Healthcare Success

AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare marketing—but success depends on using it to solve real consumer problems. In this episode of the Healthcare Success Podcast, Stewart Gandolf speaks with Sandra Mackey, Chief Marketing Officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health, about how her team is integrating AI into its broader marketing strategy to reduce friction in the patient journey and improve access to care. Sandra shares how their conversational AI platform helps guide consumers to the right provider at the right time, why AI must be embedded within the overall marketing ecosystem rather than treated as a standalone tool, and how healthcare organizations can balance innovation with trust, governance, and patient privacy.

For healthcare organizations, this shift elevates digital PR from a supporting tactic to a core authority engine. The goal is no longer to acquire links for rankings alone—it’s to earn coverage and citations that teach AI systems, “This organization is credible, visible, and safe to recommend.”

For hospitals, health systems, and multi-location practices, reviews, ratings, sentiment, and broader E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) now play a central role in whether AI systems are comfortable naming you as an answer at all.

For hospitals, health systems, and multi-location practices, local SEO is no longer just about map pack visibility. It has become a decision layer—one of the primary ways AI determines who to recommend when a patient is closest to choosing care.

AI-driven systems like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity don’t interpret websites holistically the way humans do. They assemble answers from fragments—pages, passages, entities, and relationships. That means your technical foundation increasingly determines whether your content is summarized, cited, or excluded.

For hospitals, health systems, and multi-location groups, I believe the winners will be organizations that build a smaller number of high-quality, citation-ready pages around their most important conditions and service lines. These pages aren’t written to chase keywords; they’re designed to function as primary sources that AI systems can confidently rely on.

In an AI‑first search world, your brand is no longer just a logo and a tagline—it is a data asset that algorithms use as a shortcut for safety, relevance, and trust. When Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity have to decide which hospital, health system, or medical group to name, they lean toward brands they recognize, understand, and see repeatedly in credible contexts.

This article is the home base for a seven‑part series on “How to Show Up in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity” for healthcare brands. It introduces the AI Visibility Stack—six core areas of AI‑era SEO: brand, content, technical SEO and schema, local SEO, reputation, and off‑site digital PR—then links to six deep‑dive playbooks, one for each area. Together, they’re designed so your marketing, digital, and clinical leaders can work from the same framework instead of chasing disconnected SEO tips.

In this week’s podcast, I sit down with Matthew Pinzur, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Jackson Health System, to explore how a large public health system aligns mission, operations, and marketing through disciplined planning, measurable accountability, and data-driven patient engagement.

Jackson is a rare organization with a dual identity: it’s both Miami-Dade County’s safety net hospital system, providing the same level of care regardless of insurance status, and South Florida’s primary academic medical center, powered by its partnership with the University of Miami. That combination shapes everything—from brand strategy to growth priorities—because the high-margin, highly differentiated services help fund the mission-driven work that serves everyone.

There isn’t one universal answer to “How much does a healthcare marketing agency cost?” A solo practice leasing a website for a few hundred dollars a month, a multilocation medical group hiring a specialized agency and a global pharmaceutical running multimillion-dollar campaigns are all asking the same question—but the economics are completely different. This guide […]

Hiring a new marketing agency can be challenging, even for senior marketing executives who have hired many agencies over the years. While the wrong agency can turn out to be an expensive mistake, the right agency can act as your strategic partner in many areas, from leading successful new growth initiatives, building your brand, leading […]

(Because AI isn’t coming. It’s already sitting in your lobby, drinking your coffee.)  If you’ve been telling yourself, “We’ll deal with AI next quarter,” I have bad news: AI didn’t wait.   Search is evolving FAST, and if your website still looks and behaves like it did in 2019, it’s basically wearing skinny jeans in a […]

Learn why authenticity is a must in healthcare branding. See how organizations can build trust, loyalty, and differentiation in competitive markets.

Our SEO team is on the leading edge of healthcare AI and digital marketing. Together with Stewart, they’ve compiled insights and recommendations on how health systems and healthcare organizations can leverage AI to supercharge SEO and patient engagement. AI is here and it’s transforming how health systems and healthcare organizations connect with patients, deliver care […]

AI search moved from novelty to mainstream way faster than most of us expected.Like, many lightspeeds faster. After Google I/O 2025, even seasoned digital strategists realized the shift from traditional search to AI Overviews wasn’t years away; it was already here (and stomping all over traditional search analytics). In the past, digital visibility centered on […]

If your paid search conversions have mysteriously dropped (or your dashboard looks too good to be true), you’re not alone. AI is rewriting the rules of paid search. From shifting search engine results page (SERP) visibility to murky performance metrics, AI Overviews and Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are challenging how healthcare organizations measure success. In […]

Google’s new AI Mode redefines how content is evaluated and displayed in search, especially for sensitive, YMYL (Your Money Your Life) categories, like healthcare, that can impact a person’s well-being. The new feature heavily prioritizes content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), a framework that Google uses to assess content quality. AI algorithms […]

