Google AI and ChatGPT Show Very Different Results
AI in healthcare marketing requires multi-faceted strategies. That’s because AI tools like Google’s Gemini (AI Overviews) and OpenAI’s ChatGPT deliver radically different answers and shape user behavior in unique ways.
A July 2025 study from BrightEdge found a 62% divergence between the recommendations provided by Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT for the same healthcare queries.
Gemini vs. ChatGPT: Different Functions, Different Outcomes
Before we dive deeper, it’s important to understand how these AI systems are changing the landscape of healthcare decisions.
AI in healthcare spans across:
- Diagnostic support (radiology, pathology)
- Administrative automation (scheduling, coding)
- Patient engagement (chatbots, reminders)
- Predictive analytics (readmission risks)
- Personalized treatment plans (via NLP and machine learning)
- Understanding these differences is key to your strategy, because where and how you appear can change who finds you and what they do next.
Google’s Gemini behaves like a research assistant, sending users to established authorities like Mayo Clinic or CDC.
ChatGPT, however, acts like a decision coach, suggesting tools like Zocdoc or offering direct answers with no links.
If your healthcare company shows up in only one of these AI experiences, you’re invisible to half your future patients.
Why This Matters, Plain & Simple:
Patient behavior is shifting quickly.
Patients no longer just “Google and click.” They ask AI and act. If your clinic, wellness brand, or health-tech platform only appears in one AI ecosystem, you’re missing out on:
- Half of your potential leads
For example, a parent searching for “best ADHD treatment near me” may be shown CDC articles in Google, but in ChatGPT, they might be referred directly to a telehealth service that books appointments. These are entirely different user journeys with distinct commercial outcomes.
- Top-of-funnel discovery from Google AI – Bottom-of-funnel conversions from ChatGPT tools
- This isn’t just about visibility; it’s about influence.
Each engine is shaping decisions in very different ways:
- Gemini (Google) builds trust by showing expert sources
- ChatGPT drives action by recommending tools and providers
Picture this: A patient in Nashville searches for “AI for chronic pain management.” Gemini might direct them to research on AI in diagnostics from NIH. ChatGPT might recommend a local integrative medicine clinic using AI-enhanced pain management—and include a phone number to call.
If you’re not optimizing for both, you’re handing patients to your competitors who are.
Why You Need to Optimize for Both Google and ChatGPT
Gemini prefers:
- Long-form structured data
- Authoritative domain links
- Precise technical schema
ChatGPT prefers:
- Plain text summaries
- Answerable FAQ
- Tool-based JSON and Markdown
How to Optimize Your Content for Google AI (Gemini)
-
Nail Technical SEO:
- Structured data (FAQ, HowTo, MedicalWebPage schema)
- E-E-A-T signals (author bylines, citations)
- High-quality internal linking
-
Answer Authoritatively. Use keywords like:
- “What is the role of AI in healthcare”
- “Why is AI important in healthcare”
- Cite trusted institutions (CDC, NIH)
-
Add Clarity for AI Overviews:
- Use H2/H3s that match popular queries
- Write concise, answer-box-ready intros (1–3 sentence answers)
How to Optimize for ChatGPT and Other LLMs

- Publish Machine-Readable Content
- Use Markdown for summaries and FAQs
- include clear file structure for scraping (e.g., /data/llms.md)
- Add llms.txt and ai.txt
- Create permission files in the `.well-known` folder
- ignal licensing, crawl permission, and preferred data use
- Create JSON Bundles for Each Page
Example:
- { “query”: “how is ai used in healthcare”, “source_article”: “<cleaned markdown summary>”, “serp_urls”: [“https://mayoclinic.org”, “https://yourbrand.com”], “type”: “decision-support” }
- Provide FAQs in Markdown or JSON-LD
- Question/answer format
- Include your brand in citations: “According to [Your Brand]…”
Future-Proof Strategy: How to “Travel” Across LLMs
Don’t just write content. Write content packages that can be interpreted by:
- Gemini (Google AI)
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- Claude (Anthropic)
- Perplexity
- Meta LLaMA and others
Your content package should include:
- HTML page
- JSON content summary
- llms.txt or ai.txt
- Schema
- Source citations
Actionable Next Steps for Healthcare Practices
- Identify which LLM or AI engine delivers your best traffic
- Use analytics to check referral paths from ChatGPT or Gemini
- Create a technical checklist for each blog or landing page:
- Schema
- Markdown FAQ
- JSON bundle
- llms.txt or ai.txt
- Strong call-to-action
- Check how you appear in both engines
- Ask: “How is AI used in healthcare in [city]?” in ChatGPT and Google
- Document if/where your brand appears
AI in the Healthcare Industry
The AI landscape isn’t settling, it’s splitting. Healthcare businesses that treat Google and ChatGPT the same will fall behind. The ones who tailor their content for each platform’s strengths will dominate both discovery and conversion.
Need Help With Your Healthcare Business?
We offer no-obligation strategy calls and AI audits for businesses, especially in health.
If you’re unsure how to begin and want to play in the AI in healthcare space, let’s talk.
Ai In Healthcare FAQs:
How can my clinic show up in AI tools like Google Gemini and ChatGPT?
What does Google Gemini look for in healthcare content?
What helps ChatGPT recommend my healthcare site?
What files should I include to support AI indexing?
llms.txt
or ai.txt
in the .well-known/
folder, and publish JSON bundles with source, query, and type tags.1
What is a JSON bundle and how does it help my business?
Why is it important to optimize for both ChatGPT and Gemini?
How does Marketing Doctors help clinics appear in AI results?
Can I get a free AI audit of my website?
Yes. Marketing Doctors offers no-obligation strategy calls and AI visibility audits specifically for healthcare and wellness brands. 1