CALL US What We Do
Artificial Intelligence Optimization
AI Optimization for Medical Practices
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek and others have rapidly changed the way people search, interact, and make decisions online within the aesthetic medicine space. Patients aren’t just “Googling” anymore — they are asking AI tools for trusted recommendations. This shift is at least as transformative as the rise of social media was 15 years ago. Then, the practices who adapted early gained visibility, authority, and patient trust that put them ahead of their competition. Today, the same is true for the practices that are prioritizing their presence in AI tools.
There is not yet a widely accepted term similar to SEO (search engine optimization) to describe the marketing activities necessary to influence AI tools. Some sources refer to it as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), but we like to call it simply Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO). Whatever term you prefer, the concept is the same — you need to understand how AI tools are perceiving your practice, what they are relying on most heavily to form their opinions, and work toward optimizing your brand in the sources that carry the most weight.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by figuring out what it takes to earn mentions in today’s AI tools, feel free to contact us for more specific insights into AI optimization for medical practices.
Why AIO Matters for Your Practice
- Increasingly, your existing and prospective patients are asking AI tools for information instead of searching on Google. If your practice isn’t coming up in the information AI shares, you better bet that your competitors will be.
- AI tools work differently than Google’s search bots for information gathering, analysis, and presentation. They rely more on structured, trusted, and frequently updated content to decide which practices to mention. Don’t assume that if you rank well in Google, you will be front and center in AI answers.
- Adapting to the age of AI means shifting marketing focus toward the online resources AI tools are prioritizing, such as patient reviews, forums, authoritative articles, local listings, and more.
- Early adopters win. Just as with SEO and social media in their early days, practices that move first will have the advantage.
AI Optimization is an extension of your current marketing efforts to improve your practice in the eyes of AI tools so that you remain a key part of the conversation in the answers AI provides to users. AIO focuses on three outcomes:
You + Sector45
We have well over 30 years of combined experience in healthcare marketing.
We’ve helped over 100 medical practices and hospital groups market on the web.
We don’t lock our clients into long-term contracts – we prove our value every month.
We are committed to being Ridiculously Responsive, spoiling our clients with the best service.
We are small on purpose so that we can understand our clients personally and remain nimble.
Let’s Chat
Contact us for a no-hassle, no-obligation chat about how we can help your medical marketing effort.
Understanding the New Landscape
It can be easy to think that Google has just always been the way people find your business online. And it certainly has dominated the conversation for nearly two decades. But older surgeons will remember a time before Google, and with the shakeups coming through AI tools, we think that nearly everyone will find aesthetic services in a much different way just one to two years from now.
The switch to an AI focus is about more than using a different browser. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, and others are reimagining how users acquire and understand information on the web. Soon, the idea of digging through search results will seem as antiquated as leafing through a library’s card catalog.
Our AI Optimization Playbook
Simply put, there is no standard formula for every aesthetic practice when it comes to optimizing AI answers. We know this because the first step in any optimization effort is to perform research within the AI tools themselves to understand the answers they are generating, why they are generating those answers, and which sources can be influenced so their answers put your practice in the spotlight.
This research can reveal all kinds of surprising, frustrating, confusing, and even conflicting or downright incorrect information. The tactics to address these concerns and attempt to sculpt information that is better in line with your practice’s reality will necessarily vary.
The initial research focuses on asking pertinent questions about a practice in several AI engines. Examples of queries may include:
- What are the best cosmetic surgery practices in [City]?
- Is [Practice Name] well-rated?
- What do people like and dislike about [Practice Name]?
- Should I choose [Practice Name] or [Competitor Practice Name]?
- Who has the best prices on [Procedure] in [City]?
In some cases, a practice may already be frequently and positively referenced in AI tools. In these instances, optimization work will focus on reinforcing the things the practice is already doing right and augmenting authoritative information online.
In other cases, a practice may barely show up in AI answers, or an AI tool may have a much different impression of the practice than the one a typical online user would have from doing his or her own research. Here, tactics in response may center on building positive reviews, attempting to correct misinformation, and earning mentions in authoritative sources.
AI Optimization FAQs
Search engine optimization focuses on getting your practice ranked at the top of search engine results. AI optimization is about earning mentions in the conversations AI tools are having with their users. To some degree, both utilize many of the same marketing tactics, but things like the weighting of authority, the need to correct wrong or outdated information, and the importance of consistent messaging across many online touchpoints differentiate the two optimization efforts.
AI tools are evolving at an incredible rate, meaning that tactics to influence them have to keep pace as well. A key part of any successful AIO effort is regularly researching a practice’s presence within the various platforms and identifying trends regarding which sources are carrying the most weight. Tactics to influence AI results are then built to respond to areas where a practice is not part of the conversation and reinforce areas where a practice is well positioned. Such tactics may include:
- Expanding website schema markup (structured data).
- Increasing high-quality inbound links.
- Pitching earned media stories for high-authority mentions.
- Expanding doctor profiles with updated achievements, certifications, and more.
- Optimizing online listings for consistency and adding keyword-focused content.
- Facilitating growth in positive reviews.
In the online marketing world, we’ve been fortunate to have all kinds of ways to track marketing performance, easily justifying its value compared to older media opportunities like billboards, radio and print ads. But measurement within AI tools is much harder, at least so far. For starters, these are all closed systems with no visibility into how they work. Unlike Google search results, there’s no publicly available “ranking” within these tools to see objectively how you compare to competitors. In addition, each tool by design will customize its results to the preferences, likes and personality of the individual user.
So is there no way to track? No. All of our AI marketing plans include quarterly re-evaluation of our initial set of research. From that, we can spot changes, ask new questions based on what changed (and what hasn’t), and continually re-orient tactics based on where the AI tools are telling us they are looking.
AI is rewriting the rules of digital marketing on a daily basis. Your patients and prospects are already turning to AI tools for answers, and it may not be long before a Google searcher seems as out of sync as someone who still has a landline phone. AI tools work in a completely different way than Google does, and the tactics needed to stay front and center are different. By acting now, your practice will secure its place at the forefront of this change — while competitors who wait risk being left behind.
Uh, you’re looking at one, punk! Seriously though, AI optimization is a cutting edge area of marketing and it’s important to trust a team like ours that has experience with it from the start. We see many traditional SEO agencies getting into the AIO/GEO game, but they are not leaders in understanding the specific tactics that work to influence AI engines. We have 15 years of experience in working with large medical groups as well as solo practitioners, and we can help you succeed as well.
Why Sector45 for SEO
The one thing you’ll will realize about working with Sector45 on your AI optimization plan is that we are not like most online marketing firms. We spend the time to educate you about what we do and why our strategies and tactics, which are everchanging, work to deliver you more patients. We back up everything we say and do with data and analysis. We deliver not just metrics but regular insights to show each client where they stand so we can plot a course that’s designed to help you reach your goals.
If we just did the same thing over and over, we’d be yesterday’s news in a heartbeat. We scour the trends and read every new blog, whitepaper presentation and about AI optimization. This isn’t just for us to practice our speed reading skills. This is about looking for new tactics that we can put into action immediately to help our clients stay ahead.
Our evaluation process during our proposal page takes a close look at your existing online assets, and from there we’ll custom-design AI optimization plans to fit your needs. Please contact us to take the next step.
Are You a Badass Practice Manager?
Learn the 8 tactics to bring in more patients and be a star in your doctor’s eyes
