Count On Coffey

By Jeremy Dietz,
Director of AI Strategy and Content

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how people search online, with tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini allowing users to ask questions in natural, conversational language and receive answers that often don't require them to go to a website.

This trend is expected to continue, which means it's important for healthcare marketers to take steps to ensure that their websites appear in AI search results—a process called generative engine optimization (GEO).

GEO tactics focus on:

• Making your website discoverable and understandable by AI tools.
• Ensuring that your content is accurately represented and cited in AI-generated answers.
• Structuring content in ways AI can easily use.
• Monitoring performance and iterating, since best practices are still evolving.

Here are five common questions about GEO that can help you understand the basics and get your website on the path to increased visibility.

Q: How can I track what people search for and whether my website appears?

A: Unfortunately, AI search platforms don't offer the detailed data you get from traditional SEO. You can't see how often questions are asked, for example. To monitor performance:

• Set up custom reporting in Google Analytics. This can give you some visibility into how many people visit your site via AI tools. It also allows you to track engagement from those visits—data suggests that visitors from AI tools may be more likely to convert than those from other channels.
• Create a list of branded and high-value service prompts to check manually. Start small, and add to this over time. If you don't have the bandwidth to do this manually, there are a variety of paid tools that can help.

Q: Is the work I did to optimize my website for traditional search engines obsolete?

A: No. GEO isn't a replacement for search engine optimization (SEO), it's an evolution of that work. And many of the same fundamentals of good SEO apply to GEO as well. For example, content that's helpful and credible and highlights your unique value proposition performs well in both traditional and AI search.

Q: Can schema (structured data) help?

A: Yes. Schema makes your content easier for search engines and AI to understand. Adding relevant markup throughout your site may help you appear in AI answers.

Q: Should I add FAQs?

A: Yes, selectively. AI search is conversational, so question-based content can be valuable. When building FAQs, keep these tips in mind:

• Add FAQs where they clarify your services or answer patient-specific questions. Avoid general FAQs that could be about any healthcare organization.
• Start with one or two high-value services, then monitor visibility or traffic. Expand to other services if you see value in the approach.

In addition to FAQs, other AI-friendly content formats include how-to guides, step-by-step explainers and content that provides original research or unique insights. Including author bios can also give your content additional authority, which is helpful for both GEO and SEO.

Q: Should I wait this out and optimize once GEO best practices are settled?

A: No. It's true that GEO best practices are evolving, but it's worth acting now. In addition to potentially boosting your visibility in AI search, making GEO part of your marketing workflow now will help ensure that your site stays relevant as best practices change.

Categories: Digital