AI, Local Search, and What’s Actually Changing for Medical Practice Websites in 2026
If you run marketing for a specialty practice, you’ve probably felt it already – something’s happening in digital search, and we’re not sure exactly how it affects us (or will in the future). Search still matters. Google still matters. But the way patients get from “I have a problem” to “I’m booking with this practice” is getting messier, more AI-influenced, and harder to track.
This blog post is a written version of a recent webinar conversation about what’s changing in 2026, what’s staying the same, and how to improve AI search visibility for specialty medical practices. The discussion focuses on what specialty practices should actually focus on if they want to keep showing up for local, high-intent patient searches. The text here represents the transcribed voices of Justin Knott, CEO of Intrepy Healthcare Marketing and Tomi Barton, CMO of Intrepy.
The Big Shift: Patients Are Using More “Search Engines” Than Google
Patients are still searching on Google at massive scale, especially in healthcare. But they’re also using search assistants and LLM tools that didn’t exist in the same way a few years ago, including tools like Google’s AI Gemini, Microsoft’s AI Bing Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
The practical effect is not that Google “doesn’t matter.” It’s that the ecosystem around Google is expanding, and many Google searches are being answered by Google’s own AI layer anyway.
So when people say “AI search,” they’re often still talking about Google. They just don’t realize it.
AI Answers Are Changing The Click Pattern
A traditional search result was a list of blue links. An AI answer is different. The system generates an answer directly, which it generated on its own. Sometimes it shows its sources prominently, other times it’s more difficult to find them and click. This matters most for top-of-funnel informational searches.
If someone searches a general question like “what causes [symptom]?” Google is increasingly showing an AI Overview at the top, pushing standard organic listings down the page. In many cases, the user gets enough information right there and never clicks to a website.
That’s why a lot of practices are noticing dips in blog traffic. The content is still being used, but it’s being consumed inside the search experience.
Local “Near Me” Searches Are Still The Battleground
For the searches that actually drive appointments, the story is different.
When someone searches with local intent, like “specialist near me” or “specialist in [city],” Google still heavily leans on the map results and traditional local listings. AI Overviews can appear for local searches, but historically they show up far less often than for informational queries.
The important part is that this is moving fast. Even if you’re not seeing AI elements in local results every day yet, the direction is obvious. The local results page is becoming more AI-influenced over time, not less.
Why Practices Care About AI Platforms Even If Google Is Still Largest
Two reasons that are very practical:
First, traffic coming from AI platforms often converts better. People tend to trust an AI answer more than a list of links, so when they do click through, they arrive warmer and more likely to convert.
Second, AI is increasingly sitting inside Google itself. So “doing well in AI” is not separate from “doing well in Google.” It’s the same game, just with a new layer.
The Ranking Logic Is Evolving: “Best Answer” Plus “Can I Trust You?”
Traditional SEO has always been a blend of relevance and authority. In AI-driven results, that mix is becoming more explicit:
Layer 1 is: Do you have the best, most complete answer?
Layer 2 is: Are you a credible entity that should be trusted in healthcare?
That second layer is where specialty practices can win, because it’s not only about being a big national brand. It’s about being clearly legitimate, clearly expert, and clearly real, especially locally.
The Fundamentals That Still Win Local Search In 2026
This part is refreshingly boring, and I mean that as a reassurance. A lot has changed around SEO, but the core local foundation is still what wins.
Here’s the backbone:
1. You still need pages for what you want to rank for
If you want visibility for a condition, treatment, or service, you still need a really good page for it. Not a thin paragraph. A really good page that covers the topic thoroughly, in a way that a patient would genuinely find helpful.
2. Your Google Business Profile is still a major ranking lever
Near-me search still runs through proximity, relevance, and reputation. Reputation is a huge driver. If you want to compete locally, the Google Business Profile cannot be an afterthought.
3. Your location pages also need to be really good
A location page that is basically a contact card does not do much. A location page that actually explains what happens at that office, what services are available there, which providers are there, and how to take the next step is a real asset.
Also, interlinking matters. Location pages should link to key service pages. Provider pages should link back to the relevant location(s). You want a network that makes sense.
The Content Problem Everyone Has: Writing For Humans And Machines
This is the practical balancing act.
A headline like “Get back to the life you love” can be great for humans, but it’s vague for machines. The fix is not to write like a robot. The fix is to pair human language with clear, specific entity language on the page.
What this looks like in practice:
You can keep the engaging headline.
Then, right underneath it, include a short, clear paragraph that spells out what the page is actually about using specific terms a machine can understand (services, conditions, provider type, location context).
