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AI Search for the Cosmetic and Medical Procedure Industry – Where does your business stand?
This whitepaper covers how AI search, LLMs, and generative features are reshaping visibility in the cosmetic and medical procedure industry. Using real-world examples, we show how clinics can optimise for AI-driven search, capture patient attention, and stay competitive across organic, AI, and social channels.
Abstract
Over the last year, the search landscape has changed massively, with large-scale algorithmic changes being implemented more frequently than ever before and a brand new generative search function becoming a staple among the general public.
For businesses in the cosmetic and medical procedure industry, if you want potential patients to find and choose your clinic, you need to stay ahead of the game and make your brand visible at every stage in their research and buying journey. But what does that look like today?
What is a SERP and how have they changed?
A search engine results page – or SERP – is the page that comes up when you type a query into a search engine like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, or DuckDuckGo. With the largest market share by far at 79.1% of the market as of March 2025, Google remains the number one go-to for our search queries. However, the search landscape is constantly changing, with users turning from traditional Google searches to AIs, LLMs and social media to find the information they want.
Even on Google itself, for many searches it will prioritise its own features – in the example below, you can see there is a knowledge card (the dictionary response at the top), a knowledge panel (the Wikipedia link on the right) and an AI Overview beneath. If you continued to scroll, you would also see a People Also Asked box before reaching the first organic search result.
AIOs
Google introduced AI Overviews (AIOs) in mid-2024, and they rapidly took over a large number of informational searches. AIOs pull information from across the web to give users a detailed answer to any query – for example:
In this search, you can see that the very first result on the SERP is an AIO, which provides information about what a mummy makeover is, what types of procedures are available and some key considerations. The websites that the information is sourced from sit to the right of the AIO.
This feature is followed by up to four paid advert listings before reaching the first organic search result, underlining the importance of ensuring your website is organically visible in the AIO. Following the introduction of AIOs, many websites have seen performance declines, with Ahrefs estimating that AIOs reduce website clicks by 34.5%.
Losing clicks to AIOs? Check out our AIO optimisation services.
LLMs
Much of the AI excitement is powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, AI Mode, Perplexity and Copilot. Not only do these provide a detailed response from multiple sources, but they are designed to create the feeling of talking to a person.
In the example below, you can see that ChatGPT tells the user that their query is ‘a really common question – and totally normal’. For users searching for very personal or medical queries, this can be reassuring. However, while some do, not every ChatGPT search offers its sources, meaning it can be more difficult for users to analyse the results for accuracy and for brands to be seen.
See our Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) solutions for advice on how to build your visibility.
Video and social search
Finally, we come to social search; while AI and LLMs have been at the forefront of many people’s minds, users have quietly increased their usage of social media as a search engine. Ensuring your brand is visible on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and even Pinterest can drive significantly more traffic to your website, and while someone searching for medical information may be unlikely to convert directly from a TikTok video, it can form a critical part of the user’s research journey in finding – and trusting – your business.
In our detailed report on the Future of Search, you’ll find more information on each of these topics, as well as tips on how to get featured in the SERPs as the landscape continues to change.
Why does AI matter for cosmetic and medical businesses?
Being visible in an ever-changing landscape
Google has been incorporating machine learning into their searches for over 20 years, including:
- Suggesting spelling corrections for search queries
- Creating an automatic translation function
- Using BERT to allow the search engine to understand searches in context, rather than by individual word
This last meant that users could search more colloquially than ever, and still get a highly-relevant response, and the next step in this advancement was the introduction of (AIOs) in mid-2024.
AIOs rapidly took over a large number of informational searches, scraping information from across the web to give users a detailed answer to any query. For example:
Let’s break this SERP down:
- The top of the page prioritises the AIO – it gives a figure estimate, and explains what can influence that cost. If we were to click ‘Show More’, we would only see the AIO results on the page.
- Cambridge IVF is the first organic search result returned, sandwiched between the AIO and the ‘People Also Ask’ SERP features. This highlights how far down the page the second organic ranking can be found.
- Carrot Fertility is the first AIO source listed, but in organic rankings, it’s on page three.
So what does that mean? That by securing a place in the AIO, Carrot Fertility has effectively increased their positioning from #23 to #1 on this SERP, for a search term that has over 1,200 searches per month. Conversely, Cambridge IVF – the organically top-ranking website – has been pushed to halfway down the visible page.
Finding a place in patient shortlists
According to a study commissioned by Google, 60% of consumers will take six or more actions before deciding to buy a brand or product that’s new to them, including comparing prices, looking at reviews and visiting a brand’s website or app.
When it comes to medical and cosmetic procedures, there is typically even more research that goes into the decision of whether to undertake a procedure, and then which clinic to choose for it. To exemplify this process, a 2022 study laid out the typical four-stage process of shortlisting a fertility clinic.
- Patients typically begin by narrowing down every available clinic into a shortlist based on two key factors: location and pricing.
- Using this information, patients often then compare success rates, as well as how clinics treat their patients and the consultants/practitioners available.
- Patients then usually move on to look at online reviews and social media (both from the clinic itself and third parties)
- Finally, they will book an initial consultation at their chosen clinic.
This is based on those who have already decided to undergo fertility treatment, but gives a good idea of how AI and LLMs could factor into this process for other types of medical and cosmetic procedures.
Following this process, we used ChatGPT to compare fertility clinics within a ten-mile radius of Leeds. It found five clinics (two of which are satellites of bigger groups) and compared them based on their location, success rates, patient rating and key consultants.
