Latest / The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers / Google’s New AI Mode Is Here: What It Means for SEO | Ep. 116

Transcript

Google’s New AI Mode Is Here: What It Means for SEO | Ep. 116 · The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, darci Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design, where we help clinic owners just like you grow your visibility and book more patients online.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Today we're diving into something brand new that's shaking up how people use Google and how it could directly affect your SEO and local SEO efforts.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Google has started rolling out a new feature called AI Mode, and, while it might sound futuristic, it's already live for many users and is only going to become more prominent users and is only going to become more prominent.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: So let's break down what AI mode is, how it works and what it means for your clinic's visibility in Google search results.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: First off, let's clear the air here Google AI mode is not the same as AI overviews, although they are connected.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Now, if you're going, what the heck is any of this you're really talking about, darcy?
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Don't worry.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Be sure to visit the website page that we have associated with this episode, where you can gain links to where Google goes into much more detail about both Google AI mode and AI overviews, along with a ton of other resources.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: But back to today's topic.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: So AI overviews are those summaries you've probably seen at the top of search results, where Google provides a quick, ai-generated answer to your question.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Ai Mode is a new interactive experience that users can toggle on.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: It was announced at Google IO 2025 in late May of 2025 and is powered by Google's Gemini 2.5 model.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: So what's different about it?
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Well, ai mode lets users have full conversations with Google search, like chatting with an assistant, kind of like chat GPT.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Instead of just typing in a keyword and scrolling through a list of links, users can ask full, complex questions two to three times longer than what they used to get summarized answers, ask follow-up questions and keep the interaction going.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: So, again, it's kind of a little like ChatGPT, but it's baked into your search engine GPT, but it's baked into your search engine.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: Now here's the big deal for you as a clinic owner.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: When someone searches for something like chiropractor near me who treats sports injuries and is open on weekends, ai mode might skip the traditional search results and give them an accurate, summarized response with a few top recommendations.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: If your business isn't part of that short list, you're invisible in that search journey.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: This is a shift.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Historically, local businesses like yours relied on things like the google three pack, the google map three pack, that you're used to seeing, a strong local seo presence and your website content to rank well.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: While all of that is absolutely still important, dependent on how people are searching, ai mode takes a different direction in favor of AI-generated summaries pulled from sources like your Google Business Profile, listing, reviews, directories like Healthgrades or Yelp and, of course, your website content.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: If your website content is outdated, vague or missing entirely, you might not make the cut.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Even more importantly, the user might never click through to your website or your profile listing at all.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: They'll get what they need from AI's answers and move on.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: So now the question becomes how do you stay visible in a world where your potential patients might not actually make it to your website or your online listing?
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Well, let's walk through an example.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Let's say a prospective patient opens Google and types or uses voice search to ask who's the best chiropractor near me for sports injuries that's open on Saturdays.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: In the past, traditionally in Google, what they would see is an adder to the local pack and then organic results.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: But now they have this option.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: So we're not saying that we're ruling out traditional search at all, but we are saying that they now also have this option to click the AI mode, which then might display things differently.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Here you would see three chiropractors near you that specialize in sports injuries, that are open on Saturdays.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Let's say it's XYZ, chiropractic, wellness Plus and Peak Performance Clinic.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: These results are based on, again, those Google reviews, business hours and services listed on their profiles.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: No scrolling, no clicking, just the accurate, current information.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Now imagine your clinic doesn't show up in that response, even though you're open on Saturdays and you treat sports injuries.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Why?
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Well, it's because your Google business profile listing or your website doesn't clearly identify and connect the dots that allow Google to show you.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: As a result, and that's a risk, but it's also an opportunity if you take the right actions.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: So what are the right actions you should be taking?