Yes—your traffic and rankings are down. But that doesn’t mean your strategy is broken. Across industries, brands are noticing the same trends: What looks like a drop in visibility isn’t an SEO failure.It’s a paradigm shift. AI-driven search has fundamentally changed how visibility works. At Healthcare Success, we’re watching this shift closely, adapting our strategies, […]

AI Overviews were launched in the U.S. in May 2024, and their impact on analytics dashboards is still taking shape. While marketers and healthcare leaders have been busy speculating about their impact on organic traffic and brand visibility, Google isn’t offering much in the way of clarity. Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console still […]

Find Out How Google’s AI-Powered Search Is Rewriting Healthcare Marketing For healthcare marketers, this isn’t just a minor update. It’s a fundamental shift in how patients search for care and how your brand shows up (or doesn’t). What’s Driving the Shift? Three important things: To stay competitive, healthcare marketers must treat content like a strategic […]

After a speaking with dozens of healthcare executives during my recent conference tour, I’m more convinced than ever— Brand strategy isn’t optional. It’s a business imperative, especially as your business grows. Whether you are a healthcare provider, manufacturer, or other healthcare business, expansion, acquisitions, and new service lines can quickly distance you from the patients, […]

Millennials expect digital healthcare to feel like the apps they use every day: frictionless, fast, accessible, and on their terms. Is your marketing strategy built to meet them there or are you relying on an outdated marketing plan that doesn’t resonate? In this blog post, I share seven proven strategies to help you connect, compete, […]

Is your telehealth business buried on your website? If it is, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to boost patient engagement and reduce costs. Telehealth isn’t just another service line. It’s a distinct business model with its own users, workflows, and expectations. Your website and UX design must reflect that. By 2026, nearly one […]

Trimming your marketing budget might seem like a quick way to cut costs, but it can hurt your healthcare business more than you think—especially during economic uncertainty. While the U.S. economy remains numerically strong, 53% of Americans think it’s on the wrong track. With uncertainty surrounding impending tariffs, inflation, a tightening labor market, and rising healthcare […]

Forward by Stewart Gandolf, Chief Executive Officer At Healthcare Success, we understand that a patient’s journey often begins with a search query. In this blog, our Technical Program Manager, Victoria Shepherd, explores the critical role of symptom search optimization. She shares how organizations can leverage this healthcare marketing trend to engage potential patients early and […]

Branding is more than just logos, slogans, and colors. It’s a long-term strategy to build trust, credibility, and healthcare brand loyalty across generations. Understanding how to build these values is critical, and it varies between generations. Healthcare consumers have distinct preferences and expectations depending on their age, requiring multilocation healthcare brands to balance digital innovation […]

Although women remain the primary healthcare consumers, 66% of men are now more focused on their health and wellness than they were before the pandemic. This shift is a valuable opportunity for your healthcare organization to connect with this growing audience and address their healthcare needs. Here’s how you can better connect with this audience, […]

As we enter 2025, one thing remains clear: marketing has evolved beyond simply promoting services. Now, it's about connecting authentically, earning trust, and adapting to and meeting the needs of today’s well-informed patients.  With my years of experience navigating this fast-paced industry, I believe next year will be pivotal and demand that healthcare organizations position […]

Your value proposition is more than just a catchy phrase—it’s a vital tool that piques interest, communicates your brand identity, and compels consumers to book an appointment. And, it can increase patient volume and revenue. Here’s why: Your value proposition is, at its foundation, an essential component of your brand messaging. A quick primer: Together, […]

Are you struggling to fill critical positions in your healthcare organization? You’re not alone. With competition for top talent at an all-time high, hospitals and health systems must prioritize employer branding to attract and retain skilled professionals. Why Employer Branding Matters Employer branding isn’t just a marketing buzzword—it’s a critical strategy for healthcare organizations. How […]

Managing successful Google Ads campaigns is more than just winning clicks—it’s about converting those clicks into results (e.g., new patients or B2B inquiries). At Healthcare Success, we manage millions of dollars in Google Ads spend for our healthcare clients. We often see the following 13 mistakes tank conversion rates. But don’t worry—13 isn’t unlucky here. […]

On August 14, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced a rule banning fake reviews and misleading testimonials to improve marketing transparency and authenticity. As a healthcare organization, you already prioritize ethical practices and HIPAA compliance due to the nature of your business. It’s important to adapt to these new changes to maintain patient trust […]

As you might expect, our agency networks with lots of people in the financial world, including investment bankers and private equity firms. To capture today’s M&A trends and insights, I interviewed Andre Ulloa, a Partner and Executive Advisor at M&A Healthcare Advisors (MAHA), a boutique advisory firm and investment bank. Our podcast interview covered a […]

