Visibility is measured two ways on the same 1,773-keyword universe, July 2026: classic Search share (CTR-weighted by position, so a #1 ranking counts for what it actually receives) and AI-answer citation share (which domains the AI answer layer cites). Comparing the two per domain is the study's sharpest instrument — and the market's biggest strategic shift.
Classic Search — the familiar hierarchy
| Domain | Share of captured Search demand |
|---|---|
| nhs.uk | 15.4% |
| onlinedoctor.superdrug.com | 7.0% |
| onlinedoctor.asda.com | 6.9% |
| 111.wales.nhs.uk | 3.3% |
| pharmacy2u.co.uk | 2.9% |
| lloydspharmacy.com | 2.7% |
| bupa.co.uk | 2.6% |
High-street and omnichannel brands hold 25.6% of Search between them; pure-play online pharmacies just 4.4%; telehealth programmes 0.4%. SEO muscle and brand trust stack the classic layer in the incumbents' favour.
The AI layer — the same market, re-ranked
| Domain | Search share | AI-citation share | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| nhs.uk | 15.4% | 1.5% | −13.9 pts |
| onlinedoctor.superdrug.com | 7.0% | 0.9% | −6.1 |
| onlinedoctor.asda.com | 6.9% | 2.2% | −4.7 |
| pharmacy2u.co.uk | 2.9% | 0.2% | −2.7 |
| gov.uk | 0.7% | 6.2% | +5.5 |
| nice.org.uk | 0.0% | 5.4% | +5.4 |
| secondnature.io | 0.1% | 2.5% | +2.5 |
| medino.com | 0.0% | 2.4% | +2.4 |
Read that top row again: the NHS loses 90% of its relative visibility when the surface shifts from Search to AI answers. The winners are the regulatory spine (gov.uk, NICE — content AI systems treat as citable ground truth) and nimble players whose structured, referenced content earns citations without rankings.
At provider-type level the field levels: high-street 25.6% → 10.4%, pure-play 4.4% → 7.6%, telehealth 0.4% → 4.5%. The AI layer is the cheapest ground a challenger will ever get — and the most dangerous ground an incumbent can ignore.
The manufacturer void
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly: 1.45% of Search, 0.9% of AI citations — against 2.8M monthly searches for their own product names. This is structure, not failure: UK law bars consumer advertising of prescription-only medicines, so manufacturer estates are corporate and prescribing-information pages. The demand they create is harvested by pharmacies, press and the NHS.
Who mediates each journey stage
- Eligibility — NHS/gov own 52%: the entry gate is institutional.
- Treatment research — commercial providers own 61% of the biggest stage (2.8M searches/month).
- Provider selection — contested: providers 42%, NHS 26%.
The method behind this page is the one we sell: we measure AI-answer citations the way rank trackers measure rankings — because in this market the difference between the two layers is now the strategy.
→ Next: what the market believes — molecule perception and the regain moat