An SEO agency launched an AI search service. Its clients are now the businesses AI recommends first.

Impact IQ Marketing is an SEO and web design agency in Edmonton, Alberta. It launched an AI search service with ChatFeatured in August 2026 and now tracks more than 45 local businesses across five AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews.

Several of those clients now come up in AI answers more often than anyone else in their market. One, a carpet dyeing company, has already landed a large commercial client that found it through ChatGPT.

About Impact IQ Marketing

Impact IQ Marketing helps local businesses rank higher in search. The Edmonton team has worked with more than 150 clients, mostly contractors and other service businesses around Alberta, and has launched more than 100 websites. The agency's core services are SEO, web design and Google Business Profile optimization. Today the team is putting much of its focus into AI search optimization.

Impact IQ opens sales calls with an AEO report

Impact IQ uses the ChatFeatured AEO report as its lead magnet. Before a first sales call, the team runs one on the prospect and adds three or four buyer questions tied to the services the business sells that season. The report gives the owner a snapshot of how they trend against their competitors in AI answers and which questions they already show up in. The part that gets their attention is the list of questions where AI names a competitor and leaves them out.

Seeing a competitor ahead of them strikes a nerve. Most owners already know who dominates their service area, and the report shows that same business winning in AI answers too. Impact IQ's sales team tailors the questions to what each owner actually cares about rather than relying on the defaults.

"I would say every client that we've signed on, in part, signed on because we were able to show them exactly where they're showing up," said Liron Trudel, COO of Impact IQ. "I couldn't think of a better product for the sales side of things."

ChatFeatured won the head-to-head on its agency model

In the summer of 2026, Impact IQ tested ChatFeatured against another leading AI visibility platform and picked ChatFeatured.

The pricing fit how an agency grows. The agency pays for the buyer questions it tracks and shares that pool across all its client projects, so its cost only rises as it signs clients.

ChatFeatured also acted like a true partner. It met with Impact IQ every week through the ramp-up, brought the team into roadmap planning and handed over sales material, including an AEO one-pager, a first-90-days playbook and a talk track for presenting reports.

"We're fond of you guys, everyone that we've met," said Hunter. "We think that we can build a really good relationship."

"I like your platform more from a sales standpoint, and it's more of an instant feedback loop. You fire a prompt and you instantly know where it's coming from," said Liron.

AI search is a separate service with its own fee

AI search is its own line item on every client's bill, separate from SEO. "You do some different things from SEO to be able to have people rank on AI search," said Liron. Each client's first month goes to picking the questions its customers ask an AI assistant. After that, Impact IQ runs the campaign and its client success lead walks every client through results in a monthly meeting.

By mid-October the roster had passed 45 local businesses, from builders and electricians to a Nordic spa and a mobile pressure washer. Clients with several locations get a separate report for each town.

"With us having such a good reputation on the SEO side, it's been pretty easy to sell our current client base," said Liron.

Impact IQ's clients are the businesses AI recommends first

Ask an AI assistant for a local contractor around Edmonton and Impact IQ clients keep coming up. Here's how three of them compared with their nearest competitor from September to October.

Other clients are moving up, too. A wood refinishing client went from 33% of AI answers when tracking began in August to 64% in October for fireplace mantel refinishing in its home suburb.

A residential design studio went from 20% of AI answers in its first two weeks of tracking to 48% from October 2 to 13.

Those answers are turning into paid work. The carpet dyeing company landed a large commercial client that found it through ChatGPT, and the owner was ecstatic. "We have had people get jobs through AI, which is really awesome to hear," said Liron.

AI search is now a new line of business for Impact IQ

The service also brings in new business. About a quarter of Impact IQ's AI search clients are new to the agency. "We've got a bunch that aren't even current clients, and they're just closing like crazy," said Ryan Patterson of Impact IQ's SEO team.

Liron's advice to other agencies is simple. "This is where the market's going, no matter the industry. This is where more and more people are going to search for what you offer as a business owner."

His team's appointment setters open with one line: "45% of people use AI to find a business to deal with at least once a month. Where do you think that number is going to be in one to two years?"

Next, Impact IQ wants to keep refining the service. "We want to figure out the highest leverage points to give our clients the best results," said Liron.

"The feedback loop is absolutely insane. I'm so happy I have you guys, the entire ChatFeatured team is available to help at any time," said Liron.

Agencies ready to add AI search to their own offer can book a partner call with ChatFeatured.