The healthcare marketer’s cheat sheet to all the new AI search buzzwords
By Laura Hill, Senior Growth Manager
TL;DR:
Search is changing fast — and for B2B healthcare and biotech marketers, it’s getting smarter, more conversational, and a lot more complex. Traditional SEO is no longer enough in an era where AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity generate answers instead of links. The rise of generative engine optimization (GEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and other AI search tactics means your visibility now depends on how AI understands your content — not just how humans search for it.
The B2B medtech and life sciences buying process already relies on credibility, trust, and expertise. Now, AI is redefining how those attributes are discovered.
When a clinician, hospital executive, or payer types a search like “best RPM solutions for multi-chronic populations” into an AI-powered search tool, they won’t see a list of ten links. They’ll see a synthesized answer — and that answer might summarize or cite your competitors instead of you.
This shift is massive. Instead of optimizing for page-one rankings, healthcare marketers now need to optimize for AI-generated visibility — ensuring your thought leadership, data, and positioning are what these new “answer engines” choose to feature.
That’s where a new vocabulary is taking shape:
In short: AI has changed the way decision-makers discover information. And if your content isn’t AI-ready, your competitors may get to define your story.
Marketers and SEOs are still defining the language around AI search optimization. Here’s a quick guide to the terms you’ll see most often:
|
Acronym / term |
What it means |
How it’s used |
How it applies to B2B healthcare marketing |
|
GEO (generative engine optimization) |
Optimizing content for visibility in generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity |
The broadest and most current term for AI search optimization |
Ensures your brand is cited when AI tools summarize topics like population health, interoperability, or AI diagnostics |
|
AEO (answer engine optimization) |
Structuring content so AI and answer engines can extract and cite it directly |
The predecessor to GEO, rooted in featured snippets and voice search |
Positions your content as the “authoritative answer” for healthcare executives searching for vendor insights |
|
AIO / AISO (AI search optimization) |
The umbrella term for optimizing content across all AI search platforms |
Often used interchangeably with GEO and AEO |
Helps your marketing team cover multiple search ecosystems — from traditional Google to AI Overviews and beyond |
|
LLMO (large language model optimization) |
Focused on how large language models retrieve, summarize, and cite information |
A more technical variation used by AI specialists |
Increases your chance of being referenced accurately in AI-generated briefings or executive summaries |
|
CAIO (conversational AI optimization) |
Centers on visibility within chat-based or voice assistant conversations |
Used less often, but captures the idea of optimizing for dialogue |
Ensures your brand is visible when decision-makers use AI to compare solutions or analyze vendors |
In other words: this isn’t just a rebrand of SEO. It’s an expansion of how we think about discoverability in a world where search engines don’t just find information — they create it.
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the foundation of this movement. It’s about structuring your content so AI systems can understand it, extract insights, and present your brand as a credible source.
AEO goes beyond traditional SEO metrics like rankings or click-through rates. The goal isn’t just to appear on a search results page — it’s to be the answer that AI tools use and cite.
|
Criteria |
SEO |
AEO |
|
Focus |
Ranking on search results pages |
Getting cited directly in AI-generated responses |
|
Metrics |
Clicks, impressions, keyword rankings |
Mentions, citations, and visibility in AI summaries |
|
Format |
Keyword-optimized content |
Structured Q&A, FAQs, and concise explanations |
|
Authority signals |
Backlinks and domain authority |
Trusted sources, schema markup, and consistent entity data |
The AEO approach rewards clarity, accuracy, and authority — three factors AI engines weigh heavily when pulling answers.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) builds on AEO, expanding it for today’s generative AI era.
Where AEO focuses on direct answers, GEO focuses on AI synthesis — influencing how large language models read, understand, and cite your content when creating summaries or explanations.
GEO involves:
In other words, GEO helps you shape how AI perceives, cites, and represents your brand online.
Healthcare and health tech are uniquely affected by this evolution because credibility equals conversion.
B2B buyers in this space are skeptical, risk-averse, and heavily influenced by compliance, outcomes, and clinical data. AI systems are trained to surface trustworthy, well-sourced, evidence-backed content — which means the right structure can make your thought leadership exponentially more visible.
If your content includes:
…then AI is far more likely to use your material when generating summaries or answers.
That means marketers who invest early in GEO and AEO will dominate brand visibility in the AI-driven era of healthcare marketing.
The world of AI-driven search is changing by the week. Here are the biggest trends shaping it:
AI engines don’t reveal exactly how they pick or weigh sources. That means optimization is often trial and error, with researchers building benchmarks like GEO-bench to better understand how content is selected.
AI tools tend to favor established, trusted domains — think major media outlets, universities, and government sites. This makes earned media and brand credibility more valuable than ever.
ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity all work differently. What ranks high in one system might not appear at all in another. Marketers will need to diversify and test across multiple AI environments.
AI search monetization is coming. Expect to see “sponsored answers” and “AI search ads” in the near future, echoing the evolution of paid search in the early 2000s.
Because AI tools synthesize and paraphrase, they can sometimes misrepresent your message. Brands must actively monitor how they appear in AI-generated content and correct inaccuracies.
Even though this field is evolving, you can begin building your AI search foundation now.
SEO still matters — search engines feed AI models. Combine keyword strategy with entity optimization (consistent names, data points, and context about your solutions).
Test how ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini describe your brand. If they get it wrong — fix it by improving clarity, authority, and structure across your owned content.
Make sure marketing, PR, and content teams understand that AI visibility is the next evolution of organic search. Add GEO metrics to your dashboards, such as “AI citations” or “brand mentions in generative summaries.”
The healthcare marketing landscape is moving from search-first to answer-first.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) represent the next wave of brand discoverability — one where trust, authority, and content clarity drive AI visibility.
For B2B healthcare and health tech brands, this isn’t just a trend. It’s a shift in how buyers find and evaluate solutions.
At KNB Communications, we help healthcare and health tech companies stay ahead of every digital evolution — from SEO to GEO. Our team combines technical strategy, storytelling, and deep industry expertise to make sure your brand shows up in all the right conversations (human and AI).
AI disclosure: In alignment with our commitment to transparency, we want to disclose that this blog post was substantially generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology. Our team of healthcare experts collaborates closely with AI to ensure accuracy and relevance for our valued readers in the health tech and life sciences sectors.