It should still read like normal English. It just needs to be specific.
What “AI-Friendly” Content Structure Really Means
You don’t need gimmicky methods of writing for AI. You just need clarity.
These are the patterns that help both humans and machines:
- Clear headings that match what patients are trying to understand
- Shorter sections and scannable paragraphs
- A logical progression from basics to details
- Real FAQs with short, direct answers (often 45–80 words)
A simple habit that works: search your topic in Google and look at “People also ask.” Those questions are often exactly what should be on your page.
Multi-Location Practices Need A Different Structure Than Single-Location Practices
This is quite a big deal.
Single-location practices can concentrate authority into the homepage and core service pages with strong local signals.
Multi-location practices need a system:
- A location page for each office
- A matching Google Business Profile for each office
- Service and condition pages that interlink intelligently with location pages
If your “location pages” are just address/phone/map listings, you’re leaving local rankings on the table.
There’s also a second scenario: practices trying to rank across a broad region without a physical office in every city (for example, telehealth or wide coverage areas). The point here is caution. You can build geography pages, but if you do it at scale with copy-paste templates, you might create a spam footprint. Roll out only what’s justified, keep it high quality, and build it gradually.
Where Reputation And Reviews Are Starting To Influence AI Answers More
This is one of the most important practical takeaways.
When AI tools recommend local options, they don’t just look at your website copy. They sometimes lead with ratings and reputation signals, then cross-check whether the practice appears to offer the relevant treatment or service.
This is why review strategy is no longer “nice to have.” It’s part of discoverability.
If your reviews live only on Google and nowhere else on your site, you’re missing an opportunity. Practices that integrate reviews into location pages and provider pages, and mark them up properly so platforms can interpret them, are better positioned as AI results evolve.
Authority Is Not Just Backlinks, It’s Your Real-World Credentials
In healthcare, authority is a very strong signal to AI to choose you. The strongest authority signals are often already sitting inside your practice, but may not be visible on the website:
- years in practice
- procedure volume or experience indicators
- teaching roles
- professional affiliations
- publications
- conference talks
- media mentions
The recommendation is simple: bring your assets onto the website. Make it easy for a machine and a patient to see that you’re credible.
Also, keep your major third-party profiles accurate. You don’t need to obsess over every obscure directory on page nine of Google. But you do want your key profiles clean and consistent wherever patients actually look.
Technical Quality Still Matters Because AI Doesn’t Want To Send People To A Bad Site
This is not new, but it’s becoming less forgiving.
If your site is slow, clunky, confusing, or hard to use on mobile, you’re not just hurting conversion. You can also reduce your chances of being surfaced in competitive results, especially in a world where Google is increasingly trying to predict whether users will have a good experience after they click.
A Quick Reality Check On Two Common Myths
Myth: “If I add HIPAA-compliant language to my site, AI will rank me higher.”
No evidence for that.
Compliance matters for humans and for risk reduction, but it’s not a known ranking lever just because the words “HIPAA-compliant” are on the page.
Myth: “If I rank #1 in Google, I’ll automatically rank #1 in AI tools.”
In healthcare, there is often significant overlap, because AI tools frequently pull from highly ranked Google results. But it’s not a perfect mirror, and it’s changing quickly. The takeaway is still practical: strong Google performance is still a leading indicator of strong AI visibility, but you shouldn’t assume it’s guaranteed.
What To Do Next If You Want To Be Ready For 2026 Local Search
If you want a simple action list from this webinar, it’s this:
- Make sure you have real pages for your core services, conditions, and treatments
- Build strong location pages, not basic contact pages
- Treat Google Business Profiles and reviews as core infrastructure
- Improve content structure so it’s scannable and specific, not vague
- Add credibility signals to your site, especially provider authority
- Keep your site fast, usable, and easy to navigate
- Don’t publish AI-generated content at scale without expert editing and originality
If You Want Help Pressure-Testing Your Local SEO Foundation
If you’re not sure whether your site and local presence are set up for where search is going in 2026, the simplest starting point is an audit that answers three questions:
- Are we visible for local, high-intent searches in our markets?
- Do our location pages and provider pages actually support rankings and conversion?
- Are we sending clear authority and trust signals across the website and Google profiles?
Work With a Healthcare Marketing Agency That Understands AI SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization AND AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
At Intrepy Healthcare Marketing, we specialize in modern digital marketing strategies built for specialty medical practices. Whether you need a modern website, a structured content plan, paid advertising, or help getting discovered in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT—we’re here to help.
Schedule a Free Strategy Session and let’s build a marketing plan tailored to your practice growth goals.
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