How the Found Formula Moves Beyond Google to Target AI-Driven Discovery
Kingsgrove, Australia - May 18, 2026 / Perceptiv Media /
Rachelle Sassine, founder of Perceptiv Media, has launched The Found Formula™, a structured three-step framework designed to help small businesses build measurable visibility across both traditional search engines and AI-powered discovery platforms. The launch addresses a growing divide created by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, which are changing how consumers locate and select local businesses - leaving those who fail to adapt increasingly absent from results.
Central to the announcement is a documented outcome: a Sydney-based mechanic named Chris, whose business was approaching closure before he adopted The Found Formula™. After implementing the system, Chris recorded 26% year-over-year profit growth and expanded his physical premises - a turnaround Perceptiv Media attributes to the framework's structured approach to both local SEO strategy and AI-driven discoverability.
A Three-Step System Built for the AI Search Era
The Found Formula™ moves through three sequential phases. The first, BUILD, establishes a technically sound digital foundation using custom-built, fast-loading, SEO-optimized site architecture. This phase is designed to ensure a business meets the technical criteria that both search engines and AI platforms apply when assessing source credibility.
The second phase, RANK, develops authority through Google Maps optimization, Google Business Profile (GBP) management, and targeted backlink acquisition. These elements work in combination to strengthen a business's standing in local search results - a significant factor for service-based businesses operating within specific geographic markets.
The third phase, RECOMMEND, extends the framework beyond conventional SEO. This stage applies AI optimization for business visibility across platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The goal is to ensure that businesses implementing the framework appear as credible, cited sources when users query AI tools for local service recommendations - rather than being excluded from AI-generated responses entirely.
From Near-Closure to Expansion
Chris's results illustrate what Sassine identifies as a central challenge for small businesses today: 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 implementation across all three phases, the business reversed course. The 26% year-over-year profit growth was accompanied by a physical expansion of his premises - a concrete indicator of sustained demand rather than a temporary uptick.
"Chris is exactly who this framework was built for," said Rachelle Sassine, founder of Perceptiv Media. "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."
Responding to a Structural Shift in How Customers Search
The Found Formula™ launch reflects a broader change in how consumers search for services. AI assistants are increasingly used for specific, intent-driven queries - such as "best mechanic near me" or "who do locals recommend for car servicing in Sydney" - and the businesses appearing in those responses do not always correspond to those ranking highest on traditional search pages. Sassine developed the RECOMMEND phase specifically to address this gap.
As a growth marketing agency Sydney businesses can engage directly, Perceptiv Media positions The Found Formula™ as a sequenced system rather than a set of disconnected tactics. Each phase builds on the one before it, with the authority developed in RANK feeding into the AI citation potential pursued 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 channel for discovery.
About Perceptiv Media
Perceptiv Media is a Sydney-based digital marketing agency founded by Rachelle Sassine. The agency specializes in local SEO strategy, website architecture, and AI optimization for business visibility across search engines and AI-powered platforms. Perceptiv Media works with small and medium-sized businesses to build structured, measurable digital presence through its proprietary framework, The Found Formula™.
Learn more at Perceptiv Media
Contact Information:
Perceptiv Media
14 Commercial Rd
Kingsgrove, NSW 2208
Australia
Rachelle Sassine
0489 995 004
https://perceptivmedia.com.au
