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The AI Search Revolution: What Australian Franchisors Need to Know Before It's Too Late

The AI Search Revolution: What Australian Franchisors Need to Know Before It's Too Late

Weekly insights for franchise marketers who want to stay ahead of the curve

Joel Kleber
July 02, 2025

Welcome to the Franchise Marketer Newsletter Edition 11!

⏳ Read time: ~ 5 minutes

Welcome back!

For the very first time, I had a franchisee in training say to me, “I asked ChatGPT if Jim’s Mowing was a good franchise, and because of those answers, I am here”.

People are moving to LLMs to search very quickly!

In saying that, Google is still by FAR the dominant player, so not to fear, however, how can you optimise your brand to appear in LLMs?

I will outline in today’s edition some things you should consider.

I am also seeking your feedback on newsletter styles, if you have something I should replicate or suggestions on how to improve this one, please reply.

Don’t forget to check out my Franchise Marketer Podcast.

The numbers that matter:

AI search visitors convert at 4x the rate of traditional Google traffic
When AI overviews appear, website clicks drop 33% - but conversion quality skyrockets
95% of B2B buyer journeys now start with AI tools, not Google
Only 9% of brand websites get mentioned in AI responses
20% of local searches now begin on YouTube instead of Google
ChatGPT reached 1B users in 2.5 years vs Google's 13 years

What's actually getting cited by AI:

Social media discussions (Facebook groups, LinkedIn posts)
YouTube videos and educational content
Google Business Profile reviews and Q&As
Reddit and community forum conversations
Third-party review sites (not your website)

Why? Because they've already completed their buyer journey before contacting you.

How LLMs actually choose what to cite: Traditional SEO is dead for AI. LLMs don't care about your domain authority, backlinks, or keyword density. They prioritise relevance and specificity over everything else.

What gets cited:

Third-party discussions (Reddit, Facebook business groups, LinkedIn forums)
Australian review platforms (ProductReview, TrustPilot, Finder)
Educational video content with transcripts and timestamps
News articles and thought leadership pieces
Content with specific data, timelines, and examples

What gets ignored:

Brand websites with marketing copy
Sales-focused landing pages
Generic "best franchise" content
Corporate messaging without real data

How LLMs actually find content: Different AI systems pull from different sources. ChatGPT primarily uses Bing's index, Google AI uses its own search data, while Perplexity focuses on real-time web crawling.

The key insight is that they all favour fresh, conversational content over static marketing pages.

The speed advantage: Unlike traditional SEO that takes 6-12 months to show results, AI optimisation can work in days or weeks, crucial for franchisors hitting recruitment targets quickly.

The Australian opportunity: We have way less competition in AI search compared to the US market. This creates a massive first-mover advantage for franchisors who act now.

What I'm seeing at Jim's Group: When AI systems answer franchise questions, they're pulling from our podcast transcripts, YouTube video descriptions, repurposed blog content, and even our LinkedIn posts—often combining multiple sources into one response.

Our honest discussions about both franchise successes and challenges get cited because AI values balanced, comprehensive information.

A single question about franchise costs might reference our podcast episode, a YouTube video transcript, and a LinkedIn article, all in one AI response.

Action steps you can try:

Create specific content: Answer exact questions like "franchise costs for cleaning businesses in Melbourne", not generic "best franchises"
Get conversational: Write like you're explaining to a mate, include real examples and honest pros/cons
Go multi-platform: Take one piece of content and adapt it for LinkedIn posts, YouTube videos, and blog articles
Join the conversation: Be helpful in Australian business Facebook groups and LinkedIn discussions
Track your mentions: Use tools like XFunnel or Google Alerts to monitor when AI systems cite your content

The opportunity: Create helpful, specific content that answers exact questions with real data. Share it across multiple platforms. Be authentic about both benefits and challenges. LLMs reward usefulness over authority, and Australian franchisors who move fast will dominate this space.

