Google and ChatGPT Are Reading the Same Signals. Most Dental Practices Are Sending None of Them.
By Edgar Lucas, Founder, Guey Lab
· 6 min read
The Data Point That Changes How You Think About AI Search
According to Otterly, a Google Business Profile (GBP) help page about local rankings was cited +400% on AI engines over a 14 day tracking window.
That is Google's own page being recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews (the AI generated summaries that appear at the top of Google search results). Not because it ranked well on Google search, but because it had the signals language models trust.
Here is what that tells you: Google and AI engines are not running separate scoring systems. They are reading the same signals. And most dental practices are sending none of them.
Google and ChatGPT Are Not Competing. They Are Aligned.
The mistake most dental practices make, and most dental Search Engine Optimization (SEO) agencies are making right now, is treating Google and AI search as two separate problems.
They are not.
When a language model like ChatGPT decides which dentist to recommend in Los Angeles, it is not running a keyword query. It is asking: which entity do I trust enough to cite? Which practice has consistent, structured, credible information across the web?
Those are the exact same questions Google's quality raters have been asking for years. It is called Experience Expertise Authority and Trust (E-E-A-T).
Language models learned from the web. The web Google shaped. That means the signals that made Google trust a source, structured data, verified entities, expert content, are the same signals that make AI engines cite a source.
One signal set. Two platforms.
Why Your Dental Practice Is Invisible on Both
Most dental practices hire an SEO agency to rank on Google. That agency focuses on keyword rankings, backlinks, and monthly traffic reports.
What they are not doing: building entity signals.
Entity signals are the structured, consistent, credible signals that tell both Google and language models that your practice is a real, authoritative entity, not just a website with keywords on it.
When your agency does not build entity signals, you are not just invisible on ChatGPT. You are also leaving money on the table on Google.
According to Otterly, LinkedIn appeared in 18% of AI responses over the last 14 days across tracked prompts. Not because LinkedIn ranks well on Google. Because it is a credible, structured, high entity authority domain that language models trust.
Your practice can build the same kind of trust. Most practices are not even trying.
The Signals That Actually Matter
There are three signal categories that determine whether AI engines cite your dental practice.
E-E-A-T Signals
Experience, expertise, authority, and trust are not just Google's framework anymore. Language models trained on the web absorbed these quality signals. A practice with a credentialed dentist who writes specific, experience based content about procedures will be cited before a practice with five pages of generic copy.
What this looks like in practice: a blog post about "what to expect during your first Invisalign consultation at our West Hollywood office" beats a post titled "Invisalign Los Angeles." Specificity signals experience.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is structured data that tells search engines and language models exactly what your practice is. Local business schema, medical practice schema, FAQ schema, and review schema all function as trust signals for AI citation engines.
Most dental websites have none of this. If your site has no schema, AI engines have to guess what you are. They usually do not.
Entity Consistency
Entity consistency means your practice appears with the same name, address, phone number, and description across every directory, review platform, and citation source on the web.
When a language model cross references your practice across 20 sources and finds consistent information, it treats you as a verified entity. When it finds inconsistencies like different phone numbers, varied business names, or incomplete listings, you lose citation trust.
Topical Specificity Beats Entity Authority on Niche Queries
Here is an insight that most AI search explanations miss.
Google's own help page ranks +400% on AI engines because it has massive entity authority. It is Google, one of the most trusted entities on the web.
But your dental practice does not need Google's entity authority to win niche queries. On specific local queries like "best Invisalign dentist in Pasadena" or "dental implants cost Los Angeles 2026," topical specificity beats entity authority every time.
A dental practice with structured, specific, experience based content about the exact procedures and locations it serves will be cited on those niche queries before a large health network with generic content.
This is the opening dental practices have right now. Most are not using it.
The Proof: Ranked in Under 30 Days
Guey Lab ranked for "Best AI search visibility agency for dentists in Los Angeles" on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews in under 30 days.
No paid ads. No backlink campaigns. No domain authority games.
The mechanism: LinkedIn content plus website content with aligned signals. Consistent entity information. Structured content that answered specific queries. Citations from credible sources.
The same mechanism works for dental practices.
When your practice builds content that is specific to your procedures, your location, and your patient experience, and aligns that content with entity signals across your web presence, you become the answer AI engines give when patients ask.
What To Do This Week
Three actions that move the needle on AI citation visibility:
1. Audit your entity consistency. Search your practice name on Google, Yelp, Healthgrades, Zocdoc, and your GBP. Are the name, address, and phone number identical across all of them? Fix any inconsistency.
2. Add schema markup to your website. At minimum: local business schema with your Name Address and Phone Number (NAP) data and business hours, and FAQ schema on your most important service pages. If your developer cannot do this, it is a one hour fix for someone who can.
3. Write one piece of specific content this week. Not "dental implants Los Angeles." Write about a specific patient journey, a specific procedure detail, a specific question your patients ask at consultations. Specificity is the signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to optimize separately for ChatGPT and Google?
No. The signals that earn AI citations and the signals that build Google authority overlap significantly. Experience Expertise Authority and Trust (E-E-A-T), entity consistency, structured data, and specific content serve both. Building for one supports the other.
How long does it take to start showing up on ChatGPT?
Timing depends on how competitive your market is and how strong your entity signals are today. With a focused signal building strategy, most practices start seeing citation visibility within 30 to 90 days.
My SEO agency says they handle AI search. How do I know if they actually do?
Ask them to show you Otterly data or a citation tracking report from an AI monitoring tool. Ask specifically: which prompts are we being cited for, and which sources are citing us? If they cannot answer that, they are not doing AI search. They are doing traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and calling it AI.
Does Google Business Profile matter for ChatGPT visibility?
Yes. Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the highest entity authority citation sources on the web, which is exactly why Google's own GBP help page was cited +400% on AI engines. A complete, consistent, actively maintained GBP is one of the fastest wins for AI citation visibility.
What's the difference between being cited and being recommended?
In AI search, citation means the engine referenced your content as a source. Being recommended means the engine named your practice as the answer to a direct query. The path to being recommended runs through being cited first. You build citation authority before you earn direct recommendations.
Ready to Show Up on AI Search Before Your Competitors Do?
Guey Lab helps dental practices get found and cited on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Not in six months, in weeks.
We track which AI engines are citing your competitors, identify the signal gaps in your current web presence, and build the content and entity infrastructure that gets you chosen.
Book your free AI visibility audit, click below.