# First Five

> First Five measures and builds AI visibility for owner-operated businesses in
> regulated categories — healthcare and aesthetics, cannabis retail, and CBD brands.
> We measure how often a business is named when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini,
> Perplexity or Copilot for a recommendation, then build the off-site presence that
> changes it.

The core finding the business is built on: AI engines resolve recommendations almost
entirely from third-party sources — Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Foursquare,
Yelp, review platforms and category directories — not from a business's own website.
Traditional SEO agencies work on the website. The recommendation layer is elsewhere.

What these categories share is not an industry, it is a constraint: none of them can
simply buy their way to the top of the funnel. Healthcare faces expensive auctions and
advertising rules; cannabis is prohibited outright on Google and Meta; CBD is further
restricted on Amazon. That is what makes being named by an assistant worth more here.

Two honesty notes that apply to everything published here, and that we would want
quoted alongside any claim taken from this site:

- Nothing on this site is a confirmed AI ranking factor. No engine publishes how it
  selects sources. Everything stated is observed correlation from repeated measurement,
  and the field is roughly eighteen months old.
- The company was founded in 2026. Where the site describes how engagements work, it
  describes the designed process, not a track record.
- In the cannabis and CBD categories engines hedge more and sometimes decline to name
  any business at all. Our baseline measures which prompts return a list before it
  measures whether a client is on it.

## Start here

- [What an AI SEO agency does (AEO / GEO)](https://firstfivehq.com/ai-seo-agency/)
- [How the measurement works](https://firstfivehq.com/method/)
- [Published pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/pricing/)
- [All industries](https://firstfivehq.com/industries/)
- [Free tools, no signup](https://firstfivehq.com/tools/)
- [Guides](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/)
- [About and who we work with](https://firstfivehq.com/about/)

## Healthcare & aesthetics

### Med Spas
Patient acquisition cost has doubled since 2023. Owner-operated, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for med spas and aesthetics practices](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/)
- [AI Visibility for Med Spas](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Med Spas](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Med Spas](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Med Spas](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/med-spas/pricing/)

### Dental Groups & DSOs
Consolidation centralised your marketing. It did not make you findable. Owner-operated, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for dental and cosmetic dentistry practices](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/)
- [AI Visibility for Dentists](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Dentists](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Dentists](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Dentists](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/meta-ads/)
- [Dental implant marketing](https://firstfivehq.com/dental-implant-marketing/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/dental/pricing/)

### Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeons
Nobody picks a surgeon from an ad. Surgeon-owned, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for plastic and cosmetic surgery practices](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/)
- [AI Visibility for Plastic Surgeons](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Plastic Surgeons](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Plastic Surgeons](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Plastic Surgeons](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/plastic-surgery/pricing/)

### Chiropractic Clinics
Patients search the technique, not your clinic. Doctor-owned, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for chiropractic and sports rehab clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/)
- [AI Visibility for Chiropractors](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Chiropractors](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Chiropractors](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Chiropractors](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/chiropractic/pricing/)

### Dermatology Practices
Your patients search the condition, not the dermatologist. Physician-owned, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for medical and cosmetic dermatology](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/)
- [AI Visibility for Dermatologists](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Dermatologists](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Dermatologists](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Dermatologists](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/dermatology/pricing/)

### Recovery & Wellness Franchises
You are opening units faster than the engines can learn you exist. Independent or single-unit studios.
- [AI visibility for recovery and wellness studios](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/)
- [AI Visibility for Wellness Centers](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Wellness Centers](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Wellness Centers](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Wellness Centers](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/wellness-recovery/pricing/)

### Medical Weight Loss Clinics
The supply advantage is gone. The demand is not. Owner-operated, 1–3 locations.
- [AI visibility for medical weight loss and GLP-1 clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/)
- [AI Visibility for Weight Loss Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Weight Loss Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/seo/)
- [Google Ads for Weight Loss Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/google-ads/)
- [Facebook Ads for Weight Loss Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/meta-ads/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/medical-weight-loss/pricing/)