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: Listen, we talk a lot about SEO on this podcast and we have tons of resources on our website, propelyourcompanycom.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Best SEO strategies that we teach are the same that we've been teaching for a long time.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Things get tweaked a little bit because technology is changing and this isn't anything new.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: We saw this when we saw the rise of voice SEO.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: You know, I always give the example back in the day.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: You know, I always give the example back in the day.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: It used to be that if you were going to search online, you would search very short keyword phrases, something like CEO of Facebook, if you were trying to figure out who the CEO of Facebook is, whereas now you would ask a complete question like who is the CEO of Facebook?
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: This change came about when voice search started to grow and now, with AI growing, we're continuing to see this.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: So what does it mean?
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Growing, we're continuing to see this.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: So what does it mean?
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Well, it means you need to give an extra layer to your SEO so that you're able to rank in AI searches and so that Google understands.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: All this really truly is doing is making sure that Google truly understands your offering and your business model.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: That's all we're doing is making it very crystal clear who you serve, how you help them, what you do when you do it and the case of open on Saturdays or not.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: So what do we want to do to make sure that you show up in AI mode?
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Well, right now, here are the top things that I would focus on.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: If I were you, I would double down on your Google business profile listing.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: We have tons of resources on the website when it comes to how to optimize your Google business profile listing.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Again, we'll include those in the show notes on the website episode page associated with this video.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: But this is critical.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: You want to make sure that your profile is completely filled out, that it has accurate information for your business, including your business hours and weekends if applicable.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: That your services are listed there, that you have actually physically added the services under the services section, along with descriptions, and that you're answering common patient questions in the Q&A section.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: That you're using keywords, naturally, that you're not trying to shove them in there, but you are including them.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Ai mode pulls a lot of its local data from your profile, so make sure it reflects the best of what you offer.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Next, you want to focus on natural, helpful content.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Again, this is not keyword stuffing.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Instead, we're creating quality content.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: You're not just going to chat GPT and saying, hey, chat GPT, write me tons of content around this specific topic.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: No, you're creating valuable content.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: You're answering real patients' questions.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: You're adding blog posts to your website.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: You've got really built out specific services pages.
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: Maybe even you have an FAQ section on your website.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: You've got really built out specific services pages.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Maybe even you have an FAQ section on your website and we'll include a link that we did to a podcast episode.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: I recorded a couple of weeks ago about FAQs Also, that you're using a conversational tone and you're speaking the way people would search Think what causes sciatica, or can chiropractic care help with runner's knees?
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: And answer those questions on your site clearly Not those specific questions, but questions that pertain to questions your target audience is searching for.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: You also want to strengthen your local signals, so you want to make sure that your name, address and phone number, also known as NAP, are consistent throughout the web.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: So check local directories like Yelp, healthgrades, chamber of Commerce sites all of those core listings, to make sure that your information is listed accurately.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Encourage reviews.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Another thing is to just simply stay informed.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: So I would say, if there was one task that I would suggest that you do later this week is, take five minutes out of your day and go to Google.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Do a couple of searches that you feel like you should show up for.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Do them in your traditional search and then do them in AI mode.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: See how it displays information differently.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: If you're a chiropractor, maybe you type in chiropractor near me in both of them, or best chiropractor near me, or best sports injury chiropractor near me.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Pick more than one search phrase.
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: Sometimes I think people get hung up on just wanting to rank for one keyword phrase, and it's important that you search for more than one keyword phrase because people are using more than one keyword phrase.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: And it's important that you search for more than one keyword phrase because people are using more than one keyword phrase to find you, to find your competition, to search online.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: So make sure you give a couple minutes of your next week to just play around with this and see how it shows information.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Ai mode is changing how people use Google and for clinic owners, this means visibility will depend more on than just ranking for a number one keyword and showing up in that local map pack section.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: It's about providing clear, helpful, specific content, making sure Google can easily understand and trust the information you're providing, being proactive instead of being reactive.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: This shift might seem a little bit intimidating, but it's a huge opportunity, especially for those of you already investing in SEO and content marketing.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: And if you're not sure where to start, please visit propelyourcompanycom and book a discovery call.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: We would love to help you out.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: That's it for today's episode.