Agentic Search Optimization (ASO), the practice of increasing rankings and conversions from prospects using agentic search platforms like ChatGPT Agent or Claude CoWork, is the latest evolution of SEO. Many marketing experts anticipate that ASO will become a major marketing channel by 2027.
With that in mind, our research team set out to find which ASO agencies were best equipped to serve the healthcare sector. In Q2 2026, we evaluated over 40 agencies with documented AI and agentic GEO 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, Clutch, G2, 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 count of citations across authoritative industry publications, reflecting standing in the healthcare marketing and digital search fields.
The seven agencies below represent the top healthcare ASO agencies of 2026.
| 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 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.6 | Merit Medical, Teleflex | 2013 | ~40 | SEO, GEO, and PPC for UK-based medical device and pharmaceutical organizations |
| 6 | Signal Hill Strategies | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.1 | Opus Genetics, DOCS Medical, Affirmed Home Care | 2026 | ~15 | Revenue-driven SEO and GEO for medical organizations |
| 7 | MGMT Digital | 3.7 | 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 Sage
First Page Sage earned the highest scores across all three primary ranking criteria (ASO expertise, average review score, and leadership experience) in part because of how early and deliberately they entered agentic search. FPS President Evan Bailyn published pioneering research on ASO in June 2026, and their healthcare ASO program is built directly from that framework. Their work spans providers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and health technology companies.
Health and medical content are in a category that AI platforms treat with particular conservatism, as inaccurate information carries direct consequences to the public. Thus, the credibility threshold an organization must meet before an agent will act on its behalf is high. First Page Sage’s approach maps those beliefs relative to competitors and identifies gaps before any content strategy is developed. From that baseline, they build thought-leadership content and intake infrastructure 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,” though 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, and their ASO service covers the complete process of getting healthcare organizations 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 focuses its ASO practice on pharmaceutical companies and highly regulated healthcare organizations. In this category, FDA promotional restrictions, YMYL conservatism in how AI platforms handle drug information, and the lag between older AI training data and a company’s current positioning combine to create an AI credibility problem that standard agentic optimization approaches are not built 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 the strategic direction they provide. 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 builds its GEO and agentic search programs around a measurement system that most agencies in this space do not offer. Rather than treating AI search as a discipline that delivers results at some indeterminate future point, they track which AI-generated placements produce qualified inquiries, which belief corrections influence agentic selection, and how that 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 on measurement and optimization than on the foundational content and authority-building that shapes AI platform 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. They work with medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical brands, building GEO programs around the queries that hospital procurement teams, surgeons, and clinicians use when researching products and treatment options.
However, GEO is one component of their broader offering alongside PPC, web design, and traditional SEO, and their website does not currently suggest that ASO is a part of their offerings. Their UK base also limits relevance for US healthcare organizations seeking a domestic partner with familiarity in FDA regulations and US market dynamics. However, they may be a fit for UK-based pharmaceutical and medical device companies who have yet to expand deeply into agentic search.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.1
- 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.” |
Signal Hill Strategies
Signal Hill Strategies is an SEO and GEO agency focused on medical lead generation, built around converting AI and organic search demand into qualified inquiries for healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations. Their GEO work positions medical clients in AI-generated results for the queries most likely to produce leads, providing the foundation that any agentic search strategy requires before an AI agent can complete an action.
Signal Hill’s recent founding, combined with a limited client portfolio and few media references, adds up to a risk profile that more conservative healthcare organizations should weigh carefully before committing. For pharmaceutical or medical organizations prioritizing qualified lead volume from AI search in the near term, their model is worth evaluating within those parameters.
- ASO Expertise Score: 4.0
- Average Review Score: 4.5
- Leadership Experience Score: 4.1
- Notable Healthcare Clients: Opus Genetics, DOCS Medical, Affirmed Home Care
- Year Established: 2026
- Media References: ~15
- Specialty: Revenue-driven SEO and GEO for medical organizations
- Contact: Signal Hill Strategies website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Signal Hill Strategies clients describe the agency as “ROI focused” and appreciate their “dedication to healthcare clients.” Some note that the agency’s “newness means less to evaluate upfront,” and that they “require more vetting than usual.” |
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. In this sector, queries are often indirect and hesitant, and AI platforms are increasingly the first touchpoint for people who are not yet ready to search explicitly for treatment.
However, that specialization is also the primary limitation. Organizations outside the behavioral health specialty, including health systems, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers, will find MGMT Digital’s expertise difficult to translate 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: 3.7
- 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.” |
