Planning a Hospital Website for AI Search: What to Ask Your Agency

When planning a new hospital website, there is another question alongside design and cost.

“I want people to find our hospital's information through AI search too. What should I ask the agency to do?”

A design mock-up cannot answer that on its own. Whether service information can be found through search, and whether someone can complete a booking request on a phone, need separate checks.

Before signing, agree how far the agency will take search checks and inquiry or booking tests. This can reduce the need to pay for missing functions after launch.

Start with the information patients need to check

Before visiting, patients need to know what services you provide, who provides them and how to book. If they need a consultation in another language, they also need to know which languages are available and how to contact you.

Check whether the website answers those questions. If first-visit information exists only in an image, or consultation hours have changed without an update, begin with the text and operating information.

Google recommends established SEO practices for AI Overviews and AI Mode: allow crawling, provide important explanations as text and connect pages with links. Structured data should also match the visible content.

To be eligible as a supporting link in those two features, a page must be indexed in Google Search and eligible to display a search-result snippet. Whether it appears in the answer to a particular question needs a separate check afterward.

Agree on AI search work before signing

Check search-blocking settings on public information pages

Review pages intended to be public, such as service, medical team and visiting information. Check for development-only search blocks, restrictions imposed by the server or security services, and whether the page text is being delivered correctly.

Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool provides indexed-page information and a test of the current URL. A successful live test does not establish that the page is indexed.

For ChatGPT search, consult OpenAI's guidance separately. OpenAI distinguishes settings for its search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, from those for its training crawler, GPTBot. If an agency says it has “allowed AI bots,” ask whether it means search or training.

After settings change, also check how the hospital's information actually appears in search results and AI answers.

Give important information its own pages and readable text

Organize service information, medical team profiles and first-visit booking instructions into pages and URLs where people can find each subject. The page title should make the subject clear.

If a first-visit booking link opens only the homepage, patients have to find the menu again. A link that opens the relevant guidance directly also lets staff send the right information during an inquiry.

Alongside photographs and videos, include essential service and visiting information as text. If the site loads content with JavaScript, check whether the search engine receives and processes the necessary text as well.

Have the hospital review medical team, service and operating facts

Publish medical team profiles, service scope, consultation languages, hours and booking procedures after the hospital has confirmed them. Give patients facts they need to decide about a visit rather than adding more claims such as “the best” or “state-of-the-art.”

Structured data, often called schema markup, should match what the page shows. Google does not impose extra technical requirements for AI Overviews and AI Mode. If an agency proposes schema markup, ask which information it describes and how it matches the text.

Test the path from mobile service information to an inquiry

If people cannot find how to book after reading a service page, they may need to call and ask again. Check these points on a phone:

Can someone find the relevant inquiry or booking method from the service information?
Do buttons and fields work properly on mobile?
After submission, does the form explain whether the request was received and what happens next?
Can the intended user also use the inquiry channel linked from a page in another language?

Include search checks and inquiry testing together in the pre-launch review.

Ask for the results behind “SEO included”

If a quote says “SEO included,” ask what will change on which pages. At completion, request:

The URLs checked and problems found
The proposed changes and their reasons
Before-and-after verification results
Items to monitor after launch
What the hospital can edit and which accounts will be handed over

Google also recommends checking that an SEO explains what will change and why, and discussing SEO early when planning a new site or redesign.

If you are unsure where to begin, see BlinkAd's AI search review approach. Understanding what the review covers helps you prepare specific questions for the website discussion.

Decide whether to improve or rebuild after identifying the problem

If the current system lets you change titles, text, links and inquiry screens, begin with the necessary improvements.

If you cannot add pages or change the text delivered to search engines, compare additional development with rebuilding. For missing accounts or editing permissions, first check the existing contract and handover arrangements with the current agency.

Knowing what needs changing and what the current site lets you change gives you a basis for comparing quotes.

Bring the current URL and required functions to the consultation

For an existing site, share the URL and the problems you experience. For a new site, outline the hospital's opening schedule, information pages and inquiry or booking process you need. If other-language pages are required, also state which languages your staff can actually use for consultations.

These details help separate work that can be handled through limited changes from work that needs new development.

If you are considering a hospital website build or redesign, discuss improvements to the current site and the development work you need with BlinkAd.