About Beste GEO Bureau and its founder
Beste GEO Bureau (Dutch for “Best GEO Agency”) assesses GEO agencies and (local) GEO specialists using a public method. The site was founded by Gijs Bodenstaff, is the successor to bestelocalseospecialist.nl and is produced by a small editorial team.
We started because almost every list of the best agencies is made by an agency that puts itself at the top, and because hardly anyone calls the clients to check.
Founder: Gijs Bodenstaff
Gijs Bodenstaff is a digital marketer with more than 25 years of experience, specialising in local SEO, Google Business Profile and AI visibility. In 1998 he co-founded the internship platform Stageplaza.nl and led it as managing director, and he set up local SEO teams at several agencies.
He prefers to test claims himself rather than repeat them. He does so with other specialists in LocalSEOLab.nl, on his own sites and test locations. He works his findings into his books on local SEO and AI search.
Gijs has known Rand Fishkin (SparkToro, founder of Moz) personally for about fifteen years. He took part in Fishkin’s click test of April 2014 and ran prompts as a volunteer for the SparkToro research into the consistency of AI answers. Fishkin has no role in this site and has not reviewed it.
Experience, books, certifications and profiles are listed in the full biography of Gijs Bodenstaff.
Verifiable credentials
- Google Local Guide level 8
- Google Product Expert
- Google Labs beta tester
- Google Ads and YouTube certified
- Member of the DDMA Search Committee (2012) and member of IAB Nederland
- Guest blogger for Dutch Cowboys (2011, 2012 and 2019), mentioned in Emerce (2012)
- Gave SEO workshops for Syntens and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK)
Profiles: LinkedIn · gijsbodenstaff.nl · author site gijs-bodenstaff.nl · books on Amazon
Interests of the founder
Gijs works in the field himself. Since April 2025 he has been an AI and Reddit marketer at Redditmarketing.nl, in 2024 and 2025 he worked as a senior SEO specialist at Youvia, and until September 2026 he worked with Stanley Leijnse at Franchiseseo.nl. That is why he and his own brands are not in the ranking, and why every tie with an assessed specialist is shown with that specialist’s score.
All the rules are on the page about interests, reviewers and independence. How the scores are arrived at is set out in the scoring rules of the Local Search & AI Index; what we have improved is in the public corrections log.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the founder?
Gijs Bodenstaff, a digital marketer with more than 25 years of experience, specialising in local SEO, GEO and AI visibility, and author of books on those subjects.
Does the founder work in the field himself?
Yes. That is why he is not in the ranking and why we disclose his ties with other specialists and agencies.
What is the connection with Rand Fishkin?
Gijs has known him personally for about fifteen years and ran prompts as a volunteer for the SparkToro research into AI consistency. Fishkin has no role in this site and has not reviewed it.
Why this site?
Because almost every best agencies list is made by an agency that puts itself at the top, and because hardly anyone calls clients to check. See also: Local GEO: how a local business becomes visible in AI.
How does the site make money?
Not through the assessed specialists. No paid placement, no affiliate arrangement, no lead fee. See the independence page.
What is LocalSEOLab.nl?
The test environment where Gijs and other specialists test local SEO and AI claims themselves instead of repeating them.
Why no parroting?
Because most advice on AI visibility is copied without anyone testing it. We test first, and we name our sources.
How do I get in touch?
By phone, WhatsApp, an appointment in the calendar or the contact form. All details are on the contact page.
Where can I find Gijs’s books?
On his author page on Amazon.
Who writes the articles?
The editorial team, under the final responsibility of Gijs Bodenstaff. Every figure has a source with a date.