement on a zero-click web.  

Q: This does sound like a seismic shift. What’s the good news? 

A: While AI-assisted search will disrupt traditional marketing reach and discovery patterns, it opens new avenues in accessibility and equity. AI disruption opens doors for enhancing accessible healthcare experiences through multimodal interfaces, visual search capabilities, and true conversational search.

For patients with diverse physical abilities, technical proficiencies or more pressing medical needs, voice interactions enable critical information access without typing constraints. Virtual assistants and voice can simplify and democratize complex healthcare self-service experiences.

Early movers that prioritize equitable, multi-modal healthcare content and services will be positioned for long-term success in an AI-driven future poised to reduce accessibility barriers.

Q: How might AI impact website traffic and marketing revenue?

A: The introduction of AI Overviews represents a shift towards more comprehensive answers directly in search results, potentially reducing the need for users to click through to healthcare organizations' websites. This could lead to significant declines in website traffic, directly affecting lead generation, appointment bookings, and revenue streams that are reliant on site visits.

Consequently, healthcare marketers may need to invest in paid search channels to make up for the reduction in visits from organic search, stretching already tight budgets. In addition, marketers may find themselves making greater investments in their first party data strategy, to better understand and retain existing patients. 

Q: How can healthcare organizations prepare to maintain visibility in the era of AI-assisted search?

A: Healthcare marketers should focus on developing comprehensive healthcare content hubs that compile comprehensive, multimedia information on various health topics. These hubs should be built using detailed audience research and strategic content models to ensure the information responds to visitor intent through the care lifecycle, while also meeting search engine standards for quality and completeness, increasing the chances of that content being sourced by the AI.

Q: What role does structured data play in adapting to AI search for healthcare marketers?

A: Using structured data and semantic markup is crucial for helping modern search crawlers understand the context and relationships within the content. By applying schema.org vocabulary and appropriate types like “MedicalCondition” or “Hospital,” healthcare organizations can enhance their visibility in rich snippets, making their content more likely to be featured prominently in AI results. Applying appropriate schema types will ensure clinical data, facility details, practitioner bios, and other content gets accurately codified for ingestion into search results.

Q: How important is local SEO and maintaining Google Business Profiles for healthcare organizations in this new era?

A: With voice searches like "doctors near me" on the rise, it is vital for healthcare organizations to ensure that their Google Business Profiles are content-rich, accurate, and optimized. This enhances visibility in local search results and is particularly crucial as AI Overviews begins to integrate more deeply with local search data.

Q: What strategies should healthcare marketers consider for offsetting potential losses from reduced website visits?

A: Healthcare organizations might need to explore new revenue models and diversify their patient engagement strategies. This could include testing on-SERP advertising, monetizing virtual care, and creating subscription content services. Additionally, investing in CRM systems, Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and feedback mechanisms can help maintain direct patient relationships if traditional website-based interactions decline. The focus for healthcare marketers may be increasing share of wallet rather than engaging net-new patients. 

Q: How should healthcare organizations approach video and image content in their marketing strategies?

A: AI models can comprehensively analyze images, graphics, videos, and documents - identifying objects, inferring context, detecting text, and generating descriptions.

For users with visual impairments or disabilities, this automated captioning and image analysis bridges accessibility gaps when consuming healthcare content online. AI-generated alternative text, transcripts, and structured data allows graphics, videos, and other non-text elements to be interpreted seamlessly alongside written educational resources.

Happily, the best practices that ensure that your video and images are accessible also prepare it to be used in this new era of search: closed captions, subtitles, and transcripts to name just a few. 

Q: How should healthcare organizations approach voice search and conversational AI in their marketing strategies?

A:  AI voice assistants and natural language interfaces also unlock more equitable content discovery by allowing users to search with natural, conversational queries using their voice. AI could engage in back-and-forth dialogs, asking clarifying questions to better understand a user's intent before surfacing relevant condition information, local providers, appointment booking details, and other care-focused healthcare data.

For patients with diverse physical abilities, technical proficiencies, or more pressing medical needs, voice interactions enable critical information access without typing constraints. Virtual assistants and voice can simplify and democratize complex healthcare self-service experiences.

As voice and conversational AI technologies evolve, healthcare marketers must focus on optimizing for these platforms. This includes developing conversational FAQs, tailoring voice apps, and mapping out common patient queries. These well-established best practices for audio align with AI-driven mechanisms for delivering healthcare information, ensuring that relevant data is accessible.

Q: Why is it essential for healthcare organizations to continue focusing on technical SEO?

A: Despite the shift towards content-rich answers directly in search results, foundational technical SEO aspects like website performance, security, and accessibility remain crucial. AI-search favors websites that provide secure, user-friendly experiences across devices, so maintaining high standards in these areas is essential for staying competitive in the AI-driven search landscape.

Future-Proofing Healthcare Marketing

In the face of AI-assisted search's transformative potential, adaptable healthcare organizations stand to maintain a competitive edge. By cultivating multimedia content hubs enriched with structured data and optimizing for local search and voice interfaces, marketers can ensure visibility and relevance in evolving search landscapes. Augmenting these efforts with audience intelligence and technical excellence can future-proof healthcare marketing for the era of AI search.

This shift towards AI aligns with healthcare's mission of connecting people to credible information for informed decisions and better outcomes. To explore further insights and actionable strategies for navigating this landscape, I invite you to download Search Disruption: A Healthcare Marketer's Playbook. 

Together, let's advance towards a future where healthcare remains accessible, informative, and impactful for all.