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Hey again — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Last week, we explored Google Ads vs. Bing Ads for health & medical practices.

This week, I'm diving into something that could reshape how patients find you: Google's AI Mode—an experimental search feature powered by Gemini that's now available to all U.S. users (though you have to manually turn it on).

This isn't just another tech update—it's the biggest shift in patient discovery since Google itself.

Because even with Chat GPT’s rise, Google is still overwhelmingly dominant when it comes to how patients search (i.e. 90%+ of search traffic).

When patients can have natural conversations about their health concerns, everything changes about how they find the right practice.

This directly addresses Healthcare Marketing Roadblock #1 (No Visibility) by creating new pathways for patient discovery, especially for practices willing to embrace strategic positioning and messaging to stand out (Roadblock #3 - No Market Differentiators).

In This Week’s Email:

• [30 sec] Best Links: AI Mode & You, AI in Healthcare, Chat GPT Usage, and More

• [30 sec] Thought for the Week: Mind the Gap

• [4 min] Spotlight: Google's AI Mode - The New Opportunity for Healthcare Practices

• [30 sec] By the Numbers: The AI Search Revolution

• [30 sec] Quote for the Week: From Jason A. Wolf, President of The Beryl Institute

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BEST LINKS

Essential Healthcare Marketing Resources This Week

Google's AI Mode Launch Guide - Google's experimental AI Mode feature powered by Gemini is available to all U.S. users (manual activation required). Read the full announcement and learn what it means for healthcare provider discovery.

Healthcare AI Adoption Report - New research shows healthcare organizations lead all industries in AI implementation, with 93% planning increased AI spending in 2025. Read the full report.

CallRail Call Tracking - Track and analyze phone calls from your marketing campaigns with HIPAA-compliant call tracking. Essential for measuring PPC and SEO performance. Start your free trial.

SEMrush Local SEO - Comprehensive SEO toolkit for healthcare practices to improve local search visibility and track competitor performance. Try for free.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Mind the Gap

There’s a critical bridge between where we are and whatever’s next.

It holds the tension between “being” and “becoming” that philosophers spoke and wrote about.

In this place, we’re straddling the gap of what we know and the new reality.

With technological innovation speeding along faster each day, we experience this strain and straddling far more than previous generations.

While we may not know the specifics of what’s to come in business, medical technology, or our lives, it’s important to recognize the waves that carry us along.

And like it or not, we are being carried along.

But with a strong, core foundation, you can adapt to new research, protocols, technologies, and marketing realities—just so long as you focus on the essence of the wave pushing these forward: increased personalization and improved patient experience.

This resounds in everything from gene therapies to new mental health treatments, virtual care, and patient outreach.

So as we all move forward, still straddling what we know and what’s to come, take care to mind the gap and ride the waves.

SPOTLIGHT

Google's AI Mode - The New Opportunity for Healthcare Practices

4 min. read

In March, Google made AI Mode available to all U.S. users—though you have to manually turn it on first. This experimental feature, powered by Google's Gemini AI, represents the biggest shift in how patients find healthcare providers since search engines were invented.

Unlike traditional keyword-based search, AI Mode lets patients have natural conversations about their health concerns, symptoms, and preferences.

Instead of typing "dentist near me," they can say: "I have dental anxiety and need a gentle dentist who explains procedures clearly and offers sedation options."

This is the continuation of the personalization trend patients have been demanding.

In Google’s AI Mode, healthcare queries fall under Google's 'Your Money or Your Life' category, which has stricter quality requirements than other searches.

This gives practices with authoritative, well-sourced content a built-in advantage—but only if your messaging speaks directly to patient needs.

The opportunity for strategic practices is enormous—but only if you understand how to position yourself for this new reality.

The Conversational Search Revolution

People already ask ChatGPT nuanced healthcare questions like: "I'm 45, pre-diabetic, hate needles, and travel frequently for work. What are my realistic treatment options that fit my lifestyle?"

Google's AI Mode brings this same conversational capability to healthcare provider discovery.

AI Mode uses 'query fan-out'—issuing multiple related searches simultaneously, which means your content needs to address various ways patients think about their needs.

Currently this is only running once users activate it, but it isn’t hard to see why Google might want to make this the norm.

Want to try AI Mode yourself? Here's how to turn on AI Mode (Note: You'll need to be on a personal Google account, not a business account).

Patients can now search with context:

"I need a cardiologist who understands athletes, has evening appointments, and is near my office at 123 Main Street."

This shift creates an opportunity for providers and practices to develop what I call patient-practice alignment—the perfect match between a patient's specific needs, concerns, and preferences with a practice's unique strengths and approach.

Why This Changes Everything

Traditional search forced patients to search with keywords and hope they’d get the right fit.

