The past 12 months have seen a rapid change in how people interact with online search tools, and AI is the catalyst for an extraordinary shift in consumer behaviour. For a long time, Google has been the online oracle and remains a reliable and trusted directory. However, AI bots such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and CoPilot are quickly replacing the once all-powerful engine as the go-to source for discovering just about anything. The AI is faster, more intuitive, more comprehensive, and becomes more user-friendly with each new iteration and upgrade.
At Specialist Vet Marketing and through our sister company, Brilliant Digital, we market many Australian businesses across multiple industries. This gives us invaluable insights and a significant dataset on AI’s impact. One thing is certain: AI is disrupting conventional marketing tactics and is changing how we think and execute digital marketing strategies. The vet industry is not insulated, and all businesses must be on the right side of change.
In this article, I explain how these changes are affecting the veterinary profession, including:
Many in the veterinary profession feel insulated from the disruption AI is bringing to other industries.
And clearly, AI can’t diagnose complex conditions, cuddle a nervous dog or empathetically explain treatment options to a worried owner.
That doesn’t mean you can ignore what’s happening.
While the clinical side may be safe, your online visibility is not.
I’ve been working with search engines for many years, and I can tell you categorically that the rate of change is unlike anything I have ever seen.
2 key things are changing.
The way people search and the results they see.
“AI can’t treat an animal, but it decides which clinic a pet owner sees first online.”
Let’s look a the way people search.
Lots of people still type “vet near me” into Google, and traditional optimisation SEO for Google, including local search, is obviously still important.
But.
And this is a very big but.
More and more people are searching using voice-based search, asking Google (or
ChatGPT or whatever bot they trust) in a conversational way for help.
For example, potential clients will ask the bot
“Are there any vets in Brisbane that specialise in Burmese cats?”
“Where can I find a clinic with experience treating diabetes in dogs?”
“What’s the best-reviewed vet clinic for emergency care in Perth?”
These are not keyword searches.
These are natural language queries.
What these searches demand of you is a new and different kind of digital presence.
If your website hasn’t been optimised to answer these types of questions and if it doesn’t clearly showcase your specialties, team, ethos, and unique strengths, you risk not showing up in AI search at all.
“Generic websites don’t stand out to AI. They don’t stand out to people either.”
In over 30 years of working with veterinary practices – 15 years running a practice and another 15 in full-time marketing – I’ve never seen two vet practices that are exactly the same.
Each vet clinic has its own story, team dynamic, and patient base.
If your website and marketing strategy are built on templates, stuffed with generic copy, and propped up by Google Ads and the occasional Facebook campaign, you’re playing a dangerous game.
In an AI-first search world, generic doesn’t cut it.
Unique, tailored and stand out wins.
“In over 30 years in the industry, I’ve never seen two vet clinics that are the same – your marketing should reflect that.”
Optimise your website for AI search
This isn’t just SEO anymore, it’s GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).
You need rich, human-written content that reflects your team, services, patient stories, areas of advanced knowledge and local reputation.
AI pulls from the best sources – make sure your clinic is one of them.
Ditch the cookie-cutter and Stand Out
Relying on templated websites and basic ads is not sustainable. You will fall behind.
To stay visible, you need a strategic, tailored marketing approach that celebrates what makes your practice different and gets that message online, where AI can find it.
If you’d like help adapting your strategy for this new reality, Specialist Vet Marketing is here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s make 2026 the year your vet practice thrives not just survives, in the age of AI.
“The vets who adapt now will lead tomorrow. The rest may quietly disappear from view.”
Deb Croucher is the founder of SVMG, a strategic growth partner for veterinary businesses. A former veterinarian and practice owner, Deb combines industry fluency, commercial strategy, and structured marketing systems to help clinics, specialists, suppliers, and industry partners become clearer, more trusted, and better positioned for growth.
Find answers to common questions about our clinic and your pet’s visits below.
While hands-on care can’t be automated, how pet owners find and choose a vet is already changing. AI-driven search is replacing traditional search results, meaning if your clinic isn’t AI-visible, you may not be found at all.
It means structuring your website and content so AI platforms can understand and recommend your clinic. This includes clear service descriptions, local relevance, and human authoured, original content that showcases your strengths and stands you apart from the competition.
Standard SEO is no longer sufficient. AI search, also known as GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) requires a deeper layer of content quality and structure. If your marketing hasn’t evolved in the last year, it’s time for a review.
Google Ads are becoming less effective as AI-generated answers replace ads in search results. While ads may still play a supporting role, your primary investment should be in organic visibility and content authority.
You need to showcase your clinic’s unique expertise – species, breed, or service-specific – through rich content. That’s what allows AI to match your practice to specific, natural-language queries from real people.