Rather than trawling through individual websites looking for information, users can now find their shortlist laid out for them and directly compare based on their priorities. If your clinic isn’t being picked up by LLMs, you might not make the cut.
International competition
UK-based search incorporates those who are looking for international solutions – there are thousands of searches each month for various medical or cosmetic procedures in other countries.
Winning UK brands are those that acknowledge where their customers are at and meet them there; for example, for the search ‘how much is a boob job in turkey’ (200 searches per month), Manchester Private Hospital are ranking both within the AIO and in the top five organic results for a blog comparing the two. Some of the wins from this piece include:
- A breakdown of the costs and an explanation as to why it is that Turkey is that much cheaper than the UK
- Video content embedded throughout the page – how one patient got a cheaper boob job with their clinic than she would have in Turkey, why they offer such a cheap service, an About Us and a patient review
- Patient before and after pics
- FAQs
The value here is in providing the potential client with the information they need to make an educated decision on whether to stay with a local clinic or continue looking overseas, and being visible in that first touchpoint – the client searches for a boob job in Turkey, but the first result they see is a UK-based clinic.
Rather than trawling through individual websites looking for information, users can now find their shortlist laid out for them and directly compare based on their priorities. If your clinic isn’t being picked up by LLMs, you might not make the cut.
Examples
In order to give an overview of the existing market, we’ve taken a look at the AIO performance of a few clinics within the industry offering a range of services, highlighting the traffic brought to their websites by keywords which return AIOs.
Enhance Medical Group
Informational keywords make up around 50% of the ranking keywords for Enhance Medical Group, and they are currently capturing 34.5% of the available AIOs within their ranking keywords.
We can see from the keywords below that they provide users with information about all stages of the journey, from a concern (such as ‘why is one boob bigger than the other’) through to the post-treatment stage (such as ‘how long does nose filler last’). Enhance Medical Group also provides clearly-signposted EEAT signals, including detailed biographies of their surgeons and consultants, transparent pricing and reviews from a third-party website.
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Monthly Traffic |
| breast injection fillers before and after* | 900 | 324 |
| how long does nose filler last* | 720 | 176 |
| why is one boob bigger than the other* | 880 | 176 |
| one boob bigger than the other* | 1,600 | 170 |
| boob job in turkey* | 2,400 | 167 |
| breast filler | 450 | 148 |
| teardrop breast implants* | 600 | 132 |
| how long is the nhs waiting list for breast reduction* | 480 | 118 |
| healed one year breast lift scars | 200 | 80 |
| botox for eye bags* | 200 | 77 |
* represents where Enhance is ranking for AIO
Create Fertility
Informational keywords make up 48% of Create Fertility’s overall keyword footprint but only 19% of the ranking keywords have AIO opportunities.
The picture here is that users are turning to Create Fertility to answer very specific questions about their fertility journey, allowing Create to answer these queries and encourage readers to get in touch with them for more information. Similar to Enhance Medical Group, Create Fertility prioritises trust signals, including highlighting their own scientific research, clearly-published success rates and a blog which covers business updates, testimonials and informative content.
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Monthly Traffic |
| what is a good amh level to get pregnant | 600 | 219 |
| fertility mot | 450 | 176 |
| ivf babies disadvantages* | 800 | 116 |
| amh levels* | 2,400 | 113 |
| iui vs ivf* | 1,900 | 112 |
| how long does implantation take* | 2,400 | 105 |
| how to increase sperm count* | 2,300 | 98 |
| ovulation pain and pregnancy success | 1,700 | 84 |
| when you feel ovulation pain is it too late* | 210 | 51 |
| how to thicken uterine lining* | 320 | 50 |
* represents where Create is ranking for AIO
Spire Healthcare
Spire has fewer relative informational keywords within their overall keyword footprint than both Enhance Medical Group and Create Fertility, which could contribute to the fact that they are only visible in 9% of available AIOs. However, they have gained visibility across various LLM offerings.
The ranking informational keywords are largely symptom-based – these are the types of queries where a user might be more inclined to turn to Google or an LLM to find answers, particularly if they’re shy or feeling vulnerable about talking to a medical professional.
Spire Healthcare also offers detailed local clinic websites, with information about the available consultants and treatments at each site, as well as clear guidance for patients on their safety and vulnerability.
| Keyword | Monthly Search Volume | Monthly Traffic |
| cramps but no period* | 2,800 | 800 |
| my period is 4 days late but i have cramps* | 1,900 | 692 |
| why am i always tired* | 10,000 | 690 |
| lump on anus* | 1,500 | 663 |
| period cramps but no period* | 2,300 | 637 |
| pain in groin female* | 3,000 | 557 |
| lump near anus female not painful* | 1,500 | 551 |
| female gallbladder surgery recovery time* | 4,500 | 530 |
| piles cure in 3 days* | 10,000 | 454 |
| eustachian tube | 13,000 | 451 |
* represents where Spire is ranking for AIO
Meet prospective patients where they’re at
Like it or not, AI is here to stay, and has worked its way into almost every stage of the search and research journeys of the average internet user. It’s critical that your business finds a way to forge ahead or risk being left behind.
We call it ‘SEO Everywhere’ – creating an aligned, optimised multi-channel approach to your digital marketing strategy is not only the best way to do it, but it’s rapidly becoming the only way to do it, particularly in such a competitive space as the cosmetic and medical procedure industry.
Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can support your business’s organic performance through our SEO services, content strategy and digital PR support.
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