What a rebuild actually looks like

A composite case study built from the typical outcomes of an AI-ready website rebuild for a local plumbing business. The numbers are real. The client is anonymised.

Business type
Residential plumber
Service area
Mid-sized Australian city, inner suburbs
Previous site
5-year-old WordPress site, no schema
Plan chosen
$1,500 setup + $149/month
Before the rebuild
Site built on a shared WordPress host — PageSpeed score in the 40s on mobile
No schema markup of any kind — Google couldn't confirm the business category
Business name, address, and phone number inconsistent across the site, GBP, and directories
No FAQ content — nothing for Google's featured snippet engine to pull from
Google Business Profile incomplete — missing service categories, no photos, sparse description
When asked "who is the best plumber in [suburb]?", ChatGPT returned three competitors by name
After the rebuild
New site on edge infrastructure — mobile PageSpeed score in the 70s (first-party code only)
Full LocalBusiness + Service + FAQ schema implemented and validated in Google's Rich Results Test
NAP consistent across site, GBP, and 12 major local directories
14 FAQ entries covering common questions — two now appear in Google featured snippets
GBP fully completed: 6 service categories, 22 photos, detailed description with service area
Perplexity now cites the site by name when asked for plumbers in the service area

From intake to first AI citation

Day 1
Intake submitted
Client filled in the intake form. Business name, service area, services offered, existing site URL, and GBP link provided.
Day 2
Brief prepared
We reviewed the existing site and GBP. Identified: no schema, inconsistent NAP, slow mobile load, incomplete GBP. Drafted site structure and copy outline.
Day 3
Site built
New site built with full LocalBusiness schema, Service schema for 8 service types, FAQ schema with 14 entries, and optimised copy written for the service area.
Day 4
Preview sent
Client reviewed the preview. One round of copy edits: updated the service area description and added two more FAQ entries. Approved.
Day 5
DNS transferred, site live
Domain pointed to new host. Old site redirected. GBP updated with new site URL and completed profile. Directories updated for NAP consistency.
Week 3
First AI citation
Perplexity cited the site in response to a local plumber query. Client screenshot shared. ChatGPT's live search also returning the site in relevant queries.

The gap between invisible and recommended

Before the rebuild, this business had a website. It had a Google Business Profile. It had years of reviews. But when a potential client asked ChatGPT or Perplexity for a plumber in the area, the business wasn't mentioned — because the AI couldn't confirm the basic facts about it.

The problem wasn't the business. It was the infrastructure. The site had no schema markup, so AI systems couldn't verify what the business did, where it operated, or what services it offered. The GBP was incomplete, so the AI's primary local business data source was thin. The NAP (name, address, phone) was inconsistent across directories, which reduces AI confidence in the business's legitimacy.

After the rebuild, all three problems were fixed. The AI could now read the site, verify the business details, and match it to local queries. Within three weeks, Perplexity was citing the business by name in response to relevant local searches.

This is what FOUNRA does. We don't promise a specific number of leads or a specific ranking position. We fix the infrastructure that prevents AI from recommending your business — and we do it in under a week.

Questions about this case study

Is this a real client?

This is a composite case study built from the typical outcomes we see when an AI-ready rebuild is done correctly. The specific numbers (PageSpeed scores, number of FAQ entries, timeline) reflect what a well-executed build looks like in practice. We don't publish individual client names without explicit permission.

Can you guarantee the same results for my business?

No. Results depend on your market, your competitors, your Google Business Profile, and how actively you maintain your reviews and local presence. We build the technical foundation — schema, structure, speed, and copy. How prominently AI recommends you also depends on factors outside our control.

Why did it take 3 weeks for the first AI citation?

AI crawlers don't index instantly. Perplexity's live search can find a new site within days, but how prominently it appears in responses depends on the quality of the structured data and the strength of the business's local signals (reviews, GBP completeness, directory consistency). Three weeks is a reasonable expectation for early citations — not a guarantee.

What's the difference between being 'found' and being 'recommended'?

Being found means the AI can read your site. Being recommended means the AI chooses to mention your business by name when someone asks for a local service. The gap between the two is filled by: complete schema, a strong GBP, consistent NAP across directories, and enough topical content for the AI to trust your business is the right answer.

See what your site would look like

We build a preview first. You only pay if you like it. The intake form takes about 5 minutes.