How referrals and AI search shaped Dallas GEO
Anthony Adams is the founder of Dallas GEO, a business that provides traditional SEO and generative engine optimization for AI platforms. Adams discusses how referrals brought early clients, why AI search is now a priority, and the value of turning down work that is not a good fit.
Build practical skill by working on a website and learning how to increase its traffic, rather than relying on broad advice. As the business grows, be selective about clients and adapt as customer search habits change.
What’s the short story of how your business started, and what makes it genuinely different from the other options your customers have?
I originally became obsessed with search engine optimization and Google rankings back in 2009 when a coworker told me his dad was making good money selling Chinese bibles after figuring out how to get his website at the top of Google. This blew my mind. The notion of being able to put your product in front of interested customers who are actively telling you they are looking for your product ie reactive marketing is really powerful. I learned how Google algorithms work through a lot of trial and error, the only way to learn in my opinion. My company Dallas GEO is the first in Texas, maybe the entire country, to pivot towards generative engine optimization (GEO) and getting companies enhanced visibility on AI platforms like ChatGPT. We have an office on Main Street in downtown Lake Dallas and we handle clients nationwide.
How did you win your first customers, and where does most of your new business come from today?
Back in 2009 an old friend of mine heard I was building websites and doing SEO. This might sound pretty basic now but this was back before anyone had an iPhone and the concept of web design was still somewhat niche and novel. My friend had a local tree service and I quickly got him ranking on Google for logical search terms. He was blown away. And he paid me well. I was off to the races. He was also nice enough to put me in touch with several other local business owners who became clients and to this day most of my new business comes from referrals.
What’s one decision that changed the direction of your business, and one mistake that taught you the most?
An increased focus on AI search results over the past few years has been the biggest change I’ve made. I think I’m way ahead of the curve focusing on GEO / AI search results and I believe it’s the future of search, for better or worse. A mistake that cost me the most was probably not saying “no” enough especially early on to potential clients that weren’t good fits. Saying no is important.
What has changed in your industry or in what your customers expect over the last couple of years, and how have you adapted?
The explosion in popularity of AI search ie ChatGPT and Google AI overviews. By far the biggest change I’ve seen in 18 years. I have pivoted accordingly to making AI search results my top priority.
If you were advising someone starting out in your industry today, what would you tell them to do first, and what would you tell them to ignore?
The nature of my work is so proprietary it’s tough for me to give advice to someone starting out. I would say start by taking a website and increasing its traffic. Learn how it works. The SEO industry is so full of BS and people who talk a big game but don’t deliver and if you’re even remotely competent and can actually influence search and AI results you’ll go far. The bar is shockingly low. Practice practice practice. I would ignore following cliched advice, people who understand search algorithms don’t typically share this info and the info that’s readily available is largely wrong or overly basic and worthless.
Thank you to Anthony Adams and the team at Dallas GEO for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
Want to tell the story behind your business?
Leaders Perception publishes interviews with business owners and leaders every week. Five questions, about ten minutes, no calls. It is free and every completed interview gets published.