Google’s AI Overview is transforming the search engine results page with concise answers to queries through the use of artificial intelligence. Find out how that affects healthcare SEO and how to make it work for your company.

As artificial intelligence continues to infiltrate online spaces, the biggest names in tech are taking note.

One of those big names is, of course, Google (maybe you’ve heard of it).

Back in 2023, Google Search began experimenting with AI-powered results along with regular organic and paid results by way of what they called Search Generative Experience, or SGE.

After rebranding to AI Overviews, the search engine has officially completed its rollout, with this type of result appearing at the top of the page for a search query.

Now, AI-generated answers have significant real estate at the top of Google’s results page. (Microsoft’s search engine Bing also began offering AI-powered search results in the fall of 2024.)

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the use of AI, particularly for healthcare businesses: As time goes on, this technology will likely become more able to use predictive analytics that allows medical professionals to anticipate patient outcomes in real-time through data analysis.

But if you’re wondering what all this means for search engine optimization and your current marketing efforts, particularly for a credibility-first industry like healthcare, we’ve got the answers below. Read on to see what our resident expert, HawkSEM Lead Strategist Madison Scherner, has to say.

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(Image: NINENII/Adobe)

What are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews is an organic search results section that aims to create a brief AI-driven summary of the information or answers a person is seeking in their search.

Similar to generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, which creates new content from a prompt, AI Overviews works to streamline the ability to satisfy search intent by providing concise, clear answers up top through machine learning and natural language processing (NLP).

So, where does the healthcare industry come into play?

Well, out of all the major industries, “healthcare is seeing the highest number of AI Overviews, followed by B2B tech, and ecommerce,” says Scherner.

“It’s important to get medical information to searchers fast, and Google is using high-trust content to ensure speedy delivery.”

She says she and her team have also noticed healthcare AI Overviews are less likely to have their messaging rewritten by AI. This is likely in hopes of maintaining trust in healthcare providers by keeping medical information as factual and accurate as possible.

“Gaining and retaining AI Overviews in healthcare is all about providing clear and concise information with depth,” says Scherner.

“The AI [tool] is looking for longer content, skimmable bullet points, and clear definitions to support the user’s understanding.”

Further reading: Check out our complete guide to using AI for SEO (+ 15 must-have tools to get the job done).

How AI search results affect healthcare marketing

Now that AI-generated results are given a prominent spot on Google’s search engine results page, some searchers are getting answers to their questions without having to click and visit a website.

On the plus side, this is great for user experience in terms of how quickly someone can find an answer to their query.

However, “we’re seeing more zero-click searches for informational content,” Scherner explains.

“Google is starting to cite their sources better, but the websites themselves are still tucked away in the SERPs unless you scroll. The AI Overview is great for brand awareness and trust, but has individuals opting out of a website visit.”

Scherner says it’s also important to note that location and navigational search rankings are significantly less affected by AI Overviews.

But, of course, it’s not a flawless system — at least not yet. In our own research, we’ve seen AI Overviews results that are inaccurate, pulling information that’s similar but not exactly answering the submitted query.

Because of this, it’s wise to do everything you can to ensure the information on your healthcare website is accurate, up-to-date, and search engine optimized.

Tips for healthcare companies looking to gain AI Overviews visibility

“An approach to AI Overviews can go [one of two] ways,” says Scherner. “Do you want the brand awareness of an AI Overview? Are you okay with zero-click searches if they further brand awareness?”

She says that if you’re okay with brand awareness being the win from blogs and articles, keep publishing that type of content.

If you’d rather focus on more conversion-oriented terms, organic traffic, and better patient engagement, optimize your location pages and service web pages for bigger, heavier, transactional keywords.

Scherner advises a combined approach for your future content strategy with AI Overviews in the mix.

These traditional SEO best practices should be included in your content marketing plan if you want high rankings and inclusion in featured snippets on the SERP:

  • Conduct proper keyword research
  • Target short-tail and long-tail keywords
  • Include citations and sources to boost credibility
  • Follow E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)
  • Include technical SEO like schema markup or other structured data
  • Take advantage of opportunities for quality backlinks

While Scherner encourages blog writing as much as ever, she also encourages the optimization and rewriting of location and service pages, along with other tried-and-true SEO tactics like building out schema and cleaning up page speed.

Case study: Here’s an example of on-page optimizations the HawkSEM team made for a healthcare client that landed their information in the AI Overview section of search results:

  • Optimized page headings
  • Included additional keywords into blog articles
  • Added valuable internal links
  • Removed any duplicate content on the site
  • Published more long-form content vs. thin content

AI Overviews: Mistakes to avoid

There’s no reason to drastically change the frameworks your healthcare business has long used to support patient experience, protect patient data, and more.

“Using AI for content creation is going to lead to more and more trouble down the line,” Scherner warns. “If you use AI to help draft content, please be sure it is medically reviewed before publishing.”

When shooting for AI Overviews in your marketing goals as a healthcare organization, be very aware that these overviews are shifting rapidly. While Google owns a big part of this pie, there are other AI tools to take into consideration in 2025 and beyond.

Secondly, a zero-click search can still be a great tool for marketing, “but the ROI of an AI overview is a lot harder to track,” Scherner says. “This is modern marketing at its core, though. A user touches a brand on average seven times before converting.”

Because of this, all the sources you leverage in your marketing strategy (organic, paid, social, print, etc.) need to be in sync to create a healthy funnel for conversion. As Scherner puts it, “Digital marketing in the modern world requires an omnichannel approach.”

Further reading: Curious about using AI for PPC? Check out our list of strategies, tools, and expert tips.

The takeaway

From the rise of social media platforms and virtual assistants to chatbots and everything in between, it can feel like keeping up with marketing industry trends is a full-time job.

However, try to resist the urge to make too hard of a pivot in your plans – especially if you’re seeing positive results from what you’re doing already. In other words, don’t feel like you need to scrap your existing marketing campaigns and initiatives and start from scratch.

AI and Google’s algorithms will continue to evolve, but despite the power of AI in digital spaces and its prominence in market trends, Scherner feels strongly that, at its core, SEO won’t change.

“It’s always been 100 tiny strategic decisions that lead to building trust with users, establishing brand authority, and supporting conversion organically, as well as through other marketing sources,” she explains.

Patient care is at the heart of any good healthcare business, regardless of the changing search landscape.

With the right SEO strategy in place and a focus on high-quality content, you can give your company the best chance of being the go-to resource to help your target audience find the best answers to their health-related inquiries.

Need more help getting your healthcare SEO where it needs to be? Find out how HawkSEM can help.

Caroline Cox

Caroline Cox

Caroline is HawkSEM's senior content marketing manager. Through more than a decade of professional writing and editing experience, she creates SEO-friendly articles, educational thought leadership pieces, and savvy social media content to help market leaders create successful digital marketing strategies. She's a fan of reading, yoga, new vegetarian recipes, and paper planners.