## Cannabis retail

### Dispensaries
Google and Meta will not sell you an ad at any price. Owner-operated, 1–3 locations, licensed and already spending on marketing.
- [AI visibility for cannabis dispensaries](https://firstfivehq.com/dispensaries/)
- [AI Visibility for Dispensaries](https://firstfivehq.com/dispensaries/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Dispensaries](https://firstfivehq.com/dispensaries/seo/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/dispensaries/pricing/)

### Cannabis Clinics
The assistant now explains the process. The question is whether it names you. Owner-operated, 1–3 locations or telehealth, licensed in its state.
- [AI visibility for medical cannabis clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/cannabis-clinics/)
- [AI Visibility for Cannabis Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/cannabis-clinics/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for Cannabis Clinics](https://firstfivehq.com/cannabis-clinics/seo/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/cannabis-clinics/pricing/)

## Cannabis brands

### CBD Brands
There is no map pin to claim. The shelf is editorial. Direct-to-consumer, own manufacturing or white-label, already spending on acquisition.
- [AI visibility for CBD and hemp brands](https://firstfivehq.com/cbd-brands/)
- [AI Visibility for CBD Brands](https://firstfivehq.com/cbd-brands/ai-visibility/)
- [SEO for CBD Brands](https://firstfivehq.com/cbd-brands/seo/)
- [Pricing](https://firstfivehq.com/cbd-brands/pricing/)

