Case Studies

    Case Study: SaaS 340% Increase

    How a B2B SaaS company achieved 340% increase in AI search visibility with GEO optimization.

    Jiri Macek | GEO mentor
    January 1, 2025
    12 min read
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    Theory is useful. Real results are better. This case study documents how a B2B SaaS company transformed their AI visibility over six months.

    The Starting Point

    Company profile: B2B SaaS in the project management space. ~50 employees. Series A funded. Strong product but limited brand recognition outside their customer base.

    Initial GEO status:

    • Cited in 8% of relevant AI queries
    • Competitors cited 3-5x more frequently
    • No systematic GEO strategy
    • Good SEO foundation (ranking for key terms)

    The problem: Despite strong SEO, AI search engines consistently recommended competitors. Potential customers asking ChatGPT or Perplexity for recommendations weren't seeing them.

    The Strategy

    Phase 1: Audit and Baseline (Week 1-2)

    Actions:

    • Identified 50 key queries potential customers ask AI
    • Tested all queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini
    • Documented competitor citations and positioning
    • Analyzed competitor content that was being cited

    Key findings:

    • Competitors had dedicated comparison pages
    • Competitor content was more structured (FAQ, clear definitions)
    • Their own content was narrative-heavy, hard to cite

    Phase 2: Content Restructuring (Week 3-8)

    Actions:

    • Restructured top 20 pages for citability
    • Added FAQ sections to every product page
    • Created 10 comparison pages ("[Product] vs. [Competitor]")
    • Implemented FAQ and Article schema across site

    Specific changes:

    • Added TL;DR summaries to all blog posts
    • Converted narrative sections to structured Q&A
    • Added specific statistics and data points
    • Updated all content with current information

    Phase 3: Authority Building (Week 9-16)

    Actions:

    • Published original research report on project management trends
    • Secured coverage in 5 industry publications
    • CEO authored 3 guest posts on respected platforms
    • Built author profiles with credentials for all content creators

    Results from authority push:

    • 15 new brand mentions on authoritative sites
    • Research report cited by 8 external sources
    • CEO established as thought leader in space

    Phase 4: Ongoing Optimization (Week 17-24)

    Actions:

    • Weekly monitoring of AI citations
    • Monthly content updates based on citation data
    • Continuous competitor tracking
    • A/B testing of content formats

    The Results

    Citation Rate Improvement

    Before: 8% citation rate (4 of 50 queries)

    After: 35% citation rate (17.5 of 50 queries)

    Improvement: 340% increase

    Share of Voice Change

    Before: 12% SOV (ranked 5th among competitors)

    After: 28% SOV (ranked 2nd among competitors)

    Business Impact

    Branded search volume: +45% over 6 months

    Direct website traffic: +32%

    Demo requests mentioning "AI recommendation": 23% of new demos

    Sales cycle: 15% shorter for AI-referred leads

    What Worked Best

    Highest Impact: Comparison Pages

    The comparison pages alone drove 40% of new citations. AI frequently cites comparison content for recommendation queries.

    Second Highest: FAQ Restructuring

    Converting existing content to FAQ format significantly improved citability without requiring new content.

    Third Highest: Original Research

    The research report became a frequently cited source for industry statistics.

    What Didn't Work

    Minimal Impact: Social Media Push

    Increased social activity didn't noticeably affect AI citations.

    Slower Than Expected: Authority Building

    Brand mention impact took longer to show in citations than hoped. This is a long game.

    Lessons Learned

    Lesson 1: Content structure matters more than content volume. Restructuring existing content beat creating new content.

    Lesson 2: Comparison content is essential. Not having it means losing recommendation queries.

    Lesson 3: AI visibility correlates with but doesn't equal SEO success. They require different optimizations.

    Lesson 4: Measurement enables iteration. Weekly tracking allowed rapid optimization based on what worked.

    Lesson 5: Results compound. Months 4-6 showed faster improvement than months 1-3.

    Replicating These Results

    Start Here

    1. Audit your current AI visibility (baseline measurement)
    2. Analyze why competitors are cited (content analysis)
    3. Restructure top pages for citability (quick wins)
    4. Create comparison content (if missing)
    5. Implement ongoing measurement

    Timeline Expectations

    • Weeks 1-4: Setup and initial changes
    • Weeks 5-12: First improvements visible
    • Weeks 13-24: Significant gains
    • Month 6+: Compounding results

    Summary

    A B2B SaaS company increased AI citations from 8% to 35% (340% improvement) over 6 months. Key tactics: content restructuring for citability, comparison page creation, FAQ implementation, and authority building. Results included 45% increase in branded search and 32% increase in direct traffic.

    FAQ

    Can any company achieve these results?

    Results depend on starting point, competition, and execution. This company had good SEO foundation and invested seriously. Your results may vary.

    How much did this cost?

    Approximately $40,000 in content creation and optimization over 6 months. Plus ongoing monitoring costs. ROI was strongly positive based on business impact.

    What if my competitors are bigger?

    Focus on niche topics where you can win. This company didn't try to beat Asana/Monday.com on general queries. They won on specific use cases and comparisons.

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