Is Google Dead?
Medspa Lead Generation: How Patient Acquisition Has Changed
Most med spa owners are still thinking like this:
Rank on Google.
Run some ads.
Hope people click your website.
Wait for the bookings to roll in.
And while that strategy still works, you might have noticed that there are fewer qualified patient inquiries.
It’s costing you more just to get the same number of patients as you once did.
The real issue isn't whether Google is dying—it's whether your med spa is visible where patients are searching.
Today, more and more people are asking AI for recommendations instead of only relying on Google.
So in addition to searching “Botox near me,” they’re also asking AI:
“What’s the best med spa for Botox in Scottsdale?”
And if you're only optimizing for Google, you're already missing patients who are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's own AI Overviews.
Your competitors that are showing up in AI recommendations are the ones getting the bookings.
Not just because they’re more visible, but because they’re more trust worthy.
Today I’m going to share how Google and AI search has changed the patient journey, and how to generate leads for your med spa in this new reality.
Let’s get started.
[insert YT video]
The Med Spa Marketing Funnel
When you use Google to generate leads for your med spa, it mostly comes down to hierarchy. Let me explain.
First are the Google ads…
Roughly 10% of people will click these.
Then, comes the Local Pack, which displays 3 med spas.
Roughly 60% of people click here—which is why the majority of the bookings go to these businesses.
Lastly, you have the old school blue links…
I’m not sure what the exact percentage is of people that click here are, but it’s lower than the previous two.
By the time people have scrolled past the ads, and the local pack, you might catch some stragglers.
And that used be what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was all about.
Getting your med spa to rank in the Local Pack, and running Google ads to boost results.
But today, optimizing for AI, needs to be part of your SEO strategy.
It’s that combination, that makes it the most effective long term strategy to grow your med spa.
Right Now, Hundreds of People in Your City Searching for Treatments You Offer.
These people have 3 characteristics that make them your ideal target audience.
They are:
Local
Have money to spend
Intention to book now
Here’s a glimpse of what the local searches in my city looked like last month…
There are 1,300 people looking for BOTOX (each month) in Montreal, and using Google to search for a provider.
And that’s not all.
According to the ASPS, demand for the types of treatments offered at med spas like injectables, lasers, radio frequency (things that don’t involve a scalpel) was up 79% over the last five years.
31% of Patients Trust AI to Provide Business Recommendations, and Use It on a Monthly Basis.
Which means showing up in AI results isn't optional anymore—it's a second front door into your practice. Here's what that looks like in practice:
Today, we live in the era of the ecosystem.
People are going to research you.
After they discover your med spa on Google. They will:
Ask ChatGPT who they recommend.
Read your Google reviews.
Check your before-and-after photos.
Those things will either assist you with the sale…
Or it undermines you.
Patients are trying to answer one question:
“Can I trust this med spa?”
AI is trying to answer the exact same question.
When someone asks ChatGPT,
“What’s the best med spa for Botox near me?”
AI isn’t picking a business at random.
It’s looking for signals that your practice is credible.
Your reviews.
Your Google Business Profile.
Your website.
Your expertise.
Your content.
Whether other trusted websites mention your practice.
Whether your business information is consistent across the web.
Why I Don’t Think of SEO as “Ranking on Google” Anymore.
I think of it as building a digital reputation.
Every piece of content you publish...
Every review you receive...
Every FAQ you answer...
Every YouTube video...
Every mention of your practice...
Every before-and-after gallery...
They’re all trust signals.
And trust is what both patients and AI are looking for.
The old way of thinking:
“How do I rank #1 on Google?”
The new way of thinking:
“How do I become the most trusted med spa in my market?”
Because when you get recommended by AI, it’s almost like getting a vetted stamp of approval.
It means the patient has to do less research when choosing a med spa.
And at the end of the day, they just want confidence that they’re choosing the right provider.
The Bottom Line
Google isn’t dead.
All of the AI search platforms use it to make their recommendations.
It’s just no longer the only place patients make decisions.
Search has become research.
And AI is becoming a trusted part of that research.
The med spas that win in the next 5 years won’t be the ones with the biggest ad budgets.
They’ll be the ones that become the easiest to trust.
Because once patients (and AI) trust you...
Getting more qualified patient inquiries becomes the natural result.
That’s all for today.
Take care,
Nicholas
Never Worry About Empty Treatment Rooms Again.
When you dominate local search, you effectively build a system that attracts high-value patients consistently. (Think Botox, PRP, peptides, CoolSculpting, etc… and not price shoppers.)
It’s like setting up an insurance policy that secures your clinic’s growth in the long run because you’ll be visible to patients who are actively looking for the services you offer.
And the longer you dominate the local search results, the more established and recognizable your med spa becomes. (I call it the compound interest of SEO effect.)
Get your Free Local SEO Report and find out exactly where you stand right now.
Here’s what you’ll see:
Where you rank compared to your top local competitors
What patients in your area are actually searching for right now
The gaps that are sending high-value patients to other clinics
Afterwards you’ll have practical, actionable insights you can act on. No commitment. No sales call. Just your data.