Austin Heaton vs First Page Sage: 2026 Comparison for AEO Services

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An honest, side-by-side comparison

Austin Heaton vs First Page Sage: 2026 Comparison for AEO Services

Both can grow your visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Google. The real question is how you want the work done: by a senior-led, in-house team where Austin personally directs every piece of strategy and guidance, or by a large, established agency with a multi-person team and account managers.

This page lays out the differences plainly, so you can pick the model that fits your stage, budget, and the way you like to work. No spin, no knocking the other guy.

Book a Call With Austin → Jump to Comparison
Option A

Austin Heaton

A senior-led, in-house specialist team. Full-stack AEO + SEO execution with all strategy and guidance directly from Austin, one accountable owner, direct Slack access, and documented client results.

VS
Option B

First Page Sage

Established agency founded in 2009, with a multi-person team, an account-management layer, and an enterprise service model.

Austin Heaton, By The Numbers

5–7x
Average client ROI, documented
+560%
Avg AI click growth in 45 days
1–2 wk
To first results, then compounding
12+
Years of search experience

Recommended By & Featured On

Independent publications that have named Austin among the best AEO consultants and services for B2B companies in 2026.

FintechZoom Big News Network Startup.info Business Age CEO Column Nerdbot Metapress MarketGuest NewsProfit Porto Theme WPFrank BDevs D-Themes Daily UK
The Short Version

The Difference In One Glance

Both are credible ways to win AI search visibility. They simply run on different models, which means each is a better fit for a different kind of buyer.

Austin Heaton

The senior-led, in-house model

You work directly with Austin, who personally directs strategy and guidance for a dedicated in-house specialist team, from plan to shipped content. No account managers, no handoffs to outside juniors. Execution is fast, flexible, and senior-led, and every deliverable ties back to pipeline and revenue through live dashboards built on day one. First results typically show in a week or two, then compound from there.

Pick Austin ifyou want senior-level attention, speed, flexible scope, and one accountable owner directing the work.
First Page Sage

The established-agency model

An established firm founded in 2009 with deep agency experience across SEO and GEO/AEO. You get a multi-person team, a structured process refined over 15+ years, published quarterly research, and a recognizable brand with enterprise clients on its roster.

Pick First Page Sage ifyou're an enterprise that wants a large established team, parallel capacity, and brand-name pedigree.
Side By Side

The Comparison, At A Glance

The fastest way to see how the two stack up across the things that change your experience and your results.

What you're comparing
Austin HeatonSenior-led, in-houseBest for growth-stage
First Page SageEstablished agency
Full-stack AEO + SEO
In-house team (no outsourcing)
In-house specialists
Agency team
Strategy & guidance direct from a senior owner
Directly from Austin
Via account team
Direct Slack access, same-business-day
Account-manager layer
Weekly shipping cadence
Structured program
First results in 1–2 weeks, then compounding
Longer-horizon build
Live revenue-attribution dashboard (day one)
Standard reporting
Daily AI-visibility tracking (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity)
Custom, daily
Periodic reporting
Backlinks & digital PR
Technical SEO + schema / entity markup
Published quarterly GEO/AEO research studies
Flexible, scope-based pricing
Tailored to scope
~$8K–$20K+/mo
Documented client case studies
Riseworks, Lumanu & more
Enterprise clients
Among the first specialists to focus on AEO
Est. 2009 agency
One accountable senior owner, no handoffs
Multi-person team

First Page Sage details reflect publicly available information, including the firm's own published pricing research and third-party agency directories, as of 2026. Figures may vary by engagement; confirm current scope and pricing directly with each provider.

The Honest Trade-Offs

Pros & Cons

Every model has strengths and limits. Here's a straight, balanced look at both, so you can choose with eyes open.

Austin Heaton

Pros

  • One senior owner directs all strategy and guidance for a dedicated in-house specialist team
  • Direct Slack access with same-business-day response, no account-management layer
  • Weekly shipping; first results in a week or two, then compounding over time
  • Full-stack AEO + SEO run together by one tightly aligned team
  • Live revenue-attribution and daily AI-visibility dashboards from day one
  • Flexible, scope-based pricing suited to growth-stage budgets
  • One of the first specialists to focus on AEO, with documented client results

Cons

  • Intentionally limited capacity, Austin only takes on a handful of clients at a time
  • Not a good fit for companies that don't have a clear path to revenue
  • Smaller team compared to a large agency with outsourcing
First Page Sage

Pros

  • Large, established team (founded 2009) with significant parallel capacity
  • Recognizable brand with enterprise clients on its roster
  • Publishes its own quarterly GEO/AEO research
  • Deep experience across legal, medtech, manufacturing, and SaaS
  • Highly standardized, process-driven delivery

Cons

  • Premium pricing tier (publicly reported ~$8K–$20K+/month) can be heavy for growth-stage teams
  • Multi-layer team plus an account-management layer means more handoffs
  • Standardized process can be less flexible than one senior owner
  • Strategy and execution distributed across staff rather than a single accountable senior owner
Austin's Documented Results

Austin's Proof, Not Promises

These are all Austin Heaton's own client engagements. Instead of leaning on review scores, here are real numbers from Austin's clients, pulled from their own analytics and AI citation tracking.