As healthcare leaders, you are under immense pressure to deliver exceptional care amid rising costs and operational complexities. That’s why so many businesses leverage the power of SMS marketing. Text messaging is a fast and easy way to reduce missed appointments and medication non-compliance. Plus, 20% of patients prefer receiving health information via text message, […]

As a leading Google Premier Partner managing millions of dollars in annual Google Ads spend, we strongly advocate for the platform. Our digital team collaborates closely with Google's enterprise team to implement best practices for all our clients. However, we’ve discovered that not all Google recommendations are equally effective. Many of our new clients come to us with ad […]

The Raleigh House, a valued client and marketing partner, had a clear vision: elevate their website's user experience and project an image of luxury and exclusivity. This, they believed, would resonate with their target audience and boost engagement. While a complete website redesign was on the table, we knew we could achieve some "quick wins" […]

Entrepreneurial Insights from a Market Disruptor Market disrupters are drastically changing the healthcare industry, creating more accessible solutions and lucrative business models by addressing unmet needs with innovative solutions and scalable business models. Psych360 was one of the early disruptors to transform access to mental health care in long-term care facilities. According to a National […]

When my wife Clara met her new workout trainer, he asked, “What can I help you with?” She replied with a smile, “menopause.” She elaborated, “My doctor helps me with hormone therapy, and I work out five days a week at a boot camp. But I feel stuck with the way I look and feel. […]

Schema markup is one of the levers that search engine optimization (SEO) specialists can leverage. Yet, it is surprisingly underutilized, making it an opportune way to increase your healthcare organization’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). According to SEMRush, 92% of the top 10 results in Google Search incorporate schema markup. Although correlation does […]

Marketing the importance of preventive healthcare services is challenging, costly, and often conflicts with consumer behavior. Despite these hurdles, the urgency to promote prevention has never been greater. Why? The growing number of people diagnosed with preventable chronic diseases each year is staggering (think cancer cases resulting from smoking and diabetes and heart disease cases […]

Interviewing medical experts is a tried-and-true way to produce original website content. Without that first-hand, unique, and accurate medical knowledge, your content can unintentionally mislead consumers, damage your reputation, and lose search engine rankings. But what if the experts your organization needs are busy doctors? Or you need help building a content strategy? Add to […]

Whether you run a multilocation healthcare organization, hospital, or health system, understanding the distinction between search engine optimization (SEO) vs. search engine marketing (SEM)—and how each distinctly helps your business—is important for several reasons. This knowledge helps you: In this blog, we’ll cover the unique roles of SEO and SEM in healthcare marketing and how […]

Digital marketing strategies fail when they’re not aligned with your brand.  Picture this: a cardiac center that prioritizes personalized care and leading-edge technology. This brand champions expertise, compassion, and patient empowerment. What would happen if the marketing department of this brand launched a social media campaign featuring younger hospital staff doing a trendy dance? Imagine […]

Managing a PPC strategy for any sized business is complex and challenging. But organizations with dozens or hundreds of locations face even more hurdles: Multilocation providers must consider each location’s unique needs, competitive situation, and business objectives—compounding the complexity of managing an accurate and effective PPC (aka pay-per-click or paid search) strategy. The good news […]

We hope your holiday season was filled with good cheer and plenty of new business opportunities. Now that the holidays have drawn to a close, it’s time to return to your 2024 marketing plan and make adjustments that ensure your business is taking advantage of the latest trends in healthcare marketing to reach patients and […]

Doctors are central to the success of virtually every multi-location healthcare practice and health system we work with. Moreover, today’s doctor partners have strong opinions about marketing and growing their locations within the larger business. Some of the hospitals and multilocation practices that engage our agency have doctors, executives, investors, and other stakeholders aligned around […]

Have your products, services, or target audience evolved to the point where they no longer align with your brand? Has your health brand become lost in a sea of sameness? Do your marketing assets feel stale and out of touch with your audience? Did your business neglect to establish proper healthcare branding from the beginning? […]

Healthcare consumers demand better, more personalized experiences at every touchpoint. According to Google, approximately 77% of people use search engines to start their patient journey.  So, it makes sense for healthcare businesses to focus their attention on their websites, landing pages, and paid search campaigns. But what happens after your ads have captured their attention—especially […]

Today, the marketing spotlight often shines on Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen X due to their vast numbers, combined influence, and economic power.  However, marketing to Baby Boomers remains vitally important. At approximately 68.6 million strong, Baby Boomers remain a formidable and highly-valuable consumer segment. Unfortunately, when building their marketing strategies, many marketers fail to […]

Today’s trusted healthcare sites feature up-to-date, accurate information.  They also boast SEO-optimized content.  To stay ahead of your competitors in organic search results and reach the right target audience, you must regularly update your content for SEO.  In this blog, I share how to do this in five steps.  First, let’s define content optimization.  What […]