This page collects the healthcare SEO statistics that matter for a practice, clinic or hospital deciding where patients will find it: how people research care, which search terms they use, how many click past the first results, how they read reviews, and how fast AI chatbots are becoming part of the search. It also traces the five numbers that healthcare marketing articles quote most often back to where they came from.
Every figure links to the page where it was published, usually the original study. Each row shows the year the data was collected. Several of the most repeated numbers come from a single 2012 Google study of hospital patients, so we say that plainly and pair them with current data. All figures were checked on 2026-10-08.
The five most quoted healthcare search statistics, traced to source
These five numbers appear on hundreds of healthcare marketing pages. Here is what the original evidence shows for each one.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 77% of patients used search prior to booking a hospital appointment, among 533 hospital researchers surveyed in May and June 2012. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 44% of patients who researched hospitals on a mobile device scheduled an appointment, compared with 34% of those who researched only on a computer. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 0.63% of Google searchers clicked on a result from the second page of results. | Backlinko, Google CTR stats | 2022 data, updated 2025 |
| 46% of Google searches have local intent, according to a Google representative speaking at a 2018 local search event, as reported secondhand. | Search Engine Roundtable | 2018 |
| 94% of prospective hospital patients said the reputation of the facility was important to their choice. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
77% of patients use search engines before booking. This one holds up. The 2012 Google and Compete study tracked hospital researchers online from early 2011 to early 2012 and surveyed 533 of them. Search engines (77%) and hospital websites (76%) were the top two research sources. It is a hospital study from 2012, so quote it with its year.
87% of patients who find a provider online book an appointment. We could find no study that publishes this number. The closest real evidence is the Google study above, where 44% of mobile researchers and 34% of computer-only researchers went on to schedule an appointment.
75% of people never scroll past the first page. No primary study for this figure could be found. The measured number is far more extreme: in Backlinko's analysis of about 4 million search results, 0.63% of searchers clicked a page 2 result.
46% of Google searches are local. Google has never published this figure. It traces to a tweet from a 2018 Google event, reported by Search Engine Roundtable, which noted it could not confirm the number. Use it, if at all, as a reported comment.
94% of patients use online reviews. The 94% in the Google study measured something else: how many patients rated a facility's reputation as important. For review behavior, see the reviews section below, where current surveys put the figure between 72% and 97% depending on the question asked.
How patients research care before they book
Patients combine online and offline sources and take their time. The best data on the full research journey is still the Google hospital study, supported by Pew's national survey.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 84% of patients used both online and offline sources to research hospitals. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 76% of patients used hospital websites in their research, and 52% used health information sites. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 48% of patients took more than 2 weeks to research before booking. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 61% of patients visited 2 or more hospital websites before converting. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 8 in 10 online health inquiries started at a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. | Pew Research Center, Health Online 2013 | 2012 |
| 59% of US adults looked online for health information in the past year. | Pew Research Center, Health Online 2013 | 2012 |
| 35% of US adults had gone online to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have. | Pew Research Center, Health Online 2013 | 2012 |
| 1 in 20 Google searches are for health-related information. | Google, The Keyword blog | 2015 |
Pew's survey covered 3,014 US adults by phone, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 points. Of the people who tried to diagnose a condition online, 53% later talked to a clinician about what they found.
What patients type into Google
Most patient searches start with a symptom or condition and end with a provider's name. That pattern is the case for building condition and service pages; see our healthcare keyword research guide.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 49% of patients started their search path with a condition or disease term, and 10% started with a branded term. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 48% of patients finished their search path with a branded term, such as a hospital's name. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| Patients who booked online ran 15.3 searches on average, about 3 times the 4.5 searches of those who did not convert. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 43% of visits to hospital websites originated from a search engine. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
The practical reading: a patient who searches "knee pain when climbing stairs" this week may search your clinic's name next month. A site that answers the first search earns the second.
How many searchers click, and where
Clicks concentrate at the top of page 1, and a growing share of searches end on Google itself. Our Google search statistics page covers this in more depth.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The #1 organic result on Google gets 27.6% of all clicks. | Backlinko, Google CTR stats | 2022 data, updated 2025 |
| The top 3 organic results get 54.4% of all clicks. | Backlinko, Google CTR stats | 2022 data, updated 2025 |
| 58.5% of US Google searches ended without a click to any website. | SparkToro, 2024 zero-click search study | 2024 |
| For every 1,000 US Google searches, 360 clicks went to a website that Google does not own. | SparkToro, 2024 zero-click search study | 2024 |
| Google users clicked a regular search result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% when none appeared. | Pew Research Center | 2025 |
| Users clicked a link inside the AI summary itself on 1% of visits. | Pew Research Center | 2025 |
| 18% of Google searches in Pew's sample produced an AI summary. | Pew Research Center | 2025 |
Pew tracked the real browsing of 900 US adults during March 2025, covering 68,879 Google searches. SparkToro's figures come from Datos clickstream panels from 2022 to 2024. Neither study isolates health searches, so read them as the general picture.
Reviews and reputation
Reviews work as a filter. Patients use them to cut a list of options down to the few they will call. For the playbook, see healthcare reputation management.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 72.71% of patients consider online reviews a major influence when choosing a healthcare provider. | RepuGen, Patient Review Survey 2024 | 2024 |
| 83.23% of patients need a provider to have at least a 4-star rating. | RepuGen, Patient Review Survey 2024 | 2024 |
| 26% of patients who booked hospital appointments used consumer-generated reviews in their research. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| After their appointment, 50% of patients recommended the facility to family, friends or colleagues, 12% posted a review on a social network and 6% posted a review on a website. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 97% of US consumers read online reviews for local businesses. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
RepuGen surveyed 1,426 US adults and sells review software, so weigh the result with that in mind. The jump from 26% in 2012 to roughly 73% in 2024 reflects both a real change in behavior and different survey questions. BrightLocal's survey of 1,002 US adults covers all local businesses.