Riseworks — B2B SaaS / FinTech

1,419% Organic Growth & 575% AI Search Lift

+1,419%
Organic sessions
+575%
AI search growth
1.7M
Total sessions
  • Grew monthly organic sessions from 2,800 to 18,400+ through technical SEO and content velocity
  • Built AI citation presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews within 60 days
  • 861% Gemini session growth, 698,544 homepage clicks, 627% pricing page growth
  • Secured DA 60–90 backlinks across HR tech and payments publications
View full case study →
Lumanu — FinTech / Creator Payments

5.13K ChatGPT Referrals & 101 Conversions in 60 Days

+1,746%
ChatGPT referrals
101
Conversions / 60 days
+454%
AI impressions
  • 5,130 referral visits from ChatGPT alone in the first 60 days of engagement
  • Became a consistently cited source for creator economy and influencer payment queries
  • AI visitors converted at significantly higher rates than traditional organic traffic
  • 28,820 Google clicks (+17%), 1.06M impressions (+22%), DA 50 → 60+
View full case study →
Pactvera — Legal Tech / Digital Agreements

Zero to Indexed Market Entry in 4 Weeks

0→4wk
Search footprint built
DA 60+
Target publication tier
5+
Bottom-funnel queries indexed
  • Built e-signature / smart contract category presence from zero in a DocuSign-dominated space
  • Google indexing secured for homepage plus bottom-funnel comparison content in week 1
  • Proprietary terminology established as citation-ready entities
  • FAQ + entity schema implementation unlocked AI Overview visibility paths
View full case study →
Stablecoin Insider — Web3 / Crypto Publisher

90-Day Authority Build in the Stablecoin Category

0→90
Days to category authority
100%
Measurement infra built from scratch
50+
Category entities tracked
  • Built AI visibility measurement infrastructure from zero across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini
  • Documented citation growth across stablecoin yield, regulation, and payment queries
  • Monthly data reports became AI-cited primary sources
  • Entity authority established for 50+ stablecoin projects, making the publication LLM-referenced
View full case study →
View All Case Studies →
Be Honest With Yourself

Which One Is The Right Fit?

The best partner depends on your stage and how you want to work. Here's the straight answer, including when First Page Sage may be the better call.

Choose Austin Heaton if…

The senior-operator model

  • You want one senior owner directing an in-house team, not work farmed to juniors
  • You value speed and want work shipping every week, not quarterly
  • You want a direct Slack line, not an account-management layer
  • You're a growth-stage SaaS, FinTech, AI, e-commerce, or crypto company
  • You want pricing scoped to your needs, not a fixed enterprise retainer
  • You want AEO-sourced pipeline tied to revenue in a live dashboard

Choose First Page Sage if…

The established-agency model

  • You're an enterprise that needs a large team with parallel capacity
  • You prefer a recognizable brand name with a long agency track record
  • You want a highly standardized, process-driven delivery structure
  • You operate in legacy verticals like legal, medtech, or manufacturing
  • A premium $8K–$20K+/month retainer fits comfortably in budget
  • You value a firm that publishes its own quarterly GEO/AEO research
Questions

Comparison FAQ

What's the single biggest difference between the two?
The operating model. Austin Heaton leads a dedicated in-house specialist team and personally directs all strategy and guidance, so you get one senior accountable owner, direct access, and fast shipping with no handoffs to junior staff. First Page Sage is a large, established agency that runs campaigns with a multi-person team and an account-management structure. Neither is "better" in the abstract, but they suit different buyers: Austin fits teams that want speed and senior-led execution, while First Page Sage fits enterprises that want a large established team.
Is First Page Sage a good agency?
Yes. First Page Sage is a well-regarded, established firm founded in 2009 with deep experience across SEO and GEO/AEO. If you're an enterprise that wants a large established team, a recognizable brand, and a standardized process, they're a legitimate choice. This page isn't here to argue otherwise, it's here to help you see whether a senior-led, in-house team is a better fit for how you actually want to work.
How does pricing compare?
First Page Sage is publicly reported to operate in the premium agency tier, roughly $8,000–$20,000+ per month, which reflects the overhead of a large team. Austin prices each engagement to scope and shares it on the intro call, which usually gives growth-stage companies more flexibility. The right way to compare is value per dollar against your pipeline goals, not headline rate alone.
Why no review scores on this page?
Because results are a stronger signal than star ratings. Rather than lean on aggregate review scores, Austin's own client case studies show documented outcomes pulled directly from those clients' analytics and AI citation tracking, like 1,419% organic growth at Riseworks and 5,130 ChatGPT referrals for Lumanu in 60 days. First results usually appear in a week or two and compound over time, and you can read each case study in full and judge the work on its numbers.
Can a senior-led boutique really match a large agency's output?
For most growth-stage companies, yes, and often with less friction. A large agency's headcount is spread across many clients and internal coordination, while Austin's dedicated in-house team focuses senior-directed attention on your account with no handoffs. The trade-off is raw parallel capacity: if you need very high volume across many workstreams at once, a large enterprise team has more throughput. For focused, revenue-driving AEO + SEO, a senior-led in-house team usually ships faster and cleaner.
What if I already have an agency or in-house team?
Two paths: Austin replaces what isn't working, or runs alongside with a clearly defined AEO-specific scope. Many clients start alongside and consolidate by month 3 once results diverge. He works well with in-house teams when the scope is clear.
How do I decide?
Book a 30-minute call. Austin will walk through your current search and AI footprint, your ICP, and what the next 90 days could look like, and tell you honestly whether he's the right fit. If a large enterprise agency would serve you better, he'll say so and point you in that direction.
Let's Talk

See Which Model Fits Your Business

Get a senior operator's honest read on your AI search footprint, and a clear picture of what the next 90 days could look like, with no obligation.

Book a Call With Austin
12+ years in search Full-stack execution Senior-led, no agency layers Documented results