In this edition of Once A Week, host Max Harris sits down with Brad Taylor, founder of Shout Local. They discuss why traditional SEO is failing local service providers, how consumer search habits across South Africa are moving into ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and how Shout Local is helping small businesses become the top recommended answer.
Max Harris: Brad, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today on Once A Week. Search has changed radically over the last eighteen months. Small business owners across South Africa used to focus strictly on ranking their websites on page one of Google. Now, we are seeing customers ask full questions inside AI platforms. What triggered you to start Shout Local, and what was the tipping point for you?
Brad Taylor: Thanks for having me, Max. The reality in the market was that traditional SEO agencies were charging small businesses massive monthly retainers while delivering spun content or endless blog posts that never produced actual calls. When we looked at how people were using search, we noticed a massive shift in user behaviour.
“We saw people switching to searching on ChatGPT instead of Google Search and realised something needed to change. We needed something fast and affordable, with real content and real people. And thats what we’ve built.”
Small business owners simply do not have the time or money to waste on open-ended contracts that take a year to show results. We wanted to build a lean, practical way for local companies to get fast, affordable visibility based on authentic information about their actual operations.
Max Harris: You talk a lot about Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) as opposed to standard Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). For a local plumber, electrician, or accountant in South Africa who just wants more clients, how do you explain the difference?
Brad Taylor: It comes down to how search engines handle information now. Traditional SEO was about targeting specific keyword phrases so your link appeared somewhere in a list of web search results. AEO is entirely about entity recognition and authority. When a customer asks an AI model like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to recommend a service provider in their specific suburb, the AI does not output ten links. It generates a single, clear response naming specific businesses it trusts.
“SEO was about keywords and keyword ranking, AEO is about showing yourself as the best answer. And thats what we handle.”
If an AI platform cannot verify who you are, where you operate, and whether real customers recommend you, your business gets omitted entirely.
Max Harris: That shift is huge. Walk me through how Shout Local fixes this for a business owner. I know you operate on a structured 3-month plan rather than dragging clients into endless retainer models. What do those three months actually look like?
Brad Taylor: We deliberately structured our service as a focused 3-month sprint because small businesses need execution and momentum. Our single goal across those 90 days is simple: when a customer searches for a service provider in your local area, they must find your business.
Here is how we break down the execution:
| Operational Stage | Core Objective | Primary Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1: On-Page Optimisation | Technical Schema & Direct Content | Structuring website content into clear answer blocks, fixing technical schema, and defining exact service coverage. |
| Month 2: Google Business Profile | Local Signal Alignment | Complete audit and update of the Google Business Profile, service list synchronisation, and customer review strategy. |
| Month 3: Off-Page PR & Citations | Entity Trust & External Verification | Targeted digital PR, local directory synchronisation, and structured citations on trusted regional platforms. |
“Our focus is holistic, both on page and off page optimisation to ensure that no matter where AI looks, you’re shown as the best provider.”
By covering the website, the Google Business Profile, and external digital PR platforms, we make sure the AI sees verified, consistent facts everywhere it checks.
Max Harris: A lot of agencies today rely heavily on automated AI writers to spit out thirty generic articles a month. Why is Shout Local taking the exact opposite path by insisting on real content directly from the business owner?
Brad Taylor: Because spun content is easy for search engines and AI models to detect and ignore. Generic content does not answer specific questions that local customers ask. If an AI crawler reads twenty websites that all say the exact same generic things, it has no reason to pick your business over another.
Our approach focuses on getting direct, authentic input from our clients:
- Real Operational Data: We capture how the business actually works, what services they prioritise, and their precise geographic coverage.
- Structured Q&A Formats: We convert that information into clear, extractable answer blocks that large language models can reference directly. Simply Ecommerce
- Zero Spun Filler: We eliminate generic marketing fluff so the content remains clear, factual, and informative for both human readers and AI crawlers. White Cat Studios
When you feed AI engines unique, accurate details sourced directly from the business owner, the AI views that business as an authoritative primary source.
Max Harris: What is the ultimate vision for Shout Local over the coming years in South Africa?
Brad Taylor: We are building Shout Local to give local service businesses a reliable partner that prioritises transparent execution over long-winded promises. As AI search platforms take over more consumer queries in South Africa, we are making sure our clients own that space in their respective markets.
“We want to become the go to AEO agency for small businesses in South Africa.”
Every South African small business deserves to be found quickly and affordably when local customers are ready to buy. That is what we deliver every day.
Max Harris: Brad, thank you for breaking down the future of local search and AEO for our readers today on Once A Week.
Brad Taylor: Thanks, Max. It was a pleasure.
