Healthcare Search in 2026: Google, AI, and Where Patients Actually Look

When was the last time you typed a question into ChatGPT instead of Google? For many people, it was probably today.

Search behavior is changing faster than most healthcare practices realize. The question "orthodontist near me" still gets typed into Google. But "how do I know if my teenager needs braces" might go to ChatGPT. And "best invisalign provider in [city]" might get asked to Perplexity.

For healthcare practices, this fragmentation creates a new challenge. Optimizing for Google is no longer enough. But optimizing for everything is impossible. Here's how to think about visibility in this shifting landscape.

The Three Modes of Healthcare Search

Patients searching for healthcare information now operate in three distinct modes, often using different platforms for each:

Transactional searches: "Dentist near me." "Book dermatology appointment." "Med spa open Saturday." These are high-intent, location-specific, ready-to-act searches. Google still dominates here because of Maps integration and local results.

Informational searches: "Is Invisalign painful?" "What causes adult acne?" "How long is recovery from rhinoplasty?" These research queries are increasingly going to AI assistants that can synthesize answers from multiple sources.

Comparative/evaluative searches: "Best plastic surgeon in [city]." "Dr. Smith reviews." "Difference between orthodontist and dentist for Invisalign." These blend information-seeking with evaluation, and patients use multiple platforms to triangulate.

The same patient might use Google for the transactional search, ChatGPT for the informational search, and then return to Google (plus Yelp, Healthgrades, and social media) for the evaluative phase.

Google AI Overviews: The New First Result

Google hasn't ceded ground to AI - they've integrated it. AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience) now appear at the top of many healthcare searches, synthesizing answers from multiple sources.

This matters because AI Overviews change what "ranking well" means. Previously, position one was the first organic result. Now, the AI Overview occupies that space, and it pulls from various sources - sometimes not even the top-ranking pages.

For healthcare practices, the implications are significant:

Being in the AI Overview matters more than ranking #1. If the AI Overview answers the patient's question completely, they may never scroll to organic results.

Source citation is visibility. When Google's AI Overview cites your content as a source, you get visibility even if patients don't click through.

Comprehensive content wins. AI Overviews favor content that thoroughly addresses topics. Thin pages optimized for keywords don't get pulled into these summaries.

ChatGPT and the Question Shift

ChatGPT (now with nearly a billion weekly users) has become a primary research tool, especially for health-related questions. Patients use it to understand conditions, evaluate treatment options, and prepare questions for appointments.

Here's what's important to understand: ChatGPT isn't returning your website in search results. It's synthesizing information and presenting answers. Your practice might never be mentioned, even if your content helped train the model.

This creates a different kind of visibility challenge. Traditional SEO asks "how do I rank for this query?" AI visibility asks "how do I become part of the information ecosystem that AI draws from?"

The practices benefiting most from AI visibility:

Have substantial, authoritative content. Practices with extensive educational content about their specialty become part of the training data and the information AI synthesizes.

Are cited in reputable sources. When legitimate healthcare publications, research, or authoritative sites reference your practice, you become more visible to AI systems.

Maintain consistent presence across platforms. AI systems draw from multiple sources. Consistent, accurate information across your website, Google Business Profile, Healthgrades, and other platforms reinforces visibility.

The "Zero-Click" Reality

Here's an uncomfortable truth: many healthcare searches now result in zero clicks to any website.

A patient asks "what's the recovery time for wisdom teeth removal?" Google's AI Overview provides an answer. The patient is satisfied. No one's website gets visited.

For informational queries, this is increasingly common. The search engines (and AI assistants) are answering questions directly rather than pointing to websites.

This doesn't mean content is worthless - quite the opposite. Your content feeds these systems. But the return on content investment is no longer just "traffic to my website." It's participation in the information ecosystem that influences patient decisions.

Platform Fragmentation by Demographic

Different patient populations use different platforms, and this matters for targeting:

Younger patients (18-35) are more likely to use AI assistants, TikTok for health information, and Instagram for provider research. They're comfortable with conversational AI and may never touch traditional search for certain queries.

Middle-aged patients (35-55) typically blend traditional Google search with AI assistants. They might start with ChatGPT for research but switch to Google when they're ready to find providers.

Older patients (55+) still primarily use Google and are more likely to value traditional website experiences. They're also more likely to ask friends for recommendations and check Google reviews.

For practices serving diverse age groups, visibility strategy needs to account for these differences rather than assuming one approach fits all.

What This Means for Your Practice

Given this fragmentation, here's how to think about visibility:

Don't abandon Google. For transactional, high-intent local searches, Google remains dominant. Your Google Business Profile, local SEO, and website optimization still matter enormously for patients ready to book.

Invest in comprehensive content. Content that thoroughly addresses patient questions gets pulled into AI Overviews, informs ChatGPT responses, and serves the portion of patients who still click through to websites.

Ensure information consistency. AI systems synthesize from multiple sources. Inconsistent information (different addresses, hours, service offerings across platforms) creates confusion and reduces visibility.

Build genuine authority. AI systems are increasingly sophisticated at identifying authoritative sources. Actual expertise, credentials, and quality content matter more than gaming algorithms.

Monitor where patients mention finding you. Ask new patients how they found you. The answers might surprise you and should inform where you invest attention.

The Provider Recommendation Question

One of the most significant shifts: AI assistants are increasingly comfortable making provider recommendations.

Ask ChatGPT "who's a good orthodontist in [city]?" and you'll often get names. The AI doesn't have the same reluctance as traditional search to recommend specific providers.

This raises important questions: How does ChatGPT decide who to recommend? What influences these recommendations?

The honest answer: it's not entirely clear, and it's evolving. What we know is that AI systems draw from publicly available information - websites, reviews, citations in publications, social media mentions, directory listings.

Practices with strong online presence across multiple platforms, consistent positive reviews, and citations in legitimate sources appear more frequently in AI recommendations.

Practical Steps for 2026

Here's what healthcare practices should focus on:

1. Optimize your Google Business Profile. This remains foundational for local visibility across both traditional search and AI systems.

2. Create substantial educational content. Not thin keyword pages - comprehensive resources that genuinely inform patients about conditions and treatments.

3. Maintain information consistency. Audit your presence across platforms. Correct inconsistencies. Keep information current.

4. Encourage authentic reviews. Reviews influence both Google rankings and AI recommendations. Generate them consistently across relevant platforms.

5. Get cited. Contribute to legitimate healthcare publications. Participate in industry conversations. Build the kind of authority that gets referenced.

6. Track new patient sources. Ask every new patient how they found you. The data will reveal shifts in how patients are discovering practices.

The Bottom Line

Search isn't dying - it's fragmenting. Google remains essential for local healthcare discovery. AI assistants are capturing research and informational queries. Social platforms influence younger demographics.

The practices that thrive won't pick one platform. They'll build visibility systems that work across the ecosystem - consistent information, comprehensive content, genuine authority - recognizing that patients now discover healthcare providers through multiple channels, often in the same search journey.

The question isn't "Google or AI?" It's "how do we show up wherever patients are looking?"

That requires understanding how search behavior is changing, not just optimizing for how it used to work.