Voice search & featured snippets for medical queries.

For medical queries, Google increasingly answers the question without sending the click. That's not a lost patient — it's a branding surface. When Google reads out “According to Wardsphysiocore…” to a patient asking Siri about rotator cuff recovery, your clinic is the trusted source in that moment, even if no one taps through.

1. 01Featured snippet. The single quoted answer above position one. Roughly 40–58 words of your page, pulled verbatim.
2. 02People Also Ask. The expandable question list on the SERP. Winning several PAA slots on one topic dominates the page above the fold.
3. 03Voice assistants. Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa mostly read the featured snippet aloud. Win the snippet, win the voice answer.

Snippets are triggered by questions. Your H2s should be the questions themselves, phrased in patient language — not clinical summaries.

• "How long does a rotator cuff tear take to heal?" — not "Rotator cuff recovery timeline."
• "Can I run with plantar fasciitis?" — not "Plantar fasciitis and exercise."
• "When should I see a physio for lower back pain?" — not "Back pain assessment."

One question per H2. Google won't pick a snippet from a heading that bundles three questions.

The paragraph immediately under the question should be a self-contained answer of 40–58 words. This is the window Google grabs for the snippet.

• Sentence 1: restate the question as a declarative answer.
• Sentence 2: the specific number, timeline, or caveat.
• Sentence 3 (optional): the exception or 'see a clinician if…' note.

Only after those three sentences do you expand into the long explanation. Long-form is for the reader; the opener is for the snippet.

FAQPage structured data is the fastest path into People Also Ask and voice results. But Google now demotes FAQ schema that doesn't match visible content, so:

• Every question in schema must appear verbatim as an H3 on the page.
• Every answer in schema must match the visible answer below it.
• Six to ten Q&As per page is the sweet spot — enough to cover the topic, not so many the page looks farmed.

Voice searches average nine words and heavily skew local: patients ask “where's the closest physio open on Saturday” rather than typing “physio near me.” Optimise for the full sentence and the local modifier:

• Publish opening hours in structured data and update them for public holidays — voice assistants read them out live.
• Own the answer for '[service] near me' and '[service] open now' variants by combining a service page with a strong Google Business Profile.
• Include natural-language phrases patients say aloud: 'the best time to call', 'what to bring to your first visit', 'do I need a referral'.

Snippets and voice answers depress click-through by design — Google answered for you. In Search Console, watch impressions and average position on question-shaped queries, not just clicks. Rising impressions with flat clicks usually means you won the snippet.

Snippets are one output of the same content that powers AEO. If you want the underlying mechanics of how answer engines choose sources, read the GEO guide.