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What is the Found First methodology?
Short answer
Found First is the methodology Zach Hipes developed for making businesses the answer customers find first across search and AI. It is delivered in three productized tiers — Audit, Install, and Operate — each built around measurable outcomes, clear deliverables, and revenue attribution.
Found First is a methodology, not a separate business. It is the system Zach Hipes uses with private clients, packaged into three predictable engagement tiers so businesses know exactly what they are buying.
The Audit ($2,500, two weeks) tells you exactly where money is being wasted in your current marketing, where you are invisible in AI search, and what the highest-impact fixes are. Every audit has surfaced 20-40% of spend going to waste. One surfaced $240K in annual fraud the previous agency was hiding.
The Operate retainer ($7,500/month, ongoing) keeps the system compounding. Your AI citation footprint expands, your paid efficiency improves quarter over quarter, and your revenue attribution gets sharper as new data comes in.
The Install ($4,500, 60 days) rebuilds your search, paid, AI, and tracking infrastructure from the ground up. Within 60 days you have a working revenue channel where you used to have a budget line.
Found First works because it treats AI search as a real channel, not a buzzword. AEO content frameworks, schema implementation, conversion tracking with source attribution, and AI agent builds are baked into every Install — giving you attribution-ready infrastructure that most businesses never build.
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Want This Implemented for Your Business?
Every Found First engagement starts with an audit. You will know exactly where you stand and what the install would look like for your business.
Start with an audit