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Case Study | AI Search Optimization

How We Helped a National Nonprofit Grow AI Search Visibility by 26%

Search behavior changed fast. GGS helped a leading nonprofit adapt with AI search optimization, SERP intent analysis, content rewrites, AI-friendly FAQs, and reporting built for real decisions.

+26%

AI share of voice overall

+37%

AI visibility for priority service topics

3 months

to measurable lift

Case Study | AI Search Optimization

Why This Work Mattered

Search behavior changed fast. Traditional rankings still mattered, but they were no longer the whole story. More discovery was happening inside Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other answer-driven experiences, and that meant this organization needed a smarter visibility strategy.

This organization was already well known, with deep expertise across a wide range of service-related topics. But search had changed. High-intent local queries were increasingly being handled through map packs and localized results, while AI-generated answers were starting to shape awareness before many users ever clicked through to a website.

The challenge was not a lack of authority. It was a visibility problem. Important content needed to be easier for both people and AI systems to understand, retrieve, and trust. That meant rethinking not just rankings, but how the organization showed up across modern search experiences.

At a Glance

Client type: National nonprofit
Focus: AI visibility and content strategy
Goal: Stronger discoverability across modern search
Approach: Search intent analysis, content refinement, and reporting
Timeline: First meaningful gains within three months

How Good Guys Helped

Six Moves That Made the Difference

We did not want to just add more content and hope for the best. The goal was to understand what had changed, where the strongest opportunities still existed, and how the organization could show up with better answers across both traditional search and AI-driven search.

1. We studied the SERPs before changing the content

Before rewriting pages, we looked closely at how Google was treating the client’s highest-value topics. That helped us separate local-intent searches from real informational opportunities and avoid building for the wrong kind of visibility.

2. We mapped the questions people were actually asking

Instead of focusing only on traditional keywords, we mapped the kinds of questions people might ask before they ask for help, make a donation, or decide where to engage. That gave the strategy a much stronger real-world foundation.

3. We used AI visibility data without letting the tool become the strategy

As an official Semrush partner, Good Guys SEO used AI visibility reporting to benchmark how the brand was showing up across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The tool helped surface the data. GGS turned it into decisions.

4. We rewrote pages to make the expertise easier to see

The site already had meaningful information, but the expertise was not always as clear as it needed to be. We reworked priority pages so they better explained what the organization knew, who it helped, and what visitors should do next.

5. We added FAQs built around real public questions

We built FAQ sections around the actual informational prompts people might ask while trying to understand a need, a service, or a next step. That created stronger opportunities for visibility in both traditional search and AI-generated answers.

6. We connected visibility to action and reporting

The work did not stop at getting found. We improved internal linking, calls to action, and reporting so the client could connect visibility gains to campaigns, service-line priorities, and the outcomes leadership cared about.

The outcome

What Changed in the First Three Months

Within three months, the work led to measurable gains across priority areas. AI visibility improved, key topics performed better, and the client had a much clearer way to connect that visibility to campaigns, service lines, and internal goals.

+26%

Increase in AI share of voice overall

+37%

Increase in AI visibility across priority service topics

3 months

to meaningful gains and a clearer reporting framework

These were not just vanity metrics. They showed that the organization was becoming more visible in the places where modern discovery is happening, and that the work was starting to support real campaign and service-line priorities.

Just as important, the client had a repeatable framework for moving forward: clearer priorities, stronger visibility across modern search experiences, and better reporting leadership could actually use.

Why This Matters

Modern Search Is Bigger Than Rankings

People are finding answers through traditional search results, map packs, AI Overviews, conversational AI tools, and referral paths that barely existed a few years ago. That means SEO can no longer be treated as a narrow rankings exercise.

When your content clearly reflects your expertise, answers the questions people are actually asking, and helps visitors take the next right step, search becomes more than a traffic channel. It becomes a way to build trust, guide action, and strengthen visibility wherever discovery happens.

The Real Shift

The opportunity was not just ranking for more keywords. It was helping the client become easier for search engines and AI systems to understand, trust, and surface.

Ready to see where you stand?

Find Out How Your Organization Shows Up in AI Search

Good Guys SEO helps organizations find visibility gaps, improve priority pages, and build search strategies for Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, and the next generation of search.

As an official Semrush partner, we combine AI visibility measurement with practical strategy, content optimization, and reporting your team can actually use.