Hello and happy Friday! My name is Chris Raulf, founder of Boulder SEO Marketing and AI SEO expert. I’m coming to you this week from Basel, Switzerland, my hometown, where I grew up before moving to Boulder, Colorado, back in 1996.

I’m here visiting family because my dad’s health situation required me to get here on very short notice. It’s one of those reminders that family comes first, always. But even across the Atlantic, there are critical SEO developments underway that I need to share with you. These changes are too significant to wait, and they’re affecting every local business owner, whether you realize it yet or not.

Today’s tip will be more concise than some of my recent Friday videos, but don’t mistake brevity for a lack of importance. I’m recording this from Switzerland to make sure you don’t miss what’s happening in AI search right now. Watch the video above to learn more.

The AI Search Revolution Is Already Here. Not Coming, Here

Let me start with something that might surprise you: The AI search revolution everyone’s been predicting isn’t coming in the future. It’s already here, happening right now, and already affecting your business whether you’re aware of it or not.

Here’s the concrete reality: More people every day are bypassing Google entirely. They’re opening ChatGPT, typing queries into Perplexity, asking Claude for recommendations, or using Gemini to research local services. They’re searching for things like “SEO agency Boulder Colorado” or “best plumber in Denver” directly into these AI platforms instead of traditional search engines.

If you’re not showing up in these AI search results when potential customers ask for recommendations in your industry and location, you don’t exist in their consideration set. They never see your business name, never visit your website, never have the opportunity to become your customer.

Live Demonstration: What’s Actually Possible When You’re Optimized

Let me show you precisely what happens with proper generative engine optimization. I’m doing a live search right now in ChatGPT for “SEO agency Boulder Colorado.”

Boulder SEO Marketing dominates these results. We’re the primary recommendation these AI platforms provide. Our business appears first with specific details about our services and approach.

Here’s what makes this significant: We are absolutely not the only SEO agency in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder has a thriving tech scene with dozens of agencies, digital marketing firms, and consultants all competing for visibility in the same market.

But when someone asks ChatGPT for a recommendation for an SEO agency in Boulder, we show up first. Not because we’re lucky, but because we’ve systematically implemented the right strategies for generative engine optimization.

This isn’t magic or rocket science. What this requires is specific, learnable knowledge of how these large language models work and how they decide what information to surface. It takes dedicated time and consistent effort, the right resources, and a systematic approach. But this is 100% achievable for any local service business willing to learn the methodology and put in the work.

You cannot Choose Between Google and AI Search. You Need Both

Now, some of you might be thinking: “Should I stop worrying about Google and focus entirely on these AI platforms?”

No. Absolutely not. That would be catastrophic.

Google isn’t going anywhere. Let me demonstrate. I’m doing a quick search in Google Incognito mode for the same term: “SEO agency Boulder Colorado.”

Below the sponsored ads, you’ll see our Google Business Profile appearing prominently. Filter out paid ads to focus on organic results, and we’re ranking #1 on Google for this competitive local search term.

Most people still use Google as their primary search engine. Traditional SEO still matters enormously. You absolutely cannot abandon your Google optimization strategy.

But here’s the critical shift: A growing percentage of your potential customers are using AI search platforms for high-intent queries before they ever open Google. They’re asking ChatGPT for recommendations, using Perplexity to research options, asking Claude to compare providers, and making purchase decisions based on what these AI platforms tell them.

Traditional SEO for Google and generative engine optimization for AI platforms aren’t competitors. They’re complementary strategies that need to work together. You wouldn’t choose between having a website and having a Google Business Profile. You need both because customers use both. The same principle applies here.

The Customer Journey Has Changed

Let me walk you through a specific scenario so you can see exactly why this matters.

Someone in Denver needs to hire an SEO agency. Maybe their current agency isn’t delivering results; they may be launching a new business, or they may have just been promoted and need better partners. The specific reason doesn’t matter. What matters is they’re actively looking and ready to make a hiring decision.

Two years ago, they would have opened Google, typed “SEO agency Denver,” looked at results, clicked through to websites, read reviews, and eventually reached out for consultations.

Today, here’s what’s increasingly happening: They open ChatGPT and type something like “What’s a good SEO agency in the Denver-Boulder area?” They read the response, ask follow-up questions, and then contact one or more of the agencies ChatGPT recommended.

If your business doesn’t appear in that AI-generated response but your competitor does, you’ve lost that customer before you even knew they were searching. You never got to demonstrate your expertise. They never saw your case studies, testimonials, or website. You simply didn’t exist in their decision-making process at the moment they were ready to make a purchase.

That potential customer had high intent, probably with a budget allocated and approval obtained. They were exactly who you wanted. But they never knew you existed because you weren’t showing up where they were actually searching.

Meanwhile, your competitor who has implemented proper GEO strategies got the consultation request, won the business, and is now earning monthly recurring revenue from a client that could have been yours.

That’s not hypothetical. That’s happening right now, today, this week.

The Early-Mover Advantage Window Is Closing

Here’s why timing matters critically: The businesses that implement generative engine optimization strategies now, while we’re still in the relatively early stages, will have a massive, sustained competitive advantage over companies that wait.

I’ve been in SEO since before Google was called Google. I started in the late 1990s, when it was still BackRub, run out of Stanford. I’ve seen every major shift in search over nearly three decades. Early movers in any major search paradigm shift get disproportionate returns that compound over time.

Right now, most businesses haven’t figured out GEO yet. Most of your competitors aren’t showing up in ChatGPT or Perplexity when people search for services in your industry. Competition for visibility on these AI platforms is still relatively light compared to what it will be in six months or a year.

But that window is closing fast.

