Gijs Bodenstaff: local SEO and GEO specialist, tester and author
Founder of Beste GEO Bureau · Local Entity GEO and AI automation specialist, author and speaker
Gijs Bodenstaff is a Dutch Local Entity GEO and AI automation specialist, author and speaker. He has worked on local visibility in Google and AI search engines since 2010. In 1998 he co-founded Stageplaza, and in 2010 he started Linkbuilding-Specialist, the first link building agency in the Netherlands. With LocalSEOLab he tests every claim about local SEO and AI visibility himself. His books include Local Entity SEO 2027, AI Search in de Zorg 2027 (AI search in healthcare) and the Franchise Local SEO & GEO Handboek 2027.
He founded Beste GEO Bureau because almost every list of the best GEO agencies is made by an agency itself. Because he works in the field himself, he and his own brands are not in the ranking.
Profiles: LinkedIn · gijsbodenstaff.nl · author site gijs-bodenstaff.nl · YouTube · X · X (@yourvideocoach1) · Bluesky · Substack · Goodreads · author page on Amazon · ORCID
Reachable at Herengracht 280, 1016 BX Amsterdam. Mobile: 06‑38048347, also via WhatsApp.
Gijs Bodenstaff in the media
- Stageplaza (1998): the platform I founded with Thijs Sins
- Emerce (2011): Linkbuilding-Specialist.nl in the Jungle Minds Finest 50
- DDMA Search Committee (2012): member for Linkbuilding Specialist
- Dutch Cowboys (2011): the latest trends in link building and social media
- Dutch Cowboys (2012): link building trends 2012, eight experts have their say
- Dutch Cowboys (2019): 11 YouTube SEO tips
- Dutch Cowboys (2026): made-up nonsense as AI fact in Google Gemini
- Flair: DushiDeals, the deals site on Curaçao
- Google Books: Local SEO 2026
Check me in Google AI
A specialist in AI visibility should be visible himself. So feel free to check what Google, Gemini and ChatGPT know about Gijs: not a screenshot from us, but an answer you request yourself.
Or ask the AI for the top 10
We deliberately do not put Gijs in our own ranking. Still want to know how AI tools view his work? Then ask this question yourself, ideally a few times and in more than one tool.
Who are the top 10 Dutch GEO specialists?
AI answers change every time; SparkToro found that fewer than 1 in 100 answers gives the same list. So count how often a name comes back instead of looking at one answer. That is exactly how we measure too, and with the free AI visibility tally sheet you can do it yourself. In Gemini, paste the copied question into the input field yourself.
A tester, not a parrot
Gijs would rather call himself a tester than an SEO parrot. He tests claims and myths about local SEO and AI visibility himself, with other specialists, in LocalSEOLab.nl: on his own sites and test locations instead of repeating what others publish.
That attitude returns in the scoring rules of the LSAI: clients receive follow-up calls, cases must have dates and a measurement design, and AI visibility counts as a percentage over many repetitions, never as a position.
He deliberately keeps his own expertise narrow: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Gemini. Nobody can keep up with all AI automation, he says, himself included. In his view, keeping up takes at least 15 hours a week, and that is one reason why many agencies fall behind: staff often have to be more than 80% billable.
Experience
A selection from over 25 years of digital marketing, from leading teams to hands-on work.
| Organisation | Role | What he did there |
|---|---|---|
| Redditmarketing.nl | AI and Reddit marketer, since April 2025 | Marketing via Reddit and visibility in AI answers. |
| Youvia | Senior SEO specialist, 2024 and 2025 | SEO for the agency’s clients. |
| Stageplaza.nl | Co-founder (1998) and managing director | Online internship platform, founded in 1998 with Thijs Sins (history of Stageplaza), taken over in 2010 by co-owner Rob Kriegsman. |
| DushiDeals | Concept devised with Marloes Meijer, 2011 and 2012 | Deals site on Curaçao, founded by Marloes Meijer (Flair, Ik vertrok column). |
| Own internet company | Sale via Brookz | Together with his partner, sold one of his internet companies within three months via a sales profile (testimonial on Brookz). |
| Europlacement.com en Globalplacement.com | Founder | Set up and ran his own international franchise brand. |
| Sensi Seeds | Head of copywriting | Managed 25 international copywriters. |
| LinkBuilding Specialist | Management | Managed a team of 25 FTE. |
| Several agencies | Team building and training | Set up and trained local SEO teams, and trained colleagues in GEO and AI visibility. |
He also worked at Serve the City in 2023 and 2024 and did digital marketing for SPRLDX.nl.
