AI Search for Practices: ChatGPT, AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google says there's nothing extra a practice has to do to show up in AI Overviews or AI Mode: no special markup and no new files. The same groundwork that helps you in regular search is what these features draw on: clear answers on your website, an accurate Google Business Profile, reviews and pages Google can crawl.
That's good news for a practice. You don't need a new vendor or a new kind of content. You need the basics done well and a simple way to check how the AI tools describe you.
Below is what Google's documentation says, what ChatGPT and Perplexity say about their crawlers, the groundwork I'd check on a practice website and a monthly routine your office manager can run.
- Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
- A page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet in Google Search to be shown as a supporting link.
- ChatGPT and Perplexity each name a search crawler to allow in robots.txt if you want to appear.
- Clear service pages, a complete Google Business Profile, reviews and a doctor's bio are the groundwork.
- Ask the same 15 patient questions in four AI tools each month and log who gets cited.
What does Google say about AI Overviews and AI Mode?
That the fundamentals still apply. Google Search Central's AI features documentation says "there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode," and that you don't need new machine-readable files or special schema.org markup.
A few more points from the same page:
- Eligibility. To be shown as a supporting link, a page "must be indexed" and "eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet."
- Query fan-out. Both features may run several related searches across subtopics while building an answer, so they can link to a wider set of pages than a classic result.
- Measurement. Traffic from AI features is included in the overall search traffic in Search Console, in the Performance report under the Web search type.
Google lists the practices that still matter, including allowing crawling in robots.txt, internal links, a good page experience, important content in text form, supporting images and video, "making sure your structured data matches the visible text on the page" and keeping your Business Profile information up to date.
What about ChatGPT and Perplexity?
Each one names a search crawler, and each recommends allowing it if you want to appear.
- OpenAI's crawler documentation says "OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features," and that sites that opt out won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers. GPTBot, used for model training, is a separate setting.
- Perplexity's documentation says PerplexityBot is "designed to surface and link websites in search results on Perplexity" and recommends allowing it in robots.txt.
Ask whoever manages your website to check robots.txt for both. It's a five-minute look.
What can a practice do to show up in AI answers?
Do the groundwork well and keep it accurate. No one can promise a citation, and Google's local ranking help says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. What you control is what's published about your practice.
- Crawling allowed in robots.txt, including OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot if you want those tools
- One service page per main treatment, answering the questions patients ask
- Important content in text, supported by real photos and video
- Internal links so every service page is easy to find
- A complete, accurate Google Business Profile
- Name, address, phone and hours that match everywhere they appear
- Structured data that matches the visible text on the page
- A byline and a doctor's bio with credentials on clinical content
Source: Google Search Central AI features and structured data guidelines, OpenAI and Perplexity crawler documentation
Service pages that answer questions
One page per main treatment, written around the questions patients ask: what it is, who it's for, what the visit is like, what changes the cost and how to book. Put the answer in the first paragraph under each question, the way this post does. Dental website design that turns searches into exams covers the layout.
In Florida, Fla. Stat. 466.019 defines an advertisement to include websites and bars laudatory statements, quality comparisons and unjustified expectations of results. Answers written for AI tools are still advertising, so they stay factual:
Out: "We're the most trusted implant team in Palm Beach County, with flawless results."
In: "Dr. [Name] places and restores dental implants at our [City] office. The first visit includes an exam and imaging, and we explain the options and the fee before treatment."
A consistent Google Business Profile and reviews
Google's local ranking help says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help. Keep your name, address, phone and hours the same on your profile, your website and every directory where patients find you. Google reviews for dentists covers asking and replying the right way.
Schema that matches the page, and a real author
Google's structured data guidelines say "don't mark up content that is not visible to readers of the page" and that structured data must be a true representation of the page content. If your FAQ schema says something your page doesn't, fix the schema.
For clinical content, put the doctor's name on it. Google's guidance on helpful content asks, "Is it self-evident to your visitors who authored your content?" and strongly encourages accurate authorship information. A bio with the doctor's degree, license, training and the treatments they provide answers that question for patients and for search.
A free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. You get a written Method Plan for the cases you want, with the first fixes in order. It's yours to keep whether we work together or not.
