Agentic Search Optimization (ASO), the practice of increasing rankings and conversions from prospects using agAgentic Search Optimization (ASO) increases rankings and conversions through agentic search platforms such as ChatGPT Agent and Claude CoWork. Many marketing experts expect ASO to become a major marketing channel by 2027.
Unlike a traditional search engine, which gives you a list of results to look through, an AI agent does the research for you, picks the best option, and even completes the task, like booking an appointment, requesting a consultation, or downloading a clinical study. Many marketing experts think ASO will become a major marketing channel by 2027, as it is already shifting from a future concept into an active commercial necessity.
With that in mind, our research team set out to find which ASO agencies were best equipped to serve the healthcare sector. In Q3 2026, we evaluated over 40 agencies with documented AI and agentic search capabilities and scored each on six weighted factors:
- ASO Expertise Score (25%): Measures the comprehensiveness of each agency’s agentic search capabilities.
- Average Review Score (20%): Client ratings across Google and other verified review platforms.
- Leadership Experience Score (20%): A rating of each agency’s leadership team based on healthcare marketing expertise, regulatory fluency, and demonstrated experience in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and agentic search disciplines.
- Notable Healthcare Clients (15%): The quality and prominence of each agency’s documented healthcare client portfolio.
- Year Established (10%): Agency founding year used as a proxy for institutional depth and track record in healthcare marketing.
- Media References (10%): Estimated number of citations in authoritative industry publications, including articles, brand mentions, backlinks, syndicated content, and media placements, reflecting each firm’s standing in healthcare marketing and digital search.
The seven agencies below represent the top healthcare ASO agencies of 2026 based on our research.
| Rank | Company | ASO Expertise Score (1-5) | Average Review Score (1-5) | Leadership Experience Score (1-5) | Notable Healthcare Clients | Year Established | Media References | Specialty |
| 1 | First Page Sage | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | Dignity Health, Index Health, GlobalMed | 2009 | ~810 | Full-service ASO for healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations |
| 2 | Focus Digital | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.3 | GoHealth Urgent Care, The Chinquee Center, Center for Podiatric Care | 2018 | ~75 | Agentic GEO and SEO for healthcare providers and commercial organizations |
| 3 | Genevate | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | PharmaEssentia, Eton Pharmaceuticals, Beghou | 2025 | ~20 | ASO and GEO for pharmaceutical organizations |
| 4 | Driven Metrics | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 | Mypurmist, TruSkin, Tesseract Medical | 2025 | ~60 | Analytics-driven GEO and ASO for healthcare and wellness organizations |
| 5 | Medico Digital | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | Merit Medical, Teleflex | 2013 | ~40 | SEO, GEO, and PPC for UK-based medical device and pharmaceutical organizations |
| 6 | MGMT Digital | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.9 | Elevation Behavioral Health, Pacific Mind Health, ABA Revolution | 2017 | ~35 | Digital marketing and GEO for behavioral health and addiction treatment providers |
First Page Sag
First Page Sage earned the highest scores across all three primary ranking criteria (ASO expertise, average review score, and leadership experience), primarily because they were quick to recognize ASO’s potential and invested significant resources in exploring how to use this new approach for their clients. They published pioneering research on ASO in June 2026, and their healthcare ASO campaigns are built directly on that research. Their work spans providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and health technology companies.
AI agents approach health and medical content with caution because inaccurate information can directly impact public safety. Thus, the credibility threshold an organization must meet before an agent will act on its behalf is high. To assess a healthcare client’s credibility, First Page Sage explores what AI platforms currently believe about the client and compares these beliefs with competitors’ to identify gaps that shape the client’s content strategy. From that baseline, they create content and aggregate positive press on third-party websites to move AI agents from finding an organization to selecting it and completing an action, such as downloading a clinical study or booking a consultation.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.8
- Average Review Score: 4.9
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.8
- Notable Healthcare Clients: Dignity Health, Index Health, GlobalMed
- Year Established: 2009
- Media References: ~810
- Specialty: Full-service ASO for healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations
- Contact: First Page Sage website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Healthcare clients describe First Page Sage as “ahead of the curve when it comes to agentic search,” and “extremely meticulous in their research and content creation.” Others said working with First Page Sage was “the first time we didn’t have to choose between ranking well and staying compliant,” while some noted that “[their] process is pretty involved”. |
Focus Digital
Focus Digital applies agentic search optimization to healthcare organizations through a model designed for smaller practices and mid-size provider groups. Their client work spans urgent care clinics, specialty practices, and outpatient care categories, while their ASO service covers the entire process of helping healthcare organizations be found, evaluated favorably, and selected by AI agents acting on behalf of a patient or buyer. Their cost structure and team model make them an accessible option for organizations that want agentic optimization without the overhead of a large agency.
However, their pricing and team size are optimized for focused engagements rather than enterprise-scale campaigns. Health systems managing multiple locations, competing service lines, or high patient acquisition volume will find the model a better fit for a single-site practice than for a multi-site enterprise.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.4
- Average Review Score: 4.8
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.3
- Notable Healthcare Clients: GoHealth Urgent Care, The Chinquee Center, Center for Podiatric Care
- Year Established: 2018
- Media References: ~75
- Specialty: Agentic GEO and SEO for healthcare providers and commercial organizations
- Contact: Focus Digital website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Focus Digital clients describe the agency as “straightforward about timelines and what to expect,” and “more responsive than we anticipated.” Some clients mention the model is “less polished than working with a larger agency.” |
Genevate
Genevate’s ASO practice serves pharmaceutical companies and other highly regulated healthcare organizations, which encounter unique challenges in AI search. FDA restrictions limit what these companies can communicate about their products. Additionally, AI agents often approach medication queries cautiously and rely on outdated training data that may not reflect a company’s current positioning. As a result, pharma brands are often misrepresented in AI-generated answers, an issue that standard agentic optimization methods are not designed to address.