Who he has worked for
During his career Gijs has worked for organisations including Boskalis, Oxfam Novib, Oilily, Expedia, Nationale-Nederlanden, Sensi Seeds, SmartBuyGlasses, New York Pizza and Samenwerkende Tandartsen.
Locally he did SEO, local SEO and AI visibility for physiotherapists, yoga studios, psychology practices and healthcare institutions. From the training he gave colleagues, he developed his own thirty-minute GEO visibility method.
Certifications and roles in the field
- Google Local Guide level 8 and Google Product Expert
- Official beta tester for Google Labs
- Certified in Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Google Tag Manager and Google My Business
- Member of the DDMA Search Committee (2012) and member of IAB Nederland
- Guest blogger at Dutch Cowboys (2011, 2012 and 2019), mentioned in Emerce (2012)
- Gave SEO workshops for Syntens and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel)
Work with Gijs: books, training and services
Separately from the ranking, Gijs offers his own expertise and services via gijsbodenstaff.nl. Beste GEO Bureau earns nothing from the ranking; what you book below goes to Gijs himself and has no influence on any score.
Books
Paperback and Kindle (in Dutch): Local Entity SEO 2027, AI Search in de Zorg 2027 and the Franchise Local SEO & GEO Handboek 2027. Earlier he wrote the chapter on link building in Eerste Hulp bij Webshop (2011).
Training and masterclasses
Including the 30 Minuten GEO Zichtbaarheid Training (30-minute GEO visibility training, €2,500 excl. VAT), the GEO Zichtbaarheid Training (GEO visibility training, €600 per person excl. VAT, from four people) and Google Business Profile optimisation (€1,500 excl. VAT). Gijs gave masterclasses at Google in Amsterdam (video).
Services and consultation
From GEO and AI visibility to Google Business Profile, Wikidata, review management and Reddit. His approach is described in the 30-minute GEO method. You can book a first 30-minute call directly in his calendar.
Follow Gijs
LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Bluesky, Substack and the tests in LocalSEOLab.nl.
The connection with Rand Fishkin
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 on this site and has not reviewed it. Why the method does lean on his way of measuring is explained in how we measure AI visibility following Fishkin.
Interests, openly disclosed
Gijs works in the field himself and has his own brands, including LocalSEOLab.nl. Until September 2026 he worked with Stanley Leijnse at Franchiseseo.nl. That is why he does not assess any specialist he has a connection with, and every connection is shown next to the score.
All the rules are on the page independence and interests. You can read more about the site and the editorial team on about Beste GEO Bureau.
A question for Gijs?
Call, send a WhatsApp message or book a 30-minute call in his calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gijs Bodenstaff?
A digital marketer with over 25 years of experience, specialising in local SEO, the Google Business Profile and AI visibility, and founder of Beste GEO Bureau.
Why is Gijs not in the ranking?
Because he works in the field himself. A maker who competes in his own list is assessing himself; this site does not do that.
What is LocalSEOLab.nl?
The test environment where Gijs and other specialists test claims about local SEO and AI visibility themselves, on their own sites and test locations.
Which books has Gijs written?
His three main books are Local Entity SEO 2027, AI Search in de Zorg 2027 and the Franchise Local SEO & GEO Handboek 2027, all three published in September 2026 as paperback and Kindle (in Dutch). All titles are listed on his author site gijs-bodenstaff.nl and on his Amazon author page.
Which AI tools does he focus on?
ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Gemini. Nobody can keep up with everything, so he chooses deliberately.
What is his connection with Rand Fishkin?
He 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 on this site.
Does Gijs still work at an agency?
Since April 2025 he has been an AI and Reddit marketer at Redditmarketing.nl. Before that he was a senior SEO specialist at Youvia.
Which certifications does he hold?
Including Google Ads, YouTube Ads, Google Tag Manager and Google My Business. He is a Google Local Guide level 8, a Google Product Expert and a beta tester for Google Labs.
Does Gijs write the articles on this site?
He has final responsibility for every article. Every figure has a dated source, and errors go into the corrections log.
How do I contact Gijs?
Via +31 6 38048347, WhatsApp or a 30-minute appointment in his calendar. Everything is on the contact page.