Latest / The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers / Are You Getting Patients from AI-Powered Searches? Your Competition Is | Ep. 126

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Are You Getting Patients from AI-Powered Searches? Your Competition Is | Ep. 126 · The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Imagine this A potential patient is looking for help with their back pain.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: They open chat, gpt or another AI tool and type find me, the best chiropractor near me who specializes in sports injuries.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: The AI lists a few options and your clinic isn't on the list that patient.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: They're gone and they're booking with your competitor instead.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Ai-driven searches aren't the future.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: They're here now and if you're not showing up in them, you're already losing patience without even realizing it.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Clinic Marketing Podcast, where we share practical, no-nonsense marketing strategies to help your clinic attract the right patients without wasting time or money.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, darci Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Today we're diving into a game-changer AI-powered search.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: It's reshaping how patients find healthcare providers like you.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: If you're still banking solely on Google search or Google Maps, you're missing a massive opportunity.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Patients are turning to AI for recommendations and if you're not in those results, you're invisible to them.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Let's fix that.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Here's the thing.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Ai is changing how people discover local businesses, including clinics.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Traditionally, we thought about search in two main buckets Google search, where someone types in chiropractor near me and clicks through to a website.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Google maps, where they're looking for directions, reviews and contact info.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: But now we have a third player in the game AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, perplexity, grok, gemini, bing, copilot and even AI Results inside Google itself.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: These tools don't just show a list of websites.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: They summarize answers, recommend providers and often pull in information from Google Maps, online reviews and your website, all without the searcher ever clicking through to your site.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: That means your visibility in AI recommendations isn't nice to have anymore.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: It's essential.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Here's how it's playing out in real life.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Let's say someone is dealing with recurring headaches.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: They might start with a simple Google search why do I keep getting headaches?
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: That might lead them to a few blog posts, maybe a YouTube video, but then they hop into an AI tool and ask find a highly rated chiropractor near me who specializes in headache relief.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: That AI tool uses Google business profile data, reviews from Google and other sites, information from your website, especially if it's well optimized other online mentions of your clinic.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: From there it gives them three to five names.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: If yours isn't on that list, you've been filtered out before the patient even knew you existed.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: And here's the kicker this process often happens before they ever book.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Patients are using a mix of searches Google search, google Maps, ai queries, review, site lookups.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: By the time they call.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: They've already been influenced by AI recommendations, whether you've been in those results or not.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Let's be blunt you can't compete in a game you're not even playing.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: If your clinic isn't showing up in AI search results, you're losing visibility to competitors who've optimized for it.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: You're missing out on patients who never make it to traditional search results.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Your online presence can start to look outdated compared to more AI-optimized competitors.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: And here's the thing AI search is pulling heavily from the same signals that improve your rankings in Google Search and Google Maps.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: So if you're ignoring those, you're falling behind in both worlds at the same time.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: So how do you make sure AI tools recommend you instead of your competitors?
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Here are five steps you can take right now.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Supercharge your Google business profile.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Keep your name, address, phone number and hours 100% accurate and consistent.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Write a keyword-rich description that highlights your specialties, for example, sports injury, chiropractic care.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Add high-quality photos of your clinic team and services.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Encourage and respond to patient reviews to build trust and authority.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Make your website AI-friendly.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: Use clear, conversational content that answers patient questions.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: For example, how can chiropractic care help migraines?
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: Create dedicated service pages for each specialty, optimized with local keywords.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Ensure your site is mobile friendly and loads quickly.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Ai tools prioritize user experience.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Leverage content to show expertise.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: Write blog posts or frequently asked questions addressing common patient concerns, for example, top causes of back pain.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Create short videos explaining your services or patient success stories.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Post on social media to boost your online presence.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: Ai tools scan these too.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Ensure consistency across the web.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Check that your clinic's info is identical on Yelp, healthgrades and other directories.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Monitor and adapt Regularly.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Check your Google Analytics to see how patients find you.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Experiment with new content based on trending patient questions in your area.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: Pro tip AI loves fresh, relevant content.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: The more you show up as an authority, the more likely AI tools will recommend you.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Here's the bottom line.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Ai isn't replacing traditional search yet, but it's becoming part of the patient journey.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Whether you realize it or not, the clinics that act now will be the ones that dominate those AI recommendations in the months and years to come.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: That's it for today.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a quick review to help other clinic owners discover the show.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep optimizing and stay ahead of the competition.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Your next patient is already searching.