When SEO tools deliver a list of recommendations, Hypetrix CEO Tim Kahlert does not just follow them. He gets a second opinion.
In a recent chat with BrightLocal CEO and co-founder Myles Anderson, Tim shared his practical approach to local SEO. After running an agency for over five years, Tim emphasizes that getting advice is easy, but knowing what to execute and actually taking action is the hard part.
This interview is part of our series on how local SEO pros use AI every day. We have already covered how Noah Learner at Sterling Sky automates reporting, how Dana DiTomaso at Kick Point streamlines agency processes, and how Mike Forgie runs his workflow on Claude Code. Tim’s approach is different: he uses AI as a focused, internal critic.
Key takeaways for your agency
- Pressure-test your SEO recommendations: Use AI to challenge automated tool outputs before building client deliverables.
- Use AI for critique, not creation: Keep human writers in control of client copy to protect content quality.
- Focus on execution: Spend energy closing the gap between finding issues and taking action.
- Build authority through third-party coverage: Earn mentions in local listicles, reviews, and publications to influence AI search engines.
- Optimize for 5 AI recommendation factors: Focus content on pricing, comparisons, local solutions, social proof, and listicles.
- Plan for client management time: Set up clear onboarding workflows to collect assets faster and reduce delays.
Ask AI to “roast” your any AI generated SEO recommendations first
Tim relies heavily on Semrush for data, but he treats automated recommendations as starting points instead of absolute rules.
“What I usually do is I go to Semrush, copy the stuff, put it into Claude, and tell Claude to roast it… Based on that, I would create my own version of what I think is correct in this particular case.”
Here is Tim’s simple four-step process for auditing automated SEO advice:
- Extract recommendations: Pull raw suggestions directly from your primary SEO tool.
- Prompt the AI critique: Paste the data into Claude and ask it to challenge or roast the advice.
- Filter the feedback: Review the output and keep only the insights that make sense for your client.
- Build your strategy: Write a customized action plan tailored to your client’s needs.
Automated tools do not understand the full context of a business or its audience. By using AI to challenge generic suggestions, you can spot strategy gaps and refine your action plan faster.
Draw a clear line between what you will use AI for and what you won’t
While Tim uses AI for strategy reviews, he does not use it to write client content.
“If we’re creating the content for a business, I don’t want anyone to use AI and just create a best-of listicle for business X and then use that as the foundation of this particular article and just have a writer edit it a little bit.”
This boundary helps maintain content quality. Reviewing an AI critique takes minimal effort for an experienced marketer, but editing AI-generated content often requires heavy cleanup to fix subtle quality issues.
As Tim puts it: “I have never really been a tool guy.” For AI to handle creative output at Hypetrix, it would need far deeper domain awareness than current models offer.
Focus on narrative gaps over traditional keyword rankings
Tim uses Semrush’s brand performance features to find narrative gaps in a business’s online presence rather than just tracking keywords.
A narrative gap is a question people ask about your kind of business that your website never answers. Pricing, guarantees, how you compare to the business down the road, and what happens when something goes wrong. Keyword tracking tells you where you rank for the things you already talk about. A narrative gap tells you what you are not talking about at all.
“They’re telling you exactly where you lack, what kind of narratives you lack, what kind of narratives you should push, and how your brand is doing for certain queries. I love it, it’s really great. And we already see results by creating content only on our own websites.”
Understanding what content or context your brand is missing offers far more value than tracking position changes. Filling these narrative gaps on your own website builds lasting visibility.
Spend your energy on execution, not more recommendations
Myles asked Tim which tools genuinely help an agency’s workflow. Tim didn’t name one. He went straight to the thing no tool has fixed yet.
“The execution is the actual problem.”
The local search industry has plenty of platforms that will point out what’s wrong. Far fewer help you turn that list into tasks someone actually finishes.
“If you could bridge this gap between the recommendations and actually putting them into action, I would be the first to test it.”
Until that tool exists, the gap is yours to close. That means deciding who owns each recommendation, when it’s due, and what “done” looks like, before the audit lands in a client’s inbox.
You can start tracking your brand’s performance across search engines and AI platforms with BrightLocal’s Local AI Visibility tool or visualize local rankings with Local Search Grid.
Reframe guest posting and outreach for narrative search
For Tim, off-page SEO and digital PR have changed. Outreach is no longer just about building backlinks; it is about building authority and consistent brand mentions across AI engines.
“People were using guest posts to build backlinks, but now you can build guest posts to build narratives. That’s the new citation building.”
AI search models rely on third-party sources to evaluate local businesses. Customer reviews, local news articles, and industry roundups carry more weight in AI recommendations than claims on your own website.
This can be hard to do, and it’s a problem that Tim hasn’t solved yet.
“How do I get my client into this listicle article so that AI is recommending my client and not others? Without paying them, without manipulating them.”
The goal for local agencies has changed from getting simple links to securing earned spots in local roundups and industry lists where AI models gather recommendations.
Read more: The local directories AI cites
According to Tim, AI models evaluate local businesses using five core factors:
Focusing on these five areas helps your strategy reach both AI search engines and potential customers.
Make client support and proactive management key
The most memorable insight Tim shared had nothing to do with AI.
“We are not in the local SEO business, because that is super easy to streamline. We are really in the reminding business.”
Strategy and technical work are easy to streamline with good systems. The hardest operational work comes from gathering assets from clients, such as photos, videos, account logins, and reviews.
Tim experienced this firsthand. On an €8,000 website project, he offered a € 2,000 discount if the client provided the project assets within 30 days.
“No, it didn’t work.”
It took two and a half months. On another project, a client paid in full but never sent access to Google Analytics or Search Console before disappearing completely.
Local business owners do not always see how sending photos connects to higher rankings or revenue. Regular communication and reminders are essential for agency teams.
“What have pictures got to do with my rankings?”
Because collecting assets is a frequent delay, client support and proactive management remain key to running a successful agency.
Read more: Google Business Profile photos
Ready to expand your local search skills? Check out free interactive courses and earn certifications at BrightLocal Academy.
