Iowans are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok to answer questions about where to find local products or services. As a business owner do you have any control over what they say or recommend? Yes. In fact, you can do a lot for free, says Drew Harden, CEO and founder of Blue Compass.
As your customers use traditional Google searches less, savvy business owners must look beyond traditional search engine pratices toward generative engine optimization (GEO).
Harden notes that old school developer strategies like clean build quality, rapid load times, and schema markup remain critical because real-time AI search bots are highly sensitive to bandwidth limitations. However, the foundational rules of the web are evolving. “Today, mentions are kind of the new currency of the web,” Harden explained, noting that smart language models continuously cross-reference digital footprints to build comprehensive corporate profiles automatically.
Ai-Generated Content Won’t Help You
To win the recommendation game, brands must pivot from content quantity to human-centric journalism. While AI can effectively parse sales calls for brainstorm ideas, relying entirely on it to execute copy backfires. Search engines directly penalize automated text, and audiences can immediately sense the deception. Harden emphasizes that localizing content down to specific city and neighborhood levels gives small businesses a massive algorithmic advantage. Furthermore, corporate leadership should elevate individual experts within their companies rather than relying solely on a corporate voice. “Google, especially these days, really, really likes individual voices more than corporate voices or the media or big brands,” Harden shared.
Ultimately, companies must view their websites as essential broadcasting hubs. A Blue Compass study found that 63% of the websites they monitor grew their traffic in 2026 over 2025 by taking content and SEO seriously. “Start looking at it also as a broadcasting unit that sends your content out into the web,” Harden advised.