AEO & GEO are reshaping B2B Marketing for MedTech and Biotech companies, and most of the industry isn’t ready.
For decades, SEO has been the backbone of digital strategy in healthcare B2B; publish high-quality content, build authority, and watch the inbound leads roll in.
But that playbook is getting rewritten. Fast.
We’ve entered the era of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and for MedTech and BioTech companies selling into healthcare systems, the impact is massive. How do AEO and GEO impact MedTech SEO? Read on.
The Buyer Journey Has Changed
Today’s buyers aren’t waiting for a cold call or downloading a white paper before they research you. They’re asking tools like:
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“What are the top point-of-care diagnostic platforms for community clinics?”
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“Who’s leading innovation in molecular imaging for early cancer detection?”
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“Compare FDA-cleared COVID/flu multiplex tests.”
According to Gartner, 83% of a typical B2B purchase decision happens before a buyer engages directly with a supplier.
Now add AI into that equation.
McKinsey reports that more than 50% of B2B buyers are now using generative AI tools to research vendors, evaluate technologies, and prep for procurement.
AEO and GEO in Action
AEO is all about structuring your content for answer engines—Google’s featured snippets, voice assistants, and smart summaries.
GEO is about training your content to perform inside generative environments. That means feeding the LLMs with the right context, structure, and trust signals so that when someone asks, “What’s the best diagnostic device for remote clinics?”—your brand is in the AI’s response.
And here’s the kicker: AI engines don’t necessarily link back. They synthesize. They summarize. And they choose what they think is the most authoritative content—whether it’s from you or your competitor.
Traditional SEO Isn’t Enough Anymore
You can rank #1 on Google…
…and still be invisible in ChatGPT’s vendor comparison summary.
Why?
Because GEO and AEO prioritize:
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Structured content
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Real-world context
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High-authority domains
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Clear use case articulation
And unfortunately, most MedTech and BioTech websites are still built like it’s 2014: Dense PDFs, vague marketing copy, and no schema.
What MedTech and Biotech Marketers Should Do Now
1. Make Your Content Machine-Readable and Human-Usable
- Use schema for FAQs, products, medical conditions, and reviews.
- Prioritize web-native content (ditch the 50-page PDFs).
- Break down complex tech into digestible language with bullet points, comparisons, and use cases.
2. Answer Questions Before They’re Asked
- Build content that addresses early-stage queries:
- “What’s the regulatory pathway for [technology]?”
- “How does this compare to traditional lab workflows?”
- “Is it CLIA-waived?"
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Use tools like AlsoAsked and People Also Ask to map search intent.
3. Get Referenced Outside Your Own Site
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Publish on third-party media and analyst sites—because that’s what AI scrapes.
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Make sure your brand shows up in conference recaps, trade publications, and clinical innovation articles.
4. Track and Test AI Visibility
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Run ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity prompts like a buyer would.
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Ask: “What does AI say about us vs. our competitors?”
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Refine your content based on what the engines surface—or miss.
5. Refresh Content Frequently
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AI favors fresh content. Update your use cases, comparison pages, regulatory language, and value props regularly.
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Include publication dates, versioning, and review labels to show freshness and accuracy.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
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68% of B2B buyers prefer to do their own research—online and independently—before engaging sales (Forrester).
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50%+ of buyers are already using AI tools to evaluate solutions (McKinsey).
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AI-driven search (SGE, ChatGPT, Gemini) is expected to influence 30–50% of enterprise decision journeys by 2026.
If your brand isn’t AI-visible, it’s not even being considered.
The Opportunity for Healthcare Tech Brands
This shift isn’t a threat; it’s an opening.
For startups and mid-sized MedTech and BioTech brands, this is your chance to outmaneuver bigger, slower competitors.
You don’t need to win the whole SERP.
You just need to be the one AI trusts to quote.
At XDS, we’re helping B2B healthcare brands modernize their digital strategy for this new paradigm. From content audits and structured data to messaging that performs in AI summaries—we’re building strategies that keep you top-of-mind, even when humans aren’t the ones doing the searching.
👉 Let’s talk if you’re a MedTech or BioTech company looking to stay ahead of the AI shift in search.
Your next buyer is already asking ChatGPT, GEMINI, Grok and Claude about you.
Let’s make sure it has something great to say.
About the Experience Design Studio
The Experience Design Studio is an award-winning digitally native customer experience agency founded in 2017 by two agency veterans, bringing their collective creative, user experience, marketing, technology, and healthcare expertise together.
XDS is a full-service digital agency providing strategy to creation, consulting, design, engineering, marketing, and analytics, with the aim of providing seamless DTC and B2B experiences across all digital touch points, with common sense sprinkled in.