If your organization’s search traffic is down, you’re not alone. Marketers are seeing fewer clicks from Google, even when rankings remain strong. The reason isn’t necessarily poor SEO performance. The way people connect with content is fundamentally shifting, and it’s one of the biggest transformations since Google pulled away to become the dominant search engine.
Despite the knee-jerk reactions among some marketers, however, SEO isn’t actually dead. Instead, artificial intelligence is changing how people search and get answers. People are finding the information they need directly within search results, meaning they don’t have to click on sites as often.
For B2B healthcare organizations, this change creates both challenges and opportunities. Here’s a look at what’s evolving, why, and most importantly, what you can do about it.
Why Traditional SEO Metrics Are Changing
Maintaining a high ranking and maximizing website visits are still important to the success of your brand. But the path looks different from how it has in past years. Google’s AI-generated summaries now answer many informational queries directly on search engine results pages (SERPs).
In healthcare, this shift matters because of the types of queries your audience often conducts, such as:
- What causes patient no-shows?
- How can providers improve care coordination?
- What is value-based care?
- How does AI improve patient engagement?
Many of these questions can now be answered directly within AI-generated search experiences.
Answer Engine Optimization Is the New Kid on the Block
Over 100 million people regularly use Google AI Mode, and that number is climbing every month. Answer engine optimization (AEO) focuses on creating content that Google AI Mode and other AI systems can easily cite and surface in responses.
AEO prioritizes answering real-world questions clearly and directly. Therefore, your B2B brand needs to move away from covering broad topics and focus more on user intent.
Healthcare Buyers Are Already Using AI Search
Healthcare leaders are turning to artificial intelligence tools during the research process. Buyers can ask conversational questions and quickly locate information about the products they are exploring for their organizations.
You can use this to your advantage. Identify what questions your audience asks on Google, ChatGPT, or other AI platforms. When you know what questions are being asked, you can create content that directly answers them. As you build authority, AI tools are more likely to cite your content when providing summaries on SERPs.
What Content Still Performs Well
AI platforms favor content that demonstrates your expertise. Question and answer content, then, is an ideal choice for targeting AI summaries.
Use this shift to Q&A-style content as an opportunity to humanize your brand through storytelling. High-performing content typically includes other key elements, such as:
- Original research and industry data
- Expert commentary and thought leadership
- Case studies
- FAQ-driven content
- Detailed explanations of healthcare tech
Generic content is not going to perform well in AI search. Your content will be less likely to get cited, and may get lost in the shuffle as users click on fewer results.
A New Framework for Healthcare Content Strategy
If SEO isn’t dead, and it most certainly is not, you need a blended strategy that incorporates both search engine optimization and answer engine optimization principles. Here are some productive goals for your revamped content strategy:
- Ranking in traditional search results
- Appearing within AI-generated answers
- Building topical authority around key healthcare challenges
- Creating content that directly answers buyer questions
If you treat AI search as an extension of your search strategy, you will be well-positioned to achieve strong visibility in both SEO and AEO.
Visibility Matters More Than Clicks
Across the B2B healthcare space, it’s important to come to terms with one simple fact: You are probably going to receive fewer clicks than you are accustomed to. While you should still track clicks, make sure you are paying attention to other relevant performance metrics.
If clicks drop, but your marketing campaign is still performing well in other crucial areas, AEO visibility may be part of your success.
Partner With Brivio Health Insights
Brivio Health Insights helps healthcare organizations develop and sustain content strategies that support better visibility and consistent results. Stay ahead of the curve, and explore our library of free resources to learn more today.
