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AI SEO, the next step in search

No matter how a patient finds you, it’s important you’re there, everywhere and visible, so you can be a recommendation regardless if it’s Google making it or ChatGPT.

Key Takeaways

  • We optimise your practice’s online presence so your website gets found not just on Google, but in AI-powered search results and voice search answers.

  • This includes tailoring content and structure to how people ask questions in natural language, so AI tools are more likely to use your site when answering patients’ queries.

  • We build clear, helpful content and structured data that helps AI platforms surface accurate, practice-specific information (like treatments, pricing and FAQs).

  • The aim is to increase visibility in “zero-click” AI answers and featured responses, turning those interactions into real enquiries and bookings.

  • This is done alongside strong traditional SEO, so your practice is visible everywhere patients are searching — search engines, AI assistants and voice search.

SEO is not dead, but outdated tactics are. You need a company who can keep you relevant and visible in this new landscape we've arrived in.

Is AI SEO the future of search?

We've evolved - has your strategy?

The world is changing. It’s already changed. Google’s not the core player anymore, searchers now flock to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and TikTok – and where your patients go, we must follow.

Search is not falling apart, it’s just fracturing, segmenting and changing.

Patients don’t stop wanting products or stop searching overnight; they’re still there, but they’re no longer in one place – and they don’t want information the same.

The positive news? Agencies like ours know how to react. We’ve been expecting this for 10 years and planning for it, studying it. SEO has not changed; the principles remain the same: create valuable content, solve the right problems, be original, earn trust and build authority.

We’ve helped our clients stay ahead of the curve for years. Whether it’s a new Google update or the emergence of AI SEO, we’ve planted strong and stable roots for our clients so they never slip out of search or get left out of new models. 

Because let’s face it, if you’ve been wiped out with new updates and new systems, you never had a strategy in the first place; you had a shortcut.

Right now users are experimenting

Shift in search behaviour

AI is causing a slight change in search behaviour, but not consumer behaviour. Users experimenting with LLMs and Generative Search do so for zero-click answers and product comparisons – meaning they’re seeking information. They’ll still cross over to search engines for deeper research and shopping.

Get to number one faster

Utilise to speed up results

AI speeds up content research, briefs, competitor audits and audience profiles, which is great for busy teams like us. But it does not replace strategy, critical thinking and human thought/experience. AI helps us do SEO faster, but we still need to understand the intent to plan long-term.

Understand your impact

We track AI search

Only 22% of marketers currently track AI visibility, despite the shift in behaviour, showing a large gap between behaviour & strategy. We track and optimise for AI SEO daily to see where our clients are being mentioned.

Generative Engine Optimisation

The right next step

GEO is the next step for us SEOs, to ensure your content and brand are trusted and mentioned in the right places to show up in AI-generated answers. We’ve adjusted our tactics to ensure you’re not just visible in SERPs but in LLMs too.

The Future of Search
Google is still King and shouldn't be forgotten

The future is not here yet, but it's coming

AI SEO is important, but it hasn’t replaced Google, yet. Even with 52% of users using ChatGPT to find answers online, with 27% turning to generative AI for half of their searches, it may seem like a worrying shift in a short amount of time, causing Google to incorporate more AI models into their structure and search. 

But AI search is not perfect – and if we’ve realised it quickly, users will too. At the moment, the developing tool still has many limitations, which is why we’ve not put all of our eggs in the AI SEO basket. Google is still very much in charge, still owning 75% of the global search share. Chat GPT is only 2.96% of search traffic.

  • AI is currently regressing – learning from older models as its content floods the internet. Meaning it’s not currently improving.
  • AI is notorious for hallucinating and making things up – it can get answers wrong, which means it cannot be trusted 100% yet.
  • The problem at the moment is a lack of real-time data. In its own words: “I’m not truly real-time in the sense of knowing everything happening second by second on my own.”
  • Its primary function right now is for zero-click search and answers without sending users away to your website, which will reduce site traffic even if you’re mentioned.
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veronica tribolati profile picture
veronica tribolati
13/12/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Thanks Ben and Libby for your great work and efforts to improve our SEO position and increase our sales, big noticeable difference since we started working with you, we are very grateful and happy to recommend to other companies looking for your services.
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Tobiasku France profile picture
Tobiasku France
13/12/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
We have been working with Vanilla Circus, Ben, and Libby for a while now with great results so far, our rank on top keywords has improved along with an increase in traffic and qualified leads which is most critical to our business. Always friendly, professional, and responsive. Good content generation and flexible for any requests we have made. Enjoy working with them. Thank you!
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Rachel Derby profile picture
Rachel Derby
03/10/2022
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I’ve been working with Ben for a few months now to help create my website, content and start my SEO journey. Ben has been a delight to work with, his work is excellent and he is incredibly knowledgable which he is happy to impart to newbies like me. I find him very trustworthy and reliable and am happy to have found him.
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Raj Patel profile picture
Raj Patel
29/09/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Delight to work with. They have a comprehensive strategy and regular meetings to discuss progress. Could not be more happy with the team
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Victoria M profile picture
Victoria M
28/09/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
We got great results working with Ben at Vanilla Circus - they managed the SEO for three of our healthcare websites, all which saw a very good growth in traffic and conversions over that period. They were also very proactive in setting up Live Chat for us and getting to know our hospital, the treatment involved, how we work and what services we offer so that they could offer valuable strategic website navigation guidance to maximise sales.
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Stuart Patterson profile picture
Stuart Patterson
28/09/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Vanilla Circus provide a fully compressive and detailed service , i cannot recommend them enough. Rubbish Clearance Limited.
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Rosa Bennings profile picture
Rosa Bennings
20/05/2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
They are an excellent team at VC espcially Libby. I am leaving my current marketing role but will hopefully convinve my new Head Of to use you guys. Thank you for making my life easy
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Emma Norton profile picture
Emma Norton
12/03/2021
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
If I could add 6 stars I would. Vanilla's ethos and approach to SEO are totally unique. It was such a relief to speak to a company that puts everything in plain English. After 4 SEO companies in London and in Manchester, we finally feel that we are not being taken for a ride and that we can clearly see things improving month on month. We are now into our 14 month and we are delighted with the results and have no hesitation recommending Ben and his team to anyone (except our competitors) Em
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Brenda Roberts profile picture
Brenda Roberts
15/02/2021
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5
Excellent SEO, what can I say. We have now been working with Vanilla for over 24 months and all I can say is they quietly get on with it. Our traffic is up, are content is much better and our telephone is ringing with new patients making appointments. Ben, Libby and Martha has been amazing!
Key takeaways
  • Be present everywhere: optimise visibility across Google, AI assistants, voice search and platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini and TikTok.
  • Tailor content and structure to natural language questions, use structured data and GEO so AI platforms surface practice specific info and FAQs.
  • Use AI to speed research, briefs and audits but retain human strategy, critical thinking and long term SEO principles.
  • Track and optimise AI visibility daily, aim for zero click answers and enquiries, but do not abandon Google, it still dominates.