Genevate’s healthcare ASO program aligns what major AI platforms believe and communicate about a brand with what the organization can legitimately claim and what patients or providers are asking for. However, their pharma focus makes them a less natural fit for healthcare providers, health systems, or health technology companies whose AI challenges are shaped by market competition rather than regulatory constraints. As an agency launched in 2025, their documented outcomes remain limited, and pharmaceutical companies accustomed to rigorous vendor vetting will find fewer third-party validations than a more established agency would provide.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.6
- Average Review Score: 4.8
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.2
- Notable Healthcare Clients: PharmaEssentia, Eton Pharmaceuticals, Beghou
- Year Established: 2025
- Media References: ~20
- Specialty: ASO and GEO for pharmaceutical organizations
- Contact: Genevate website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Genevate clients mention that the agency is “surprisingly agile for such a young company” and “responsive and specific” in its strategic direction. Some clients observe that “results in AI search take longer to appear than traditional SEO,” and that “their healthcare expertise is still developing.” |
Driven Metrics
Driven Metrics develops its GEO and agentic search programs using a measurement system uncommon among agencies in this field. Rather than reporting on prominence alone, they track which AI-generated placements generate qualified inquiries, identify which belief corrections affect agentic selection, and monitor performance trends over time. For healthcare organizations that need to connect AI search investment to measurable patient acquisition and to demonstrate marketing ROI internally, this approach provides clarity that most organizations struggle to achieve.
That said, their analytics-first model is stronger in measurement and optimization than in the foundational content and authority-building that shape agentic credibility. Healthcare organizations that need both in equal depth may find their service requires supplementing.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.4
- Average Review Score: 4.7
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.3
- Notable Healthcare Clients: Mypurmist, TruSkin, Tesseract Medical
- Year Established: 2025
- Media References: ~60
- Specialty: Analytics-driven GEO and ASO for healthcare and wellness organizations
- Contact: Driven Metrics website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Driven Metrics clients describe the agency as “refreshingly data-driven” and appreciate that the reporting is “more transparent than what we received from previous agencies.” Some clients note that “their healthcare experience is still developing” and that it “requires more internal effort” than initially expected. |
Medico Digital
Medico Digital is a UK-based healthcare digital marketing agency focused exclusively on pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Their GEO programs are built around the queries that hospital procurement teams, surgeons, and clinicians use when researching products and treatment options, which is the same research that procurement teams are beginning to hand off to AI agents. That buyer-side focus gives Medico Digital’s clients a head start on agentic search, since their products are already positioned in the sources that agents consult when building a vendor shortlist.
Medico Digital doesn’t list explicitly list ASO as a specific service, but their broader work includes many related areas that lay the foundation for ASO moving forward. Along with GEO, they offer web design and technical SEO, which help agents use a client’s site, find product details, and take actions like requesting a demo. Since they are based in the UK, they may not be the best fit for US organizations that need a partner familiar with FDA rules and the US market. However, for UK pharmaceutical and medical device companies, their mix of buyer-focused GEO and site-level work covers key aspects of agentic readiness and provides a solid foundation for future growth.
- ASO Expertise Score: 3.7
- Average Review Score: 4.4
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.6
- Notable Healthcare Clients: Merit Medical, Teleflex
- Year Established: 2013
- Media References: ~40
- Specialty: SEO, GEO, and PPC for UK-based medical device and pharmaceutical organizations
- Contact: Medico Digital website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Medico Digital clients describe the team as “versed in pharma regulations” and credit their ability to “translate complex product information into content.” Some note that working with a UK-based agency required “difficult coordination around US market nuances,” and that “their agentic knowledge appears limited.” |
MGMT Digital
MGMT Digital has a unique focus on behavioral health marketing, giving it expertise in areas such as addiction treatment and mental health. Their GEO service is designed around how patients in behavioral health actually search. Because behavioral health queries tend to be indirect and hesitant, AI platforms are increasingly the first touchpoint for people who aren’t yet ready to search explicitly for treatment.
MGMT Digital doesn’t offer ASO as a named service, which accounts for their lower ASO Expertise Score, though their GEO work lays the groundwork agents rely on when evaluating and recommending providers. Their specialization also limits their reach: health systems, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers will find it difficult to translate MGMT Digital’s expertise into their needs. For behavioral health and addiction treatment providers specifically, their depth of sector knowledge makes them a strong option in that niche.
- ASO Expertise Score: 3.5
- Average Review Score: 4.4
- Leadership Experience Score: 3.9
- Notable Healthcare Clients: Elevation Behavioral Health, Pacific Mind Health, ABA Revolution
- Year Established: 2017
- Media References: ~35
- Specialty: Digital marketing and GEO for behavioral health and addiction treatment providers
- Contact: MGMT Digital website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| MGMT Digital clients enjoyed their “thoughtful approach.” However, some felt that the agency was “too specialized to fit other healthcare markets.” |