## Guides

- [GEO vs SEO vs AEO — what the terms actually mean](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/aeo-geo-seo-what-the-terms-actually-mean/) — SEO gets a page ranked in a list of links. AEO and GEO both aim to get a brand named inside an AI-generated answer — AEO usually framed around direct question-answering, GEO around generative engines. For a local business the practical distinction is not between AEO and GEO, it is between being ranked and being named.
- [LLM SEO — what it is and what actually works](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/llm-seo-what-it-is-and-what-actually-works/) — LLM SEO is the practice of getting a brand surfaced inside AI-generated answers rather than ranked in a list of links. The inputs overlap with SEO less than most teams expect — crawl access, extractable structure and third-party citations matter more than on-page optimisation, and there is no position to climb.
- [Does ChatGPT recommend med spas?](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/does-chatgpt-recommend-med-spas/) — Yes. Asked for a med spa in a given city, ChatGPT returns one to five named businesses. It resolves those names primarily through Bing's index, Foursquare, Yelp and Google Business Profile, then favours businesses with higher review volume and more recent reviews.
- [Why isn't my practice showing up in ChatGPT](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/why-isnt-my-practice-showing-up-in-chatgpt/) — The most common cause is an unclaimed Bing Places listing, because ChatGPT resolves local queries largely through Bing. Other frequent causes are missing Foursquare data, review volume below roughly 30 reviews at 4.3 stars, no local editorial presence, and AI crawlers blocked in robots.txt.
- [How AI engines choose which business to name](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-ai-engines-choose-which-business-to-name/) — Each engine resolves local recommendations through a different index. ChatGPT and Copilot lean on Bing, Foursquare and Yelp. Gemini and AI Overviews weight Google Business Profile. Perplexity draws heavily on community discussion. Optimising for one covers roughly a quarter of the surface.
- [Why Bing Places decides your ChatGPT visibility](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/why-bing-places-decides-your-chatgpt-visibility/) — ChatGPT and Copilot both resolve local queries largely through Bing's index, so an unclaimed Bing Places listing makes a practice close to invisible on two of the four major engines — regardless of how strong its Google presence is. Claiming it takes about an hour per location and costs nothing.
- [How many reviews before AI recommends you](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-many-reviews-before-ai-recommends-you/) — Observed behaviour puts the practical entry point near 30 reviews at 4.3 stars or better, rising above 100 in competitive metros. Recency is weighted about as heavily as volume — a practice with 200 reviews and nothing in six months tends to lose to one with 60 updated weekly.
- [How to rank in ChatGPT](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-to-get-recommended-by-chatgpt/) — ChatGPT resolves local recommendation questions mainly through Bing's index and a handful of directories, then ranks what it finds by review quality and recency. Getting named means fixing those off-site sources — claiming Bing Places, completing your directory profiles, and building steady review velocity. Almost none of the work happens on your website.
- [How to rank in Google's AI Overviews](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-to-appear-in-ai-overviews/) — AI Overviews are generated from Google's own index, so the inputs overlap heavily with local search — a complete Google Business Profile, consistent categories, strong reviews and crawlable service pages. This is the one AI surface where existing SEO work carries over, which is also why being strong here tells you nothing about ChatGPT.
- [How Perplexity picks local businesses](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-perplexity-picks-local-businesses/) — Perplexity runs its own index and leans harder on community discussion — Reddit in particular — than the other major engines. It also shows its citations on every answer, which makes it the fastest way to see exactly which sources decide whether a business gets named.
- [Why AI sends GLP-1 patients to telehealth](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/why-ai-sends-glp-1-patients-to-telehealth/) — Assistants answer category questions like "where to start GLP-1" with national telehealth brands because those brands carry far more editorial and community citation than any local clinic. Local clinics are not competing for that query and should not try. The winnable version is the "near me" variant, which resolves through local directories instead.
- [Does RealSelf affect AI recommendations](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/does-realself-affect-ai-recommendations/) — Yes, more than in any adjacent category. Patients ask for a surgeon rather than a practice, so engines resolve the question to a named individual — and RealSelf is among the most consistently cited sources for surgeon-level recommendations. A thin or unclaimed surgeon profile removes them from the answer regardless of practice website quality.
- [Google Business Profile for AI search](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/google-business-profile-for-ai-search/) — Google Business Profile is how Gemini and AI Overviews resolve local questions, so completeness there directly affects whether they name you. Categories, services and attributes carry the most weight because they are structured and machine-matchable. It covers roughly half the market — ChatGPT and Copilot resolve through Bing instead.
- [How AI decides which dentist to recommend](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/how-ai-decides-which-dentist-to-recommend/) — Dental queries split into emergency and elective, and the engines treat them differently — emergency answers weight availability and hours, elective answers weight reviews and treatment-specific content. Insurance appears as a filter in both. Zocdoc functions as the category directory the way RealSelf does in surgery.
- [Why AI names the treatment, not your studio](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/why-ai-names-the-treatment-not-your-studio/) — People ask assistants where to try cryotherapy or infrared sauna, not which recovery studio is best. Answers are assembled per modality, so a studio absent from the specific treatment question is absent from the query that actually has volume — and every newly opened unit starts invisible until its own records exist.
- [Meta ad policies for Botox and aesthetics](https://firstfivehq.com/guides/meta-ad-policies-for-botox-and-aesthetics/) — Meta treats cosmetic procedures as a restricted category. Before-and-after imagery is prohibited outright, as is copy implying a negative self-perception. Most med spa creative breaks at least one of these. The costlier mistake is tracking — a pixel on a booking page that captures treatment selection is a genuine HIPAA exposure, not just a policy problem.

## Comparisons

- [What med spa AEO agencies charge](https://firstfivehq.com/compare/med-spa-aeo-agency-pricing/)
- [AI visibility vs a traditional SEO agency](https://firstfivehq.com/compare/traditional-seo-agency/)
- [Brenton Way alternatives for AI visibility](https://firstfivehq.com/compare/brenton-way-alternatives/)
- [Cardinal Digital Marketing alternatives](https://firstfivehq.com/compare/cardinal-digital-marketing-alternatives/)
- [Growth99 alternatives for AI visibility](https://firstfivehq.com/compare/growth99-alternatives/)

## Contact

- [Request an audit](https://firstfivehq.com/contact/) — hello@firstfivehq.com