AI Answers Across 10 Medical SpecialtiesWhat 100 Searches Show

Google showed an AI Overview on 46 of 100 top US searches across 10 medical specialties, but those 46 searches made up only 23% of the search volume. The biggest searches, such as "dentist near me" and "pediatrician", mostly showed a local map pack instead. Every question-style search in the sample had an AI Overview. We pulled the data from Ahrefs on October 17, 2026.

Medical AI answers study at a glance

• Sample: the 10 highest-volume non-branded US searches containing each of 10 specialty names, 100 searches in total.
• AI Overview present: 46 of 100 searches, covering about 961,000 of 4.25 million monthly searches (23%).
• Local map pack present: 69 of 100 searches.
• Near-me searches: 7 of 39 had an AI Overview. 38 of 39 had a map pack.
• Question and comparison searches: 18 of 18 had an AI Overview.
• The 20 biggest searches (two per specialty) held 79% of the volume. Only 3 of them had an AI Overview. All 20 had a map pack.

How did we run the study?

We used Ahrefs Keywords Explorer with the US database. For each specialty, we pulled searches that contain the specialty name as a phrase. We removed searches Ahrefs marks as branded or navigational. We also filtered out searches with job and training words, such as "salary", "job", "school" and "assistant". We kept the top 10 by estimated monthly volume.

For each search, we recorded the SERP features in Ahrefs' most recent check. We counted a search as having an AI Overview when Ahrefs listed the "ai_overview" feature, and a map pack when it listed "local_pack".

Which specialties got the most AI Overviews?

The count was similar across specialties, between 3 and 6 searches out of 10. The share of volume was not. It depended on whether the specialty's single biggest search had an AI Overview.

Orthodontists and optometrists lead because the bare specialty name showed an AI Overview. "Orthodontist" gets about 155,000 searches a month, and "optometrist" about 187,000. "Dentist" also had one. The bare names for the other seven specialties did not.

Do near-me searches show AI Overviews?

Rarely. Of 39 near-me searches, 7 had an AI Overview and 38 had a map pack. Near-me searches made up about 2.51 million of the 4.25 million monthly searches, or 59% of the volume.

The exceptions were mostly "best" or niche searches. Examples include "best dermatologist near me", "emergency dentist near me", "prenatal chiropractor near me" and "teen therapist near me". Each showed both an AI Overview and a map pack.

Google says local results depend on relevance, distance and prominence. Its help page also says: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." For near-me searches, the Google Business Profile still does most of the work.

Which searches always got an AI Overview?

Questions and comparisons did. All 18 searches that start with "what" or "how", or that compare two options, had one. Examples:

• "optometrist vs ophthalmologist" (about 18,000 searches a month)
• "how to find a therapist" and "how to choose a therapist" (about 14,000 and 13,000)
• "what is physical therapy" (about 5,500)
• "what does a chiropractor do" (about 3,900)
• "what is a med spa" (about 2,000)

Some treatment-specific searches had one too. "Pelvic floor physical therapy", "pediatric physical therapy" and "sex therapist" all showed an AI Overview.

What does this mean for a medical practice?

Work on two fronts. The map pack still decides most high-volume, ready-to-book searches. AI Overviews decide the questions patients ask before they choose a provider.

Google's AI features page says: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." It also says a page "must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet." The work is ordinary SEO done well.

1. 1

   Fix the Business Profile first

   Check categories, hours and the link to each location page. This covers the near-me searches that held 59% of the volume in our sample.

2. 2

   Answer the comparison questions

   Write a clear page or section for questions like "optometrist vs ophthalmologist" or "orthodontist vs dentist". Put the answer in the first sentence.

3. 3

   Give each treatment its own page

   Some searches that named a specific treatment showed an AI Overview. One page per treatment gives Google a clear page to cite.

4. 4

   Check what AI says about you

   Run The Webpatch AI Visibility Check to see how AI tools describe your practice today.

Our dental search study found the same split between near-me and treatment searches. Our AEO guide for healthcare explains how to structure answer-first pages, and the AI Visibility Check guide shows how to test your practice.

What are the limits of this study?

This is one snapshot of Ahrefs data. AI Overviews change from day to day and by location. Ahrefs volumes are estimates. The sample covers the top 10 searches per specialty, so it favors broad, high-volume searches over long questions. Results for a single city may differ.

How Webpatch helps

Webpatch builds medical websites with answer-first treatment and comparison pages, and sets up Google Business Profiles for each location. We check what AI tools say about a practice with The Webpatch AI Visibility Check. We do not promise placement in AI Overviews or map packs. Contact Webpatch to see how your practice shows up.

This article is for education only. It is not legal advice and has no legal standing. Have a qualified professional review your situation before you act.