Interview with FCA CEO, Jayson Westbury

Jim and Jim’s Group has been critical of the FCA over recent years; however, we had the CEO, Jayson Westbury, discuss what he is doing to right the ship.

It’s worth a watch as this is going to affect Franchisors in a BIG WAY, which will help Franchisors across the country.

AI Prompt - Jim’s Gyms!

Generated in Chat GPT 4o

Act like a professional product packaging designer and 3D scene artist who specialises in creating LEGO-style box visuals for franchised service businesses. Your task is to design a hyper-realistic, large-scale 1:1 LEGO-style product box and interior gym environment for Jim’s Gyms, a conceptual fitness division of the Jim’s Group. This set should reflect the recognisable Jim’s Group brand (e.g., navy blue tones, bold logo, approachable characters) while celebrating health, strength, and variety through a full gym experience.

Step-by-step, do the following:

1. Design the box exterior at 1:1 scale - Specify box dimensions to mimic a real gym floor plan in LEGO format. - Use Jim’s Group branding colors prominently—navy blue, white, and subtle accents. - Feature the official Jim’s Group logo styled for the “Jim’s Gyms” division (with fitness motifs like dumbbells or running silhouettes). - Showcase 3–4 LEGO-style gymgoers on the front: each performing a different workout (lifting, stretching, cycling). - Include branded promotional text like: “Your Personal Gym in a Brick!”, “Train with Jim — Anytime. Anywhere.” or “Built for Strength, Block by Block.”

2. Create the interior gym play scene - Build a full LEGO gym layout: dumbbell rack, squat rack, weightlifting platform, treadmill area, yoga space, and stretching zone. - Include multiple LEGO minifigures (3 to 5) in branded navy blue or dark activewear, with headbands or gym towels. - Make one minifigure represent “Jim” in branded athletic attire doing dumbbell curls or instructing others. - Add mirrored wall panels, wall clocks, a reception desk, hydration station, and branded merchandise rack.

3. Add immersive accessories and scene detail - Include LEGO gym gear: barbell set with interchangeable weights, kettlebells, jump ropes, yoga mats, water bottles, protein shakers, and a speaker system. - Decorate with motivational signs (“Stronger Every Day”, “Push Your Limits”, “Train with Jim’s”). - Integrate realistic gym features like floor padding, gym flooring tiles, changing room door, and brick-built mirrors.

4. Suggest branding slogans, names & interactive features - Slogans: “Brick by Brick. Rep by Rep.”, “Fitness Powered by Jim’s.”, “The Ultimate LEGO Workout Experience.” - Set names: “Jim’s Gyms – Full Body Fitness Center” and “Jim’s Brick Gym Experience”. - Interactive LEGO features: movable treadmill belts, adjustable weight stack, spin bikes with rotating pedals, and a functional squat rack. 5. Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step. - make it a 3D box

Franchise Industry Awards

I used to think taking a full day off midweek would derail everything.

Emails would pile up. Work would fall behind. The catch-up would take days.

So for years, I didn’t.

Even when I took “leave,” I’d squeeze in meetings.

Check emails “just quickly.”

Take a Franchisor's call at 8 PM.

Keep the machine running.

But here’s the truth I’ve come to accept:

That kind of thinking prioritises work over my health.

Over my family.

The reason I work in the first place.

This week, for the first time in 3 years, I’ve taken consecutive days off during the week.
I have even taken time off for my honeymoon yet!

No laptop.
No meetings.
Just presence.

Why?

To attend the Franchise Council of Australia’s Industry Awards with my family, where I was lucky enough to be a finalist in a couple of categories.

Franchise Marketing Manager of the Year and Excellance in Franchise Innovation.

I didn’t win either, however, the FCA gave me a couple of nice trophies.

However.

It’s a reminder:

The work will always be there. The moments won’t.

If you're feeling the same tension right now, I get it.

But take the day.

You’ll thank yourself later.