The future of healthcare websites: Your questions answered

Healthcare websites are evolving rapidly to meet consumer expectations and respond to AI search. In a recent webinar with eHealthcare Strategy and Trends, the audience posed several great questions that many systems are wrestling with, in regards to digital transformation, patient experience, and the role of AI.

How are you tracking performance and visibility in AI chat tools?

AI visibility is an emerging but critical area. While traditional analytics can show which AI engines refer traffic to your website through referral reports, they provide only limited insight. Dedicated tools are starting to fill the gap. Platforms such as Gumshoe.ai, Otterly.ai, SERanking’s AI Visibility Tracker, Mentions.so, and Profound offer metrics on your visibility, citations, and references in AI engines, along with recommendations for optimization.

Each will provide broad metrics on your AI visibility, citations and references in various AI engines, and recommendations for optimization  at different price points. At Reason One, we’re currently piloting Otterly.ai as our primary AI visibility tool.

How do you reshape a blog strategy to be more transactional and less informational?

It’s not about abandoning informational content but strengthening its connection to transactional opportunities. Blogs remain a powerful signal to both search engines and AI models when they evaluate authority. By answering your audience’s questions clearly and comprehensively, you increase the chance that your content will be referenced in AI responses.

Structure is essential. Use headings, FAQs, and schema markup to make content easy for AI and search engines to parse. Keep content updated so it remains relevant and trusted.

From there, integrate transactional elements carefully. Instead of generic end-of-post calls-to-action, weave contextual CTAs into the content. Add interactive features like assessments, quizzes, or checklists that move readers from learning to doing—without undermining trust.

Should healthcare systems invest in an AI agent to serve as search rather than custom website search solutions?

Yes. A unified search layer that leverages AI across all your digital channels (including but not limited to your website) is a better long-term investment. Enterprise search platforms are evolving rapidly with features like:

• Advanced natural language processing to better understand intent

• Answer generation directly from your content, with configurable presentation

• Support for MCP servers to power AI-driven agents

• Governance and analytics across multiple sources

Examples include Coveo, Algolia, and Azure AI Search. These solutions go beyond site search, setting the foundation for AI-driven digital experiences.

How do you balance clean data with search functionalities?

Large language models are capable of processing unstructured content, but structured data dramatically improves how your content is understood and used. Applying schema standards, semantic tagging, and thoughtful content relationships increases your visibility across search engines, AI agents, and internal platforms. In short: LLMs can work with messy content, but structured data gives you control.

What are steps that healthcare systems can take to both futureproof our websites while generating ROI?

There are steps you can take immediately, no matter your tech stack:

• Publish content that answers your audience’s core questions

• Optimize for conversational formats (voice, chat, snippets, schema)

• Ensure generated content is well-structured, with clear headings and markup

• Begin tracking how AI is influencing your current channels to inform strategy

Looking forward, consider targeted investments:

• Replace outdated search with enterprise solutions that serve all channels and AI consumers

• Adopt technologies that are API-first, extensible, and standards-based to ensure future adaptability

A key step you should take that would both serve ROI and your long-term roadmap would be to engage in a platform evaluation. This would help align your tech with your overall system goals and ensure you have the right tools in place to achieve them.

Where does schema markup fit into the development process of designing a new website?

As early as possible. Schema should be embedded in the initial specification and evolve alongside your content model. Healthcare-specific schema exists and should be layered with general business schema to maximize relevance.

How do composable platforms create personalized experiences for patients while on a healthcare website? 

Composable platforms give you flexibility. If your personalization needs are basic, many CMS platforms can handle them. For more advanced scenarios—like HIPAA-compliant experimentation or integrated personalization engines—you can bring in specialized tools such as a Visual Website Optimizer (VWO).

The strength of a composable platform is adaptability. You can tailor solutions to your needs, swap out components as requirements evolve, and scale personalization over time without replacing the entire system.

Can composable platforms leverage SSO tools to log patients into multiple portals or digital endpoints during the same session?

Yes, with the right architecture. For internal teams, most enterprise SaaS platforms support authentication via identity providers like Microsoft Entra. For patients, your EHR system (e.g., Epic) usually provides authentication endpoints. With proper configuration and approvals, you can enable SSO across multiple portals. If identities need to be unified across systems, authentication platforms like Auth0, Okta, or Entra can manage this securely.

How are SEO strategies changing when Google is choosing to prioritize Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Mayo Clinic content?

These institutions enjoy advantages due to their vast content libraries, backlinks, and domain authority. But this doesn’t mean others can’t compete.

SEO is evolving alongside AI. With over 40% of search traffic now classified as “no click”—meaning users get answers directly from the search results—it’s vital to optimize for AI overviews and AI-driven engines.

Local SEO is also increasingly important. Regional healthcare systems often have stronger opportunities to rank higher in local searches, which are growing in volume. AI optimization strategies reinforce SEO performance across all channels.

Can composable platforms proactively guide patients across digital pathways?

This requires strategy first, then technology. Identify the key actions patients should take, map them to audiences, and embed them into your content. Ensure these actions are discoverable not only on your site but also through AI-driven clients.

Composable architecture supports this by providing:

• Content models that serve multiple channels

• API-first access for reusing content and transactions

• Scalability as patient needs and technologies evolve

The result is an experience that adapts as new platforms and AI-driven recommendation engines mature.

How will patient expectations continue to evolve, and how should websites prepare? 

Patients increasingly value convenience and control in their care. Digitally, that means:

• Easy online access to services

• Integration with wearables and home-care technologies

• Empowerment through tools and content that support self-management

How do you balance AI automation with the personal touch patients expect?

AI can play a powerful role—from automating routine tasks to enabling better diagnostics—but implementation must always serve patient outcomes. 

Balance is key:

• If AI reduces effort for the patient, it’s a win

• If it risks removing valued human interactions, proceed with caution. Pilot both options, gather patient feedback, and adapt accordingly

The personal touch in healthcare cannot be replaced, but it can be complemented by technology that prioritizes patient empowerment.

Get ready for the future

The future of healthcare websites does not live solely within content, tech, or SEO: it is an interconnected web in which each piece plays a part. And, since this is such a big topic, we encourage you to watch the webinar yourself to get all the great nuggets (not just the questions!). Special thanks to our friends Laura Housholder, Martha Van Berkel, Tara Nooteboom, Tyler Pierce, and Therese Lockemy for an awesome discussion!

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