AI search lets them describe exactly what they need.

Plus, since it’s conversational, patients can ask AI to refine the results or get more details about a practice.

Here's what this means:

Newer Practices

You're no longer competing solely on reputation, reviews, or SEO dominance.

A two-year-old practice can outrank a 20-year-old practice if their messaging better matches what the patient is specifically seeking.

Established Practices

Your generic "comprehensive care" messaging won't cut it.

Practices with clear, specific positioning will capture patients looking for exactly what they offer.

All Practices

Strategic messaging is your competitive advantage, not just your marketing tactic.

The Patient-Practice Alignment Opportunity

Instead of casting a wide net hoping to catch anyone, you can now attract patients who are perfect fits for your practice approach.

Consider these scenarios:

A mental health practice that specializes in treating PTSD and trauma through CPT or EMDR can capture patients asking: "I want a therapist who focuses on treating ptsd but I want to avoid exposure based therapies."

An orthopedic surgeon who emphasizes conservative treatment first can attract patients wondering: "I have knee pain but want to avoid surgery if possible. Who can help me explore all my options?"

This is patient-practice alignment in action—patients finding providers whose approach, values, and strengths match their specific needs.

Strategic Positioning for AI Search

So how do you win with AI Search?

Your website and online presence need to reflect how your ideal patients (IPPs) actually think and speak about their health and medical needs.

1. Use More Patient Language, Not Just Medical Jargon

Instead of "comprehensive cardiovascular assessments," use "thorough heart health checkups that help prevent problems before they start."

2. Address Specific Patient Concerns

Don't just list services. Address the underlying worries:

"We understand that medical bills can be stressful—we'll always discuss costs upfront and work with your insurance."

3. Highlight Your Unique Approach

What makes your practice different?

"We take time to listen—appointments aren't rushed, and we explain everything in terms you'll understand."

4. Include Lifestyle Context

Acknowledge how healthcare fits into patients' lives:

"Evening and weekend appointments available for busy professionals"

or

"Family-friendly office where siblings are welcome during appointments."

Your 3-Step AI Search Strategy

Step 1: Language Audit Review your website, Google Business Profile, and online listings. Ask: "Do we sound like our patients or like a medical textbook?"

Step 2: Find Your Sweet Spot Identify what makes you uniquely suited for specific patient types. A practice that excels with anxious patients, busy professionals, or complex cases should own that positioning—it becomes your AI search advantage.

Step 3: Answer Full Questions Instead of just optimizing for keywords like "dentist near me," create content that answers complete patient thoughts: "I need a dentist who won't judge me for avoiding cleanings for three years." 

AI Mode issues multiple related searches simultaneously, so your content needs to address the various ways patients think about their needs—not just obvious keywords.

Challenges to Consider

1. Increased Competition for Specific Niches - As practices get better at positioning themselves for specific patient needs, competition for those niches will intensify. The solution is clearer differentiation and authentic specialization.

2. Selective Responses - AI Mode only responds when Google has high confidence in quality. Vague 'comprehensive care' messaging may not meet AI Mode's standards, making strategic positioning even more critical.

3. Maintaining Broad Appeal While Being Specific - You want to attract ideal patients without alienating others. The key is highlighting your strengths without suggesting you can't help other patient types.

The Bottom Line

AI Mode isn't just changing how patients search—it's changing how they expect to find healthcare providers who truly understand their needs.

Practices that embrace strategic messaging and focus on patient-practice alignment will thrive. Those that stick with generic "we treat everyone" messaging will struggle to stand out in an increasingly sophisticated search landscape.

The future belongs to practices that can clearly articulate not just what they do, but who they're best suited to help and why.

Start positioning your practice for this shift now, because your competitors already are.

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BY THE NUMBERS

The AI Search Revolution

1. Nearly 800 million weekly active users on ChatGPT as of May 2025, with 4.5 billion monthly website visits—showing massive adoption of conversational AI for information seeking

2. 93% of Healthcare & Life Sciences organizations are planning to spend more on AI in 2025, with healthcare leading all industries in AI model implementation by an average of 10 more models in production

3. 22% of Americans use ChatGPT at least monthly for various tasks including healthcare research, demonstrating growing comfort with AI-powered information gathering that's now extending to provider discovery

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

I help practices grow their revenue through digital marketing, through targeted, blended search marketing (SEO, Pay-Per-Click Ad) campaigns & dedicated patient reactivation and retention strategies.

I do this using our “Full Schedule Protocol”.

If you want to earn more and grow your practice, book your free call. Spots are limited and fill up each week.

1. Reply to any newsletter or send me an email at [email protected]. I read and respond to every email!

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That’s All for Now

Have a great week—and remember to mind the gap!

See You Next Week,

Steve