AI search & innovation in healthcare

AI is only as accurate as the data it is trained on. AI-powered tools use existing resources that are readily available and will rank these depending on the credibility of website content. Misinformation can be damaging in the healthcare and pharma industries so information needs to be backed up with credible sources which search engines can easily check.

More caution is taken around AI in the healthcare and pharma industries due to their sensitive nature. AI-assisted tools have increasingly been adopted by HCPs to improve workflow efficiency, as well as by patients making healthcare-specific searches. For example, AI Overviews, SearchGPT, and Perplexity match search intent and provide relevant summaries to medical queries while linking to their sources. Importantly, users are looking for information quickly and with ease.

Google AI Mode is a new way Google answers questions, using AI to deliver quick, conversational summaries directly on the results page. For patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), it means getting faster, more targeted information without always clicking through to websites. For healthcare and pharma brands, it changes how visibility works… if you’re not optimised for AI Mode, your audience might never see you. We have written a helpful article where you discover more ‘AI Mode and Thematic Search: What it means for healthcare visibility’.

It should be understood that optimising for AI search is not down to one single action but rather multiple SEO efforts combined in a holistic strategy. On-page, off-page, and technical SEO efforts should be used alongside data tracking and analytics to understand which areas can be improved and thus inform your SEO strategy for AI search. Check out all of our SEO services or read our blog posts to learn more about how the search landscape is changing and how you can stay ahead.

AI is becoming increasingly important in healthcare and pharma, with it being a crucial factor in any SEO strategy. You can read our recent white paper to discover more about how AI search engines and AI-powered tools are changing the healthcare and pharma industries. Plus you can uncover your AI discoverability with our bespoke AI Visibility Frameworks which will ensure your search strategy is successful for you so you can be visible where your healthcare audience needs to find you.

As we highlight in our white paper, AI-powered tools have been used to increase workflow efficiency so HCPs can focus on their patients’ requirements. For example, AI-assisted tools have been used for communication, diagnosis, managing patient data, and improving patient experience.