For years, Google was the front door to healthcare. Patients searched symptoms, skimmed forums, and then landed on a clinic site. Today, the first step is often AI. Patients ask a question and get an instant, conversational answer. The next step should be you.
Whether it’s ChatGPT, Google, Gemini or a symptom checker baked into a wearable device.
Generative AI is becoming the first step in the patient journey, answering questions, suggesting treatments and pointing them to next steps before a healthcare professional ever enters the picture.
So the question is: are you showing up when they do?
Patients are still searching…just differently
Patients haven’t stopped looking for help. They’ve just changed how they do it
Instead of typing “what causes chest pain?” into Google and scrolling through ten blue links, they’re now asking:
“I have tightness in my chest and a dry cough – should I be worried?”
And they’re expecting an answer, instantly in natural language, and ideally with empathy baked in.
This shift from keywords to conversation is profound. It’s not just about search rankings anymore. It’s about visibility in AI-generated answers, clarity in content, and trust in tone.
So what comes after the AI answer?
Let’s say a patient asks ChatGPT about migraine symptoms. It gives them a decent overview of causes, treatment options, and red flags. What do they do next?
They don’t stop there. They’re likely to follow up by:
- Looking for a local specialist or clinic
- Watching a short video that explains their condition
- Reading patient stories or FAQs
- Booking an appointment through a user-friendly website
This is where your content and brand need to meet them.
If AI gives the first answer, your platform should offer the next step:
- A helpful explainer video
- A symptom-specific landing page
- A clean booking journey
- A reassuring voice that says “we’ve got you”
You got to be more than informative…it needs to feel human
When patients ask AI a health question, they’re often anxious. Curious. Vulnerable.
That means your follow-up content can’t just be factually correct, it needs to feel credible, clear, and kind.
It needs to:
- Use language patients understand
- Reflect real-world concerns, not just textbook definitions
- Offer signposting and support (not sales-heavy messaging)
It also needs to be structured for AI visibility. Structured content, FAQ blocks, schema markup, and clear headlines. These all help AI tools “read” your site and use it as a source.
If you’re invisible to AI, you’re invisible to the modern patient.
Your website is now the second opinion
Not every patient trusts AI alone. Many use it as a sounding board, a place to make sense of what they’re feeling. But when it’s time to act, they’ll still click through. They’ll still want reassurance from a trusted source.
Which means your digital presence needs to do more than exist; it needs to convert.
That includes:
- Pages that answer the exact question a patient asked AI
- Videos that explain next steps in simple terms
- Clear CTAs (speak to someone, book now, download guide)
- Mobile-first design and fast load times
- Local SEO optimisation, especially for clinics and specialists
This isn’t just about search anymore. It’s about how patients want to be spoken to.
Three questions to ask yourself right now
- Does my content answer real patient questions in plain English?
- Is my website structured so AI tools can easily use (and trust) it?
- Am I offering the next step, not just information, but action?
Final thought
If AI is now the first step in a patient’s journey, your job is to be the second step and the best one.
You don’t need to outsmart AI. But you do need to out-care your competitors. That means showing up where patients need you, speaking their language, and building content journeys that feel like a real hand reaching back.
Because at the end of the day, no matter how powerful technology becomes, the patient is still a person, looking for clarity, comfort, and connection.
If your patients are talking to AI, your brand should be part of the answer.
We can help you create healthcare content that speaks their language – and leads them to you.
Ready to build it? Talk to our team about patient-ready videos and content.
