Dermatology SEO: how practices get found on Google and in AI answers

People looking for a dermatologist usually search for the problem first: a mole that has changed, acne that won’t clear, eczema on a child. Then they check who would treat them. A practice gets found when its website answers both questions and its details match across the web.

How do dermatology practices get found on Google?

In three places: the standard search results, the map results for local searches, and the AI Overview that appears above some searches. All three draw on the same material. That is your pages, your Google Business Profile and what other websites say about the practice.

Which pages does a dermatology website need?

• Condition pages. One page per condition you treat: acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, skin cancer. Cover what the condition is, how you diagnose it, the treatment options you offer and who the patient will see.
• Treatment and procedure pages. Skin checks, Mohs surgery and laser treatments each get a page. Keep cosmetic treatments in their own section, apart from medical care.
• Location pages. One per location, with the address, hours, providers at that office and the insurance plans accepted.
• Provider pages. One per dermatologist, PA and NP.

Open each page with a direct answer to the search it targets, in two or three sentences. Use the questions patients ask as headings. Say how to book and how long new patients wait, if you can. Avoid cure claims and promised results.

Why do provider profiles and medical review matter?

Google’s guidance on helpful content asks whether a page was written or reviewed by an expert who demonstrably knows the topic, and whether bylines lead to more information about the author. It also says that for topics that could significantly affect people’s health, its systems give more weight to content that shows experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust.

• Provider profiles. Board certification, training, fellowships, the conditions each provider treats and the locations where they see patients.
• A named reviewer. Add “Medically reviewed by” with the clinician’s name and the review date to each condition page, linked to their profile.
• One name format. Write each provider’s name and credentials the same way on your site, your Google listings and outside directories.

The review has to happen. A clinician reads each page before it is published and again when guidance changes.

How should you set up Google Business Profile for each location?

Create one profile per location. Google’s guidelines say not to create more than one profile for each location of a business. They also allow public-facing practitioners such as doctors to have their own profile, separate from the practice’s, with only the practitioner’s name in the title. Decide which providers need one, because each profile has to be kept current.

Google’s help page on local ranking says results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. It says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to appear, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help.

• Choose the primary category that matches the practice, and list conditions and procedures as services.
• Keep hours, phone number and the appointment link current for each office.
• Add photos of the office and the providers who work there.
• Ask all patients for reviews. Reply to each one without confirming that the person is a patient or mentioning their care.

Review replies are a common privacy slip. We cover that and tracking on our HIPAA page.

What schema markup should a dermatology site use?

Schema is code that labels what a page is about. Use the schema.org types for a medical clinic on location pages and for a physician on provider pages. Add FAQ markup where a page has questions and answers, and breadcrumb markup across the site.

Google’s Search Central guidance says structured data should match the text visible on the page. Mark up the address, hours, provider names and reviewer shown on the page, and nothing that isn’t there.

How do AI Overviews and ChatGPT choose which practices to cite?

Google’s Search Central guidance on AI features says a page needs to be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. It lists no extra technical requirements and says no special files or markup are needed. It also explains that these features run several related searches across subtopics for one question. A site that covers a condition’s symptoms, diagnosis and treatment on clear pages has more chances to be picked up.

OpenAI’s crawler documentation says sites that opt out of its OAI-SearchBot crawler will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Check that your robots.txt file and your hosting firewall allow it.

• Clear answers. A short, direct answer at the top of each page, question headings and a few FAQs. AI tools quote text they can lift cleanly.
• Named clinicians. An author or reviewer with credentials on each page, so the answer has a source.
• Consistent business details. The same name, address and phone number on your website, Google Business Profile, health directories and insurer listings.
• Reviews and mentions. Reviews on Google and mentions on trusted health and local sites.

No one can promise what an AI tool will say, and answers change from one search to the next. This is the work in our SEO, local and AI search service.

What should a dermatology practice measure?

• Impressions and clicks for each condition and provider page, from Search Console.
• Calls, direction requests and booking clicks from each location’s Google Business Profile.
• New-patient bookings from organic search, by condition and by location.
• Which of your target searches show an AI Overview, and whether it cites you.
• Visits from ChatGPT and other AI tools.

SEO builds over months. Technical fixes can show within weeks, and new pages take longer to settle. If you need new patients sooner for a particular condition or provider, Google Ads can cover that search while the pages build. Our dermatology marketing page shows how the two fit together.