How to Attract Patients in 2026 with SEO, AI Search & Omnisearch (For Dentists)

11/12/2025 15 min Temporada 1 Episodio 17

Listen "How to Attract Patients in 2026 with SEO, AI Search & Omnisearch (For Dentists)"

Episode Synopsis


Are your patients suddenly searching only through AI tools like ChatGPT, or is Google still doing most of the heavy lifting?

Before you pivot your entire strategy, it’s worth looking at the data.

In this episode of The Dental Marketing Heroes Podcast, Ian Cantle (President and Chief Marketing Strategist at Outsourced Marketing and Dental Marketing Heroes) explains how dentists can attract new patients in 2025 and 2026 using a concept called Omnisearch—the combined power of SEO, AI search, and the platforms that feed both.



Here’s what you’ll learn:



• How search really works when someone has a toothache and needs a dentist right now

• How people searched a few years ago (96%+ going straight to Google)

• How things are changing with Google plus AI “answer engines” like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Meta

• Why about 94% of people still use Google when searching for local businesses

• What Ahrefs found when studying traffic sources for 82,000+ sites—why AI engines often send less than 2% of traffic

• How Google’s ecosystem (Google Business Profiles, YouTube, Ads, Analytics) gives it a massive long-term edge

• Why your website, schema, and structured data are the hub for both SEO and AI visibility



The three rules of Omnisearch:

1) Be Findable

A strong website, technical SEO, solid content, structured data, a complete Google Business Profile, and consistent local signals.

2) Be Useful

Clear, original content that answers real patient questions on Google and inside AI tools.

3) Be Credible

Consistent content creation, quality citations, reviews, and engagement that build trust across platforms.

When Omnisearch is working, your practice shows up everywhere patients look. You attract better patients, increase revenue, and grow your practice equity.

Episode Timeline



00:00 – Intro

00:25 – Why AI and SEO are top-of-mind for dentists

01:00 – The myth: “everyone has abandoned Google for AI search”

01:35 – What search really means: a person looking for help

02:10 – Two years ago: 96%+ of searches on Google

02:45 – Today: Google plus AI answer engines

03:30 – The 94% Google vs 6% AI/Bing breakdown

04:05 – Why AI-only marketing pitches miss key data

04:35 – Ahrefs study: insights from 82,000+ websites

05:10 – Why AI sends so little traffic to local and B2B sites

06:10 – The real question: where do people search for you?

06:45 – The SEO foundation: website, GBP, schema, reviews, social

08:00 – Google’s moat: Business Profiles, YouTube, Ads

08:45 – AI search: base training data vs live retrieval

10:00 – Why overlap between Google and AI data matters

10:40 – Your website as the visibility hub

11:15 – Introducing Omnisearch

11:40 – Rule #1: Be Findable

12:10 – Rule #2: Be Useful

12:40 – Rule #3: Be Credible

13:20 – What Omnisearch produces for your practice

13:50 – How to get started

14:30 – Final reminders

If this episode gave you clarity on how patients will actually find you in 2025 and 2026, like and share this podcast with another dentist or business owner.



Want a custom Omnisearch roadmap for your practice?

👉 Book a free discovery call and Practice Growth Strategy Session with Dental Marketing Heroes.

We’ll review how you’re showing up in SEO and AI search, then build a clear plan to improve your visibility and attract more of the right patients.

Learn more:

Dental Marketing Heroes – https://dentalmarketingheroes.com

Outsourced Marketing – https://outsourcedmarketing.ca

More episodes of the podcast The Dental Marketing Heroes Podcast