Healthcare SEO & AEO glossary

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Also known as: search engine optimization

The practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results pages. SEO involves improving content quality, technical infrastructure, and authority signals so search engines surface your pages when users search for relevant terms.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

Also known as: search results page, results page

The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query. Modern SERPs include organic listings, paid ads, featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs, and AI overviews. Each element competes for user attention and clicks.

Organic Search

Unpaid search results that appear based on relevance to the query, content quality, and authority signals. Unlike paid ads, organic rankings are earned through SEO and cannot be directly purchased. Organic traffic typically converts better than paid traffic for healthcare providers.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Also known as: click-through rate

The percentage of users who click on your search listing after seeing it. Calculated as clicks divided by impressions. A higher CTR signals to search engines that your result is relevant and useful, which can improve rankings over time.

Indexation

The process by which search engines add web pages to their database (index) so they can appear in search results. A page that is not indexed cannot rank. Common indexation issues include crawl errors, noindex tags, and duplicate content.

Crawling

Also known as: web crawling, spider

The process where search engine bots (like Googlebot) discover and download web pages by following links. Crawling is the first step before indexation. Pages that cannot be crawled cannot be indexed or ranked.

Backlink

Also known as: inbound link, external link

A link from another website pointing to your site. Backlinks serve as "votes of confidence" in search engine algorithms. High-quality backlinks from authoritative, relevant sites carry more weight than links from low-quality or unrelated sources.

Domain Authority

Also known as: DA

A metric predicting how likely a website is to rank in search results, scored on a scale of 1-100. While not a Google ranking factor itself, it reflects the cumulative strength of a domain's backlink profile and trust signals. Healthcare institutions and government sites tend to have high domain authority.

Keyword Research

The process of identifying search terms that potential patients use to find healthcare services. Effective keyword research balances search volume, competition, and relevance to your practice. It informs content strategy, page targeting, and paid advertising campaigns.

Long-Tail Keyword

A specific, multi-word search phrase with lower volume but higher conversion intent. For healthcare, "best pediatric orthopedic surgeon for ACL tears in Boston" is a long-tail keyword. These queries are less competitive and often indicate a patient closer to booking an appointment.

Meta Description

A brief HTML attribute (up to 155 characters) summarizing a page's content. While not a direct ranking factor, a well-written meta description improves click-through rate by previewing the page's value in search results.

Sitemap

Also known as: XML sitemap

An XML file listing all pages on your website that you want search engines to discover and index. Sitemaps help search engines understand your site structure and find pages that might not be discovered through internal links alone.

robots.txt

A text file at a website's root that instructs search engine crawlers which pages or sections to access or ignore. Misconfigured robots.txt files can accidentally block important pages from being indexed.

Featured Snippet

Also known as: position zero, answer box

A highlighted answer box that appears at the top of Google search results, extracted from a web page. Featured snippets answer the query directly and often receive the highest click-through rates. Structuring content with clear headings and concise answers increases snippet eligibility.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who leave a page without interacting further. A high bounce rate on a healthcare page may indicate the content does not match the visitor's search intent or that the page loads too slowly.

YMYL (Your Money or Your Life)

Also known as: your money or your life

Google's classification for content that could impact a person's health, safety, or financial stability. Healthcare content falls squarely in YMYL territory, meaning Google applies stricter quality standards. YMYL pages require demonstrable expertise, authoritative sources, and accurate information.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Also known as: E-A-T, experience expertise authoritativeness trustworthiness

Google's quality framework for evaluating content credibility. For healthcare, this means content should be written or reviewed by qualified practitioners, published on authoritative domains, and backed by peer-reviewed sources. The "Experience" component rewards first-hand clinical knowledge.

HIPAA Compliance (in SEO)

Also known as: HIPAA

Ensuring that SEO and marketing activities do not violate patient privacy regulations. This includes avoiding patient identifiable information in reviews, testimonials, case studies, and analytics tracking. HIPAA violations can result in significant fines.

Medical Schema Markup

Also known as: healthcare schema, medical structured data

Specialized structured data types from Schema.org designed for healthcare content. Includes MedicalCondition, MedicalProcedure, Physician, and MedicalClinic schemas that help search engines and AI models understand medical entities and their relationships.

NAP (Name, Address, Phone)

Also known as: name address phone, NAP consistency

The core business information that must be consistent across all online directories, your website, and Google Business Profile. Inconsistent NAP data confuses search engines and patients, harming local search rankings and trust.

