Google AI Overview does not appear for the majority of local provider searches.
This study analyzed 3,234 AI answers and 10,133 citations to 72 patient questions on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overview, checked against 18,492 practice listings in five US metro markets: suburban Chicago, Philadelphia-South Jersey, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Phoenix West Valley and suburban Houston.
Google showed an AI Overview on under 2% of general medical provider discovery searches, keeping its map results in front for those queries. The finding comes from Javvo's study of 1,080 Google search results. On provider searches tied to a condition, urgency or insurance, an Overview appeared 22% to 42% of the time, and on general health questions 99% of the time, recommending no providers.
What Google shows depends on the question type
On provider discovery searches like 'best dentist in [city],' Google almost always shows its map results and almost never an AI Overview. An AI Overview appeared on under 2% of those searches. As the question shifts toward conditions, urgency, and insurance, such as 'Podiatrists who treat heel pain near me', AI Overview appears more, ranging from 22% to 42% of the time, and on how-to-choose advice it appears 83% of the time. On general specialty-related health questions, the pattern changes completely. An AI Overview appeared 99% of the time, and no providers are recommended.
Google map results and AI Overviews, by question type
- Google map results shown
- AI Overview shown
| Question type | Google map results shown | AI Overview shown |
|---|---|---|
| General provider search | 100% | 1.7% |
| Condition or treatment + provider | 99.2% | 22.5% |
| Urgency or availability | 92.2% | 42.2% |
| Insurance or carrier | 100% | 31.1% |
| How to choose | 37.8% | 83.3% |
| General health | 0% | 98.9% |
When Google AI Overview does appear on a provider search, it recommends practices
On provider discovery and condition questions where an AI Overview fired, it named a practice in 89% of its answers and linked mostly to practice websites. It kept the most consistent set of names of any engine measured while never once repeating its wording across repeat searches of the same question. On general health questions it named a practice in 0 of 178 appearances and instead linked to health information sites like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.
Several podiatry practices in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, treat acute gout flare-ups and chronic uric acid management. Local options include [Practice A] and [Practice B] in Cherry Hill.
This is Google's behavior today, and the findings will likely change as Google expands its AI results. Google also offers AI Mode, a separate conversational search tab. This study measured AI Overview, the AI answer shown on the standard results page.
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AEO for partnersAugust 2026 edition.