SEO vs AI Opimisation

Why Google has the local AI advantage

While new AI tools grab headlines, Google has a head start in semantic search, having invested heavily in the technology for over a decade. Its edge comes from:

• Proprietary data: Google Maps, its knowledge graph, and billions of real-world search interactions.
• Local ecosystem integration: Reviews, location data, and photos all feed into AI-driven results.
• Multiple entry points for visibility: From Maps to AI summaries to voice results, Google gives your business more opportunities to be discovered.

Identify where your Google presence is performing well, and where gaps could prevent you from appearing in these AI-driven experiences.

How to position your practice for AI-driven search

AI models decide what to show based on trust, visibility, and context. To earn your spot, focus on:

• Controlling your narrative: Actively manage online reviews, correct misinformation, and keep your most recent customer sentiment positive.
• Serving patients first: Offer accurate, helpful, and trustworthy content. AI rewards reliability.
• Avoiding manipulative tactics: Hacks like hidden prompts or deceptive content are short-lived and can result in penalties.
• Shifting focus from links to mentions: High-quality PR, brand mentions, and consistent Local Citations in credible sources make AI more likely to surface your business.
• Attracting and responding to reviews: A critical factor in AI’s trust signals, and has long been essential for building trust regardless.

The area is changing rapidly; what worked two months ago may now be ineffective. You have to be changing constantly.

Practical local SEO steps to get AI-ready

AI Search Makes Local Listings More Important Than Ever. 

Optimising for AI isn’t just about pleasing Google. It’s about ensuring that every central AI system can accurately find, trust, and cite your business information.

On the flip side, while content freshness is a significant factor, the majority of the existing best local SEO practices will still put you in good standing with AI search engines.

Here’s how to set yourself up for success:

Step 1: Get a Google Business Profile

While this may sound like the first step of any local SEO advice, it’s because it’s such an important one. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode both use GBP as their primary source of local business information.

Additionally, ChatGPT has begun utilising Google Maps as a source. It remains one of the most influential sources of information for AI.

Despite this, our research indicates that 65% of SMBs report not having a Google Business Profile.

 Actions:

• You must create a Google Business Profile.
• Select the best primary category for your business, but also ensure that you don’t overlook any key secondary categories.
• Add photos and images of your business, and encourage customers to do the same.
  

Actions:

• Maintain citation consistency in categories and descriptions.
• Upload new photos and images across Maps, Social and relevant niche directories.
• Start submitting to data aggregators.
• Add citations so AI can access consistent, credible data.
  

Step 3: Strengthen your review profile

Because Google and other review-rich platforms are key AI citation sources, your reviews don’t just influence potential customers.

They also train AI models on your brand’s quality and trustworthiness.

 Actions:

• Use Reputation Manager or similar tools to track and respond to reviews across multiple platforms. To save time, consider creating review response templates.
• Encourage satisfied customers to leave detailed reviews on Google and Yelp. Review recency can be a significant factor, so this isn’t a one-and-done task.
• Address negative or outdated feedback to correct misinformation before AI picks it up.
  

Actions:

• Use Citation Tracker to identify and fix inconsistencies in your name, address, phone number, and categories.
• Update high-authority listings first, especially those AI cites most often in your niche.
• Make consistency checks part of your ongoing local SEO checklist.
  

Actions:

• Create in-depth service pages, FAQs, and blog content that address common customer questions and concerns.
• Add schema markup so AI and search engines can better understand your content. If you need a hand, you can find some local schema templates here.
• Update key pages regularly to ensure that information remains accurate and relevant.
  

Step 6: Monitor how AI currently represents your business

Don’t wait for surprises. Regularly check what AI-powered search tools are saying about you and where they’re getting their data.

 Actions:

• Search for your business in ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overview.
• Note which citations appear most often. e.g., Yelp, Google, niche directories.
• Strengthen or correct those sources to ensure AI outputs are accurate.
  

Google Business Profile and other authoritative listings tell a strong, consistent story about your business.

AI search tools are far more likely to accurately and prominently represent you.

What’s coming with AI Search?

Expect AI search experiences to become more conversational, more personalised, and more action-oriented. Instead of typing queries into a box, you’ll interact with AI assistants that know your history, preferences, and location.

For medical practices, the biggest battleground will be the integration of real-world data, encompassing everything from location accuracy to review sentiment. Google’s entrenched ecosystem gives it an undeniable lead in this area.