Sydney-based digital marketing agency Perceptiv Media has launched The Found Formula™, a structured three-step framework designed to help small businesses build measurable visibility across traditional search engines and AI-powered discovery platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The release addresses a growing challenge as consumers increasingly rely on AI tools for local recommendations, widening the gap between businesses that adapt and those that become invisible to a significant customer segment.
The announcement is anchored by a documented turnaround: a Sydney mechanic named Chris, whose business was approaching closure before adopting the framework. After implementation, Chris recorded 26% year-over-year profit growth and expanded his physical premises—a result Perceptiv Media attributes to the structured approach combining local SEO and AI discoverability.
The Found Formula™ progresses through three sequential phases. The first, BUILD, establishes a technically sound digital foundation through custom-built, fast-loading, and SEO-optimized site architecture, ensuring businesses meet criteria that both search engines and AI platforms use to assess source credibility. The second phase, RANK, targets authority development through Google Maps optimization, Google Business Profile management, and strategic backlink acquisition, strengthening local search position—a critical factor for service-based businesses competing within specific geographic areas.
The third phase, RECOMMEND, moves beyond conventional SEO by applying AI optimization for business visibility across platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The goal is to ensure that when users query AI tools for local service recommendations, businesses that have implemented the framework appear as credible, cited sources rather than being excluded from AI-generated responses.
Chris's result illustrates what founder Rachelle Sassine identifies as a persistent problem: capable operators with insufficient digital visibility. Before engaging The Found Formula™, his workshop was losing ground despite strong technical skills and an established customer base. New customer acquisition had stalled, and the business lacked the online presence required to surface in search results or AI recommendations. After implementing all three phases, the business reversed course, with 26% profit growth and physical expansion indicating sustained demand.
"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 who are using those tools to make decisions every day. The Found Formula™ was designed to close that gap systematically."
The launch reflects a structural shift in consumer search behavior. AI assistants increasingly respond to intent-driven queries—such as "best mechanic near me"—and businesses appearing in those responses are not always the highest ranked on traditional search pages. Sassine developed the RECOMMEND phase specifically to address this divergence. As a growth marketing agency Sydney businesses can engage, Perceptiv Media positions The Found Formula™ as a sequenced system where each phase builds on the previous, ensuring authority from RANK supports AI citation potential in RECOMMEND.
The framework is available to small and medium-sized businesses across Sydney, with particular relevance for service-based operators in trades, health, professional services, and retail—sectors where local search intent is strong and AI recommendation is becoming a primary discovery channel.
