Found.
YOUR BRAND, DISCOVERED BY AI
Issue 001 / February • AI Search Is Changing How People Find Businesses
Welcome to the first issue of Found.
I'll be straight with you from the start... because that's kind of the whole point of this newsletter.
You've built something worth finding. You have expertise, a real story, and value that your customers genuinely need. But here's what's quietly happening right now... AI search is changing how people find businesses, and most businesses have no idea their story isn't being heard.
It's not dramatic. It's not sudden. It's a creeper. And by the time most business owners notice, their competitors already have a head start.
I've spent my career believing two things: knowledge is power, and change is good. Found. is both. Every two weeks I'll give you the honest picture of what's actually happening in AI search... no quick fixes, no recycled buzzwords, just real, practical actions that move the needle.
Your business deserves to be found. Let's make sure AI can find it.
I'm really glad you're here. Let's get into it.
~ Debbie
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Industry Spotlight
Home Services • Landscaping
My landscaper mentioned something to me recently that I wanted to share with you.
A loyal customer had told him...
"I asked ChatGPT when to aerate my lawn and got a whole answer from some company I've never even heard of. I kept waiting to see your name."
He laughed it off at first. He had a solid website, great Google reviews, and more work than he could handle most seasons. But knowing what I do, I asked him one question... "Have you ever searched your own business in ChatGPT?"
He hadn't. Most business owners haven't.
So, we searched together. We typed the kinds of questions his customers ask every day into ChatGPT and Perplexity. Other businesses showed up. He didn't. And the reason was clear... those businesses had content that directly answered the question. FAQ pages, blog posts, structured information. His website was built to impress humans. It just wasn't speaking AI's language yet.
A strong Google ranking is a great start, but AI needs more. Without structured content that directly answers real questions, even well-ranked websites get passed over.
After our conversation, here's what we did:
Added a simple FAQ page to his website answering five questions customers ask him every season
Claimed his Bing Places listing (he didn't know it existed... honestly most people don't)
Published one blog post a week:
"When should I aerate my lawn in Maine?"
"How do I know if my lawn needs fertilizing?"
"What's the difference between mulching and bagging grass clippings?"
"How often should I have my lawn treated for weeds?"
What happened: It didn't happen overnight... his website needed to be indexed first. But within six weeks, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overview started citing his content in local lawn care queries.
THE TAKEAWAY
AI recommends the business whose content best answers the question being asked. You don't need the biggest budget or the longest history. You just need the right content in the right structure. That's something every small business can do.
READ: How to Optimize Your Blog Posts for AI Search Visibility >
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NON-NEGOTIABLES
Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
If your business could only do one thing for AI visibility right now, this would be it.
Most business owners know they have a Google Business Profile. What most don't realize is that simply having one isn't enough. Your business name, category, description, hours, photos, reviews, and Q&A section are all data points that AI reads when deciding whether to recommend you. Google AI Overview, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot all reference this information... directly or through the directories and citations it feeds.
Think of it this way. AI is constantly cross-referencing what it finds about your business across the web. If your Google Business Profile says one thing and your website says another... AI notices the inconsistency. And inconsistency equals uncertainty. Uncertain sources don't get recommended.
The good news? This is completely in your control.
Check yours right now:
Is every field filled in completely?
Does your business name, address, and phone number match your website exactly?
When did you last update your description?
Are your hours current?
If you haven't looked at your profile in a while... this week is a good time.
READ: Your Website Was Built for Humans. AI Needs Something Different. →
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INDUSTRY WATCH
Microsoft Bing • February 10, 2026
You Can Now See When AI Cites Your Website
This one is worth paying attention to.
On February 10, Microsoft quietly launched an AI Performance dashboard inside Bing Webmaster Tools. For the first time, you can actually see when and how often AI is pulling your content and using it to answer someone's question... across Microsoft Copilot and Bing's AI summaries.
Until now AI visibility has been a bit of a guessing game. You'd make the right moves and just hope it was working. This changes that... at least on one platform. You can see your total citations, which pages are getting referenced, and even the actual phrases AI used when it pulled your content.
Bing Webmaster Tools is free. This feature is available now in public preview. Worth ten minutes of your time this week.
READ: What Bing's New AI Performance Dashboard Means for Local Business Visibility →
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TWO-MINUTE WIN
Find Out What AI Is Saying About You Right Now
Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overview and type a question your customers would actually ask. Something like "what should I look for when hiring a [your service]?" or just search your business name directly.
What comes back? Is it accurate? Is it your competitor instead of you?
Fair warning... this might be humbling. But it's better to know now than to keep assuming AI is out there singing your praises.
Two minutes. Do it today. Screenshot your results...that's your before picture. You'll want it when things start to change.
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DIGITAL LOCKBOX
Your Domain Name and Website Hosting
Right now, someone other than you might control access to your website. Not because they're doing anything wrong... but because they're the one who set it up.
Your domain name is your street address on the internet. Your hosting is the building at that address. They're two different things, often controlled by two different companies... and sometimes neither one is controlled by you.
Your web developer, a former employee, or "the person who set things up" can absolutely have access to do their work. But ownership stays with you. Always.
☐ Do you know who your domain registrar is?
☐ Can you log in to that account right now?
☐ Is your business listed as the registrant?
☐ Is the admin email address one you control?
☐ Do you know your hosting provider?
PRO TIP 💡
If you can't answer these questions confidently, make this a priority this week. If either one lapses or someone disappears... your online presence goes with them.
🔒 Free download for Found. subscribers
The Digital Lockbox Guide... 31 pages of practical steps to make sure you always own and control your online presence. Yours as a thank you for being here.
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THE WORKSHOP
🔒 Exclusive for Content Strategy Tool Subscribers
Not All Questions Are Created Equal
Getting the most out of your Content Strategy Tool starts with choosing the right question. Here's what I've noticed...
Some questions produce reports that are nearly ready to publish. Others need a lot more work on your end. The difference comes down to specificity.
Questions about pricing and hyper-local details will always need you to fill in the blanks... because only you know what you charge and what makes your market unique.
Start with "how to" and "what to expect" questions first.
INSTEAD OF STARTING WITH:
"How much does a new roof cost in Willingboro NJ?"
TRY THESE FIRST:
✓ "How do I choose a roofing contractor"
✓ "Signs you need a new roof"
✓ "What to expect during a roof replacement"
These produce reports where the article, FAQs, and schema code are almost entirely done for you. Add your expertise and local examples... then publish.
Every report also includes five "Content Topics to Create Next" suggestions. Use those to build a connected cluster around one service area. That's how AI starts to see your business as the authority on a topic... not just a single answer.
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Curious about the Content Strategy Tool?
Try it free... 3 reports, no credit card required→
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REAL TALK
Honest answers to real questions
THIS ISSUE'S QUESTION
"I already rank well on Google. Why should I care about AI search?"
I'm kicking off Real Talk with a question I hear constantly from business owners... and one I could answer in my sleep.
Ranking on Google and being cited by AI are two different things.
Ranking means your website shows up as one link in a list of results... the user still has to choose you.
Being cited means AI reads your content, uses it to build its answer, and names your business as the source. The user doesn't scroll through a list. They get one answer... and your business is either in it or it's not.
A good Google ranking is a great start, but it doesn't automatically carry over to ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Copilot. Those systems decide who to cite based on:
How clear and structured your content is
Whether you have schema markup and FAQ sections
How consistent your business information is across directories
How consistently you publish fresh, structured content
No single factor gets you there. It's the combination that builds trust with AI systems.
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