Once everyone figures this out, once every marketing conference teaches GEO, once every agency offers AI search optimization, once every business owner understands they need to be on these platforms, the results will become saturated with optimized businesses competing for the same limited visibility.

Breaking through will then require exponentially more effort, more sophisticated strategies, more resources, and more time. The methods that work today will need dramatically more investment once the market catches up and competition intensifies.

I’m not trying to create artificial urgency. I’m telling you the reality based on thirty years of watching how these transitions unfold. The window is open right now. But it won’t stay open indefinitely.

Two Complimentary December Events You Cannot Miss

I’m keeping today’s video shorter because I want to make certain you know about two complimentary educational events happening in December. These aren’t sales pitches. These are genuine educational opportunities where you’ll learn the specific knowledge, detailed strategies, and practical tactics you need to show up in AI search results.

Event #1: AI and SEO Strategy Webinar (December 3rd, 10:00 AM Mountain Time)

Daniel Burns and I are hosting a comprehensive hour-long webinar on Wednesday, December 3rd at 10:00 AM Mountain Time. This webinar focuses on what specific strategies actually work right now to get your business showing up prominently in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and other emerging AI search platforms while simultaneously maintaining and improving your Google rankings.

This is a recurring webinar we host regularly and update constantly because the landscape changes at an unprecedented pace. Features that didn’t exist three months ago are now core parts of these platforms. Algorithm changes happen weekly. User behavior evolves continuously.

We stay on top of every development, test everything with our business and client accounts, identify what’s actually working versus what’s theoretical, and share those insights. What we taught three months ago has been refined based on new data. What we’ll teach in December reflects everything we’ve learned through November.

Daniel will showcase our BSM Copilot, our proprietary AI-powered research and optimization methodology explicitly developed to address the intersection of traditional SEO and generative engine optimization. I’m biased since it’s our system, but it’s producing real, measurable results for our clients across multiple industries.

You’ll walk away with practical, immediately actionable strategies you can start implementing that same afternoon. Not a theoretical discussion about what might work someday. Not vague concepts without implementation details. Specific, tested tactics that drive measurable results you can track.

Register for the AI and SEO webinar here. It’s completely free. Just show up ready to learn.

Event #2: AI SEO & GEO Online Summit (December 9th)

This is the event I’m personally most excited about. Under my personal brand focused exclusively on AI SEO, I’m moderating a three-hour complimentary online summit on Monday, December 9th, called the AI SEO & GEO Online Summit. Register now.

I’ve spent months gathering some of the brightest minds in this space —people who aren’t just talking theoretically but actually doing cutting-edge work, running experiments, analyzing data, implementing strategies, and delivering real results.

This is entirely free. No catch, no upsell, no bait-and-switch. It’s a genuine educational summit.

Barry Schwartz (CEO of RustyBrick and founder of Search Engine Roundtable) will walk through the complete evolution of search from the early days of the web to today’s AI-powered landscape. Barry’s one of the most respected voices in search with 20+ years covering the industry.

Liam Lawson (founder of The AI Report) will present data and case studies showing why AI implementation now is mandatory for business survival, not optional. The research supports this conclusion clearly.

Daniel Burns (my business partner and BSM co-founder) will explain how AI-powered agencies are winning in today’s market and demonstrate our BSM Copilot system live with real examples.

Mike Korenugin (SE Ranking) will cover tracking and measuring your AI search performance, showing you how to quantify your presence across these platforms and prove ROI.

Can’t Attend Live? Register Anyway

If your schedule doesn’t allow you to attend live, that absolutely shouldn’t stop you from registering. As long as you sign up before the events, you’ll automatically receive links to the complete recordings. Watch on your own schedule, pause and take notes, and review sections multiple times.

But I strongly encourage live attendance. You’ll be able to ask questions in real-time and get direct answers from me, Daniel, Barry, Liam, and Mike. You can request clarification, ask for industry-specific examples, and dig deeper into relevant topics. That interactive element adds enormous value beyond passively watching recordings later.

The Bottom Line

AI search is here. It’s not approaching on the horizon. It’s happening right now, today, while you’re reading this email.

AI search is already taking significant, measurable traffic from traditional search engines. Your potential customers are using ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and other AI platforms to find local services, research options, evaluate alternatives, and make final purchase decisions right now.

The question isn’t whether you should optimize for AI search. That’s already answered. You must optimize to remain competitive.

The only remaining question is timing: Will you do it now while you can establish early-mover advantage, or wait until everyone else figures it out and the competitive landscape becomes exponentially more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming?

I’ve been doing SEO since before Google was called Google. I’ve watched every major shift over nearly three decades. Early movers in these transitions win disproportionately and compound those advantages over time. Late movers spend years playing expensive catch-up and often never fully recover.

Right now, the window is open. The opportunity is available. The strategies work. Competition is still light. But that window won’t stay open indefinitely. It’s closing every day as more businesses figure this out.

Join us for these December events. Learn the strategies that work. Implement them systematically. Get your business showing up where your customers are actively searching and making purchase decisions.

Hopefully, you learned something valuable from today’s Friday SEO tip. As always, stay safe and healthy, take care of yourself and your families, and we’ll catch you in next week’s Friday SEO tip.

Cheers,
Chris

P.S. I want to leave you with one specific action item: Right now, before you do anything else, open ChatGPT and search for your business type and location, exactly as a customer would. For example, if you’re a plumber in Denver, search “plumber Denver Colorado.” If you’re a dentist in Boulder, search “family dentist Boulder.” See what results come up. Does your business appear? If not, you’re losing customers every single day to competitors who do appear. Register for the December 3rd webinar to learn exactly how to fix that problem: https://boulderseomarketing.com/ai-and-seo-guide-and-best-practices/