New Framework Bridges AI Search Gap for Small Businesses

Found Formula Applies Local SEO Strategy and AI Optimization to Close the Discovery Gap

Rachelle Sassine, founder of Perceptiv Media, has launched The Found Formula™, a structured three-step framework designed to help small businesses build visibility across both traditional search engines and AI-powered discovery platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The release comes as AI tools reshape how consumers find local businesses, creating a widening gap between those who adapt and those who become invisible. The announcement is anchored by a documented success: a Sydney mechanic named Chris, whose business was near closure before adopting the framework, achieved 26% year-over-year profit growth and expanded his physical premises. This turnaround is attributed to the systematic approach combining local SEO strategy and AI optimization for business visibility.

The Found Formula™ progresses through three phases: BUILD establishes a technically sound digital foundation with fast-loading, SEO-optimized site architecture; RANK focuses on authority via Google Maps optimization, Google Business Profile management, and backlinks; and RECOMMEND applies AI optimization for business visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. This phase ensures that businesses appear as credible sources in AI-generated responses to local queries. Sassine emphasizes that the framework is a structured system, not isolated tactics, where each phase builds on the previous. As a growth marketing agency Sydney businesses can engage, Perceptiv Media positions the framework as a practical solution for service-based operators in trades, health, professional services, and retail—sectors with strong local search intent and growing AI recommendation usage.

The launch reflects a broader shift in consumer search behavior, with AI assistants increasingly used for intent-driven queries like "best mechanic near me." Businesses appearing in AI responses aren't always top in traditional search, and the RECOMMEND phase addresses this divergence. Chris's story illustrates the problem: despite strong skills and existing customers, his business lacked digital visibility, stalling new customer acquisition. After implementing all three phases, the business reversed course, with profit growth and physical expansion. "Chris is exactly who this framework was built for," said Sassine. "He had a legitimate, skilled business that nobody could find. The shift happening in search right now means that if you are not optimized for AI platforms as well as Google, you are invisible to an entire segment of customers." Perceptiv Media, a Sydney-based agency specializing in local SEO and AI optimization, offers the framework to small and medium businesses across Sydney.