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It used to be simple. A patient Googled "dentist near me," clicked the first result, and called. That world is changing — and it's changing fast.
According to Michael Anderson of Wonderist Agency — one of the country's largest dental marketing firms — search behavior has shifted in a way the industry has never seen before. "For years, 98% of search happened through Google. In the last year and a half to two years, we've seen that change for the first time ever. Today, roughly 80% of search happens through Google and 20% now happens through ChatGPT."
For dental practice owners, that 20% is a number worth taking seriously. And it's only going to grow.
When a patient asks ChatGPT "Who's the best dentist near me?" — the AI doesn't just run a keyword search. It synthesizes data from across the web: your Google My Business profile, your reviews, your website content, third-party listing sites like Healthgrades, and even what other websites say about you.
The somewhat unsatisfying answer to "how do I rank in AI search?" is this: go back to the fundamentals. "You need to do the things you already should have been doing," Michael explains. "Claim your listings, make sure all the information is filled out correctly, have good reviews, have a website with deep content that actually speaks about you — not stock content."
Nobody wants to hear "do the boring stuff." But that's exactly the advice, and it's the right advice.
One of the most common concerns among practice owners: will using AI to generate blog posts and web content hurt rankings? According to Michael, Google has already answered that — they won't penalize AI-generated content. "What makes content bad isn't whether AI wrote it. It's whether you were lazy about it."
The right approach is to use AI as a sophisticated content partner, not a vending machine. Instead of asking ChatGPT to "write a blog about dental implants" and posting whatever comes out, treat AI like a brilliant copywriter who needs to interview you first. Give it your voice, your clinical philosophy, your patient stories. The output will be dramatically different — and dramatically more effective.
"AI content should not be relegated to some secondary category. It's how you use it that makes it general or powerful. — Michael Anderson, Wonderist Agency"
In the early days of Google Ads, the first dental practices to run paid search campaigns were "shooting fish in a barrel." Is the same window of opportunity opening up right now with AI search?
Michael's answer: partially — but with an important difference. "Whenever we have new platforms with lots of eyeballs, first adopters benefit greatly. But AI tailors its results to each user. It creates personalized ecosystems." You can't just buy a keyword and dominate. Instead, the practices that win will be the ones who have built dominant, authoritative brands that show up consistently across every search environment.
"It's a bit of a gold rush," he says. "You should really look at this seriously, prioritize it, and make sure you're asking your marketing team: how are we going to be at the front end of this, not the back end?"
The practices that get ahead in the next 18 months won't be the ones with the flashiest AI tools. They'll be the ones who built a strong digital foundation early — and kept it up.
Listen to Episode 159 of The Dental Boardroom Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/159-es-ai-the-dental-practice/id1518344747?i=1000769861145
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