Patient Journey

The sequence of steps a potential patient takes from initial symptom awareness through provider selection to booking an appointment. Understanding this journey helps practices create content targeting each stage, from informational searches to conversion-ready decision queries.

Online Reputation Management

Also known as: ORM, reputation management

The practice of monitoring and influencing how a healthcare provider appears in online reviews, search results, and AI recommendations. Includes responding to reviews, encouraging satisfied patients to leave feedback, and addressing negative content constructively.

Healthcare Content Marketing

Creating and distributing educational, patient-focused content to attract and retain patients. Effective healthcare content addresses patient questions, demonstrates expertise, and complies with medical advertising regulations while avoiding prescriptive medical advice.

Patient Acquisition Cost

Also known as: PAC, cost per patient

The total marketing spend required to acquire one new patient. Calculated by dividing total marketing costs by the number of new patients gained in that period. SEO and AEO typically have lower long-term patient acquisition costs compared to paid advertising.

Telehealth SEO

Optimizing online presence for virtual care services. Telehealth SEO involves targeting broader geographic keywords (since virtual visits are not location-bound), creating service-specific landing pages, and implementing appropriate structured data for virtual appointment booking.

Medical Content Review

The process of having licensed healthcare professionals review and verify website content for accuracy. Google's quality guidelines expect YMYL health content to reflect medical consensus and be reviewed by subject matter experts.

Provider Directory Listing

A profile on healthcare-specific directories like Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals, or WebMD. These listings build backlinks, reinforce NAP consistency, and serve as additional touchpoints where patients can discover your practice.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Also known as: answer engine optimization

The practice of optimizing content to be cited by AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Unlike traditional SEO which targets rankings, AEO targets inclusion in AI-generated responses through structured content, entity clarity, and authoritative sourcing.

AI Overview

Also known as: SGE, Search Generative Experience, Google AI Overview

Google's AI-generated summary that appears at the top of some search results, synthesizing information from multiple sources. AI Overviews are particularly common for healthcare queries and can significantly reduce clicks to individual websites if your content is not among the cited sources.

Citation (AI Search)

When an AI model references or links to your website as a source in its response. Citations are the AEO equivalent of organic rankings. Earning citations requires structured, authoritative content that AI models can confidently attribute to your site.

Brand Mention (AI Search)

When an AI model references your practice by name in a response, even without linking to your website. Brand mentions indicate that AI models recognize your practice as relevant. Mentions are tracked alongside citations as an AEO metric.

Zero-Click Search

A search where the user gets their answer directly from the results page without clicking through to any website. Featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI overviews all contribute to zero-click searches. For healthcare, this means your content must be the source the SERP or AI extracts from.

Fanout Query

The internal web searches that AI models like ChatGPT perform when researching an answer to a user prompt. Understanding fanout queries helps optimize content for the terms AI models actually search for, which may differ from what end users type.

Retrieval Breadth

The percentage of query categories (e.g., conditions, treatments, provider searches) for which AI models retrieve and cite your content. A higher retrieval breadth means your practice is visible across more types of patient queries rather than just one narrow topic.

First Recommendation Rate

The percentage of AI responses where your practice is listed as the first recommended option. Being first-listed correlates with higher patient inquiry rates, similar to how the top organic result captures the most clicks in traditional search.

LLM (Large Language Model)

Also known as: large language model

AI systems like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini that power conversational search tools. LLMs generate responses by synthesizing information from their training data and, increasingly, real-time web retrieval. Healthcare practices need content that LLMs can reliably cite.

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)

Also known as: retrieval-augmented generation

A technique where AI models search the web for current information before generating a response. RAG is how tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity provide up-to-date answers with source citations. Content optimized for RAG retrieval is more likely to be cited in AI responses.

AI Visibility

A measure of how frequently and prominently a practice appears in AI-generated responses. AI visibility combines citation frequency, mention frequency, and first recommendation rate across relevant patient queries.

llms.txt

A proposed standard file (similar to robots.txt) that tells AI models about a website's structure, key content, and preferred citation format. Early adoption signals to AI crawlers which pages contain authoritative information.

JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data)

Also known as: JSON for Linked Data

The recommended format for embedding structured data in web pages. JSON-LD uses a script tag to describe entities (businesses, procedures, conditions) in a machine-readable format that search engines and AI models use to understand page content.

Structured Data

Also known as: schema markup, schema.org markup

Machine-readable code added to web pages that helps search engines understand the content. For healthcare, structured data identifies your practice, services, conditions treated, and practitioner credentials. It powers rich results, knowledge panels, and AI citations.