AI chatbots and health information
AI chatbots have become a research step for a large minority of patients, and for close to half of adults under 30. Our guide to AI and medical SEO covers how to show up in those answers.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 34% of US adults have used an AI chatbot for at least one of 8 health-related purposes. | Pew Research Center | 2026 |
| 25% of US adults have used an AI chatbot to understand what is causing their symptoms. | Pew Research Center | 2026 |
| 15% of US adults have used an AI chatbot to help decide whether to see a doctor. | Pew Research Center | 2026 |
| 44% of adults aged 18 to 29 have used an AI chatbot for health. | Pew Research Center | 2026 |
| 17% of US adults used AI chatbots at least once a month to find health information and advice. | KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll | 2024 |
| 45% of US consumers have used ChatGPT or another generative AI tool for local business recommendations. | BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 | 2026 |
Pew surveyed 3,488 US adults in June 2026. KFF surveyed 2,428 adults in June 2024 and found that 56% of AI users were not confident the health information was accurate. The KFF figure measures monthly use and the Pew figure measures any use, so the two are not directly comparable.
Paid search, booking and telehealth
Paid search costs and booking channels set the benchmark that organic visibility competes against. More paid data is on our Google Ads statistics page.
| Statistic | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads for physicians and surgeons averaged a $4.76 cost per click and a 12.43% conversion rate. | LocaliQ, search advertising benchmarks | 2026 |
| Physicians and surgeons paid an average of $40.04 per lead from search ads. | LocaliQ, search advertising benchmarks | 2026 |
| Dentists averaged an $8.00 cost per click, a 10.67% conversion rate and a $72.97 cost per lead. | LocaliQ, search advertising benchmarks | 2026 |
| 56% of hospital patients booked by phone, 23% in person and 21% by computer or mobile. | Google and Compete, The Digital Journey to Wellness | 2012 |
| 37.0% of US adults used telemedicine in the past 12 months. | CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Data Brief 445 | 2021 |
LocaliQ's benchmarks come from its own customers' campaigns across Google and Microsoft Ads, so they reflect the businesses LocaliQ works with. The CDC figure comes from the National Health Interview Survey.
What these numbers mean for healthcare providers
- Win the condition search, and the name search follows. Half of patient search paths start with a condition and half end on a brand. Pages that explain conditions, treatments and costs put your name in front of patients weeks before they choose. Our healthcare SEO best practices guide lays out the page set.
- Aim for the top 3. With 54.4% of clicks going to the first three organic results and under 1% reaching page 2, a position-8 ranking produces little traffic. Track rankings for the 20 to 50 searches that bring patients.
- Treat reviews as a ranking and conversion asset. Most patients filter on star rating before they compare anything else. A steady flow of recent reviews moves both your Maps position and your call rate.
- Answer the questions AI tools are asked. One in four adults now asks a chatbot about symptoms. Clear pages that name your services, locations and clinicians give ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini something to cite. A free Rank.ai AI grade shows whether those tools name your practice for the questions patients ask.
- Expect fewer clicks per ranking. AI summaries cut clicks on regular results nearly in half where they appear. Measure success in calls and bookings, and check which pages AI answers cite; Rank.ai's AI visibility tracking records that daily.
FAQ
Where does the "77% of patients use search engines" statistic come from?
It comes from "The Digital Journey to Wellness," a 2012 study by Google and the research firm Compete. Compete tracked hospital researchers online from early 2011 to early 2012 and surveyed 533 of them in May and June 2012. 77% said they used search before booking an appointment. It is a reliable figure, but it is from 2012 and covers hospital patients.
What percentage of patients read online reviews before choosing a doctor?
Recent surveys put it between about 72% and 97%, depending on how the question is asked. RepuGen's 2024 survey of 1,426 adults found 72.71% consider reviews a major influence when choosing a provider, and 83.23% want at least a 4-star rating. BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses in general.
How many Google searches are health-related?
Google said in 2015 that 1 in 20 searches are for health-related information. That is the most recent figure Google has published on its own blog. Later percentages attributed to Google executives in interviews have not been published as official data.
Do patients use ChatGPT to find doctors and health information?
Yes, and the share is growing. Pew found in 2026 that 34% of US adults have used an AI chatbot for a health purpose, 25% to understand their symptoms and 15% to decide whether to see a doctor. Among adults under 30, the figure is 44%.
Is it true that 75% of people never go past the first page of Google?
That exact figure has no published source. Click data shows the real number is much higher: Backlinko found 0.63% of Google searchers clicked a result on page 2, which means more than 99% stay on page 1.
Are 46% of Google searches local?
Google has never published that number. It comes from a Google representative's remark at a 2018 local search event, reported secondhand by Search Engine Roundtable. Local intent is common for healthcare searches like "urgent care near me", but the 46% figure is unconfirmed.
Sources and method
We started from the statistics that other sites quote from older healthcare SEO articles, traced each one to its original publisher, and kept those we could find in a primary source. Where a widely quoted number had no findable source (the 87% and 75% figures), we say so and show the closest measured data. We favored government data (CDC), nonpartisan research (Pew Research Center, KFF), Google's own publications, and large click studies, and labeled vendor surveys with their sample size. Older studies are shown with the year the data was collected. All figures and links were checked on 2026-10-08.