How do you check whether AI tools mention your practice?
Ask them the questions your patients ask, the same way every month, and write down what comes back.
- 01Same questionsUse the same 15 patient questions every month
- 02Four toolsAsk each one in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode
- 03Log itRecord who is named and which websites are cited
- 04Act on onePick one question where you are missing and improve the answer on your site
| No. | Question |
|---|---|
| 1 | Who does dental implants near [city]? |
| 2 | How much do dental implants cost in [city]? |
| 3 | What happens at a first dental visit at [Practice Name]? |
| 4 | Does [Practice Name] take [insurance plan]? |
| 5 | Who can see me for a toothache today in [city]? |
| 6 | What age should my child see an orthodontist? |
| 7 | Braces or clear aligners for a teenager in [city]? |
| 8 | Who are the orthodontists in [city]? |
| 9 | Who removes wisdom teeth near [city]? |
| 10 | What is recovery like after wisdom teeth removal? |
| 11 | Who does jaw surgery in [region]? |
| 12 | Is [Dr. Name] a good fit for [treatment]? |
| 13 | Who offers speech therapy for toddlers near [city]? |
| 14 | What does a speech evaluation for a child involve? |
| 15 | What are [Practice Name]'s hours and where do I park? |
Examples to adapt. Keep the questions your patients actually ask and drop the rest.
Log every answer in a simple sheet:
| Month | Tool | Question | Practice named? | Websites cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Month] | ChatGPT | [Question 1] | Yes or no | [Domains] |
| [Month] | Perplexity | [Question 1] | Yes or no | [Domains] |
| [Month] | Gemini | [Question 1] | Yes or no | [Domains] |
| [Month] | Google AI Mode | [Question 1] | Yes or no | [Domains] |
Ask each question in a fresh chat, signed out or in a private window where you can, so every month starts from the same place. Keep a screenshot of anything surprising.
What should you do with what you find?
Pick one question a month and make your answer to it as clear as you can. When another website keeps getting cited for a question, read what it covers that yours doesn't. Look for a direct answer near the top, a price range explained or a doctor's name on the page.
If an AI tool states something wrong about your practice, look for the source. I'd start with old directory listings, outdated pages on your own site and any profile with old hours. Fixing the source is the step you control.
Then watch Search Console and your call tracking. The log tells you how the tools describe you. New patient calls and booked visits tell you whether it's working.
What to do next
In the Double Jaw Method™, the top jaw is thinking: name the patient you want more of. The bottom jaw is action: attract them and wow them. AI search rewards the top jaw: when you've named the patient, you know their questions, and a website that answers those questions clearly is what these tools can find and cite. A Method Review applies both jaws to your practice.
- Check robots.txt for Googlebot, OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot.
- Write your 15 questions, using the list above as a start.
- Run them in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode, and fill in the log.
- Pick the one question where you're missing and improve that service page this month.
- Add a byline and a doctor's bio to every clinical page that doesn't have one.
The website, profile and reviews here are the same pieces in how to get more dental patients. See how we build them for dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons and speech-language pathologists.
FAQ
Does a practice need special schema or an llms.txt file for AI Overviews?
Google says no. Its AI features documentation says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and that you don't need new machine-readable files or special schema.org markup. If you use structured data, keep it matched to the visible text.
Can anyone guarantee my practice will be cited in ChatGPT or AI Overviews?
No. These tools choose their own sources, and Google's local ranking help says there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. What a practice controls is the quality and accuracy of what's published about it.
How do I see AI Overviews traffic in Search Console?
Google says sites appearing in AI features are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console, in the Performance report under the Web search type.
Should I block AI crawlers on my practice website?
That's your call, but know the trade-off. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers, and Perplexity recommends allowing PerplexityBot to appear in its results. GPTBot, which OpenAI uses for model training, is a separate setting.
How often should I run the AI search check?
I'd run it once a month. Use the same questions each time so the log shows change over months, not noise from one day.
Book a Method Review
Book a Method Review: a free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. We'll run a few of your patients' questions through the AI tools together, and you get a written Method Plan with the first fixes in order, yours to keep whether we work together or not.