Entity SEO

Also known as: entity-based SEO, entity optimization

An approach to SEO focused on establishing clear entity identities (people, places, things) rather than just targeting keywords. For healthcare, entity SEO means ensuring search engines and AI models understand your practice as a distinct entity connected to specific conditions, treatments, and locations.

Knowledge Graph

Also known as: Google Knowledge Graph

A database of entities and their relationships used by search engines to understand real-world connections. Google's Knowledge Graph powers knowledge panels and helps connect your practice to the conditions you treat and the procedures you perform.

Canonical URL

Also known as: rel canonical, canonical tag

An HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page is the "official" one when duplicate or similar content exists at multiple URLs. Proper canonicalization prevents diluted rankings from duplicate content.

Core Web Vitals

Also known as: CWV, web vitals

Google's set of metrics measuring real-world user experience: page load speed (LCP), interactivity (INP), and visual stability (CLS). These are confirmed ranking factors. Healthcare websites with poor Core Web Vitals may rank lower even with excellent content.

Rich Results

Also known as: rich snippets, enhanced results

Enhanced search listings that display additional information beyond the standard title and description. FAQ dropdowns, star ratings, event details, and medical procedure information are examples. Rich results increase visibility and click-through rates.

Schema.org

A collaborative vocabulary of structured data types maintained by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex. Schema.org defines how to describe entities like MedicalCondition, Physician, and MedicalClinic so that search engines interpret them consistently.

Page Speed

How quickly a web page loads and becomes interactive. Measured through metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Time to First Byte (TTFB). Slow pages increase bounce rates and harm search rankings, especially on mobile devices where most healthcare searches occur.

Mobile-First Indexing

Google's practice of using the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking. Since most healthcare searches happen on mobile devices, your site's mobile experience directly determines search performance. Content hidden on mobile is effectively hidden from Google.

Internal Linking

Links between pages on the same website that help search engines understand site structure and distribute ranking authority. For healthcare sites, linking condition pages to related treatment pages creates topical clusters that improve rankings for both.

Noindex

A meta tag or HTTP header instructing search engines not to include a page in their index. Used intentionally for pages like internal dashboards, but accidentally applied noindex tags are a common cause of missing pages in search results.

Google Business Profile

Also known as: GBP, Google My Business, GMB

A free Google listing that displays your practice in Google Search and Maps. Your GBP includes hours, location, photos, reviews, and services. It is the single most important local SEO asset for healthcare providers and directly powers local pack appearances.

Local Pack

Also known as: map pack, 3-pack

The map-based section in Google results showing the top 3 local businesses for a query. Appearing in the local pack for healthcare searches like "dentist near me" drives significant patient inquiries. Rankings are based on relevance, distance, and prominence.

Local SEO

Optimization strategies focused on improving visibility in location-based searches. For healthcare practices, local SEO encompasses Google Business Profile optimization, local citation building, review management, and geo-targeted content creation.

Service Area

The geographic region a practice serves, as defined in Google Business Profile settings. Service area businesses (like home-visiting physicians) can appear in local results without displaying a physical address. Setting accurate service areas prevents showing up in irrelevant locations.

Local Citations

Mentions of your practice's name, address, and phone number on other websites and directories. Consistent citations across Healthgrades, Yelp, Zocdoc, and industry-specific directories reinforce your location signals and improve local search rankings.

Review Signals

Factors related to online reviews that influence local search rankings. These include review quantity, quality (star rating), recency, and diversity across platforms. Google considers reviews a key trust indicator for healthcare providers.

Geo-Targeted Content

Web pages optimized for specific geographic areas your practice serves. Creating condition and treatment pages that mention your city, neighborhood, or region helps search engines associate your practice with local patient queries.

Near Me Search

Also known as: "near me" queries

A location-based search query like "dermatologist near me" or "urgent care near me." These searches have grown significantly and trigger local pack results. Practices cannot optimize for "near me" directly; instead, strong local SEO signals determine who appears.

Multi-Location SEO

SEO strategies for practices with multiple office locations. Each location needs its own Google Business Profile, location-specific pages, and consistent NAP data. Multi-location SEO prevents locations from competing against each other in search results.

Local Business Schema

Also known as: LocalBusiness schema

Structured data markup that identifies your practice as a local business entity. LocalBusiness and its healthcare subtypes (MedicalClinic, Physician) provide search engines with your address, hours, services, and geographic coordinates.