By now, you’ve probably heard more than once that “SEO is dead.” It’s not, but search has changed.
Patients are still searching every day. “Dentist near me”, “GP open Saturday”, “Dermatologist in CBD.” But now, they’re not getting a link to your website from Google. They’re reading answers pulled straight from Google and AI tools. They’re getting recommendations before they even see your site.
What does this mean when it comes to SEO? Search doesn’t stop at SEO anymore. It now includes how your content gets selected, summarised, and shown across answer engines and AI platforms. That’s where AEO and GEO come in.
Why search optimisation is so important
Search is still one of the best ways to reach people ready to book. That hasn’t changed.
- Approximately 72% percent of patients search online before seeking care
- “Near me” searches continue to grow every year
- Most patients choose from the top few results they see
If you’re not visible, you won’t be considered by a potential patient who is looking for a new dental or medical professional.
The difference is that now, search visibility is more than just Google search results. It’s about appearing in answer tools, snippets and AI summaries.
How SEO, AEO and GEO differ
- SEO: Focuses on getting your website to rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing. It drives traffic to your website.
- AEO: Focuses on getting your content selected as a direct answer through featured snippets, FAQs, and AI summaries.
- GEO: Focuses on how your content appears in AI tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI search results. It helps position your practice in AI-generated recommendations.
SEO isn’t dead – SEO, AEO and GEO now work together. If you only focus on SEO, you miss patients who are now searching with AI tools.
What’s included in MedDigital’s SEO, AEO & GEO management and how it’s expanded
At MedDigital, we have expanded our search optimisation services beyond traditional SEO because the search landscape has changed.
Here are the main search optimisation tasks included in our package:
- SEO management
- Keyword research and on-page optimisation
- Backlink management
- GEO management for AI visibility
- Entity optimisation to strengthen your authority
- Structured data and schema markup
- AEO management for answer-based results
- FAQ content creation
- Content structured for AI and answer engines
We also offer a search optimisation tune-up. This includes SEO, AEO and GEO optimisation and can be done annually or twice a year if you want to control costs.
What this means for your practice
You might have a solid website. You might even rank well for a few keywords in Google or Bing search.
But if your competitors are showing up not only in just search rankings and maps, but also in answers and AI summaries, they’re getting attention first.
You don’t need to start from scratch. But you do need to adapt to ensure your search optimisation strategy covers search engine ranking, AI answering, and appearing in AI results. If one is missing, you lose visibility.
We’re here to help
At MedDigital, we help healthcare practices stay visible as search evolves. We can optimise your website, create content that Google and AI tools can use, and make sure you’re showing up where patients are looking.
Want to learn more? Complete our contact form or call us on 1300 75 75 22.
