Executive summary
Over a six-month engagement, NUOPTIMA used a combined Organic + AI Search strategy to turn Cortavo’s visibility into revenue outcomes. The work wasn’t framed around “traffic for traffic’s sake”, as it was built to win high-intent discovery in traditional search and in AI-generated answers, then connect that visibility to pipeline and closed revenue.
Results after six months included:
- $210,000+ in contracted value attributed to Organic + AI Search traffic
- $1,000,000+ in MQL pipeline generated
- Clear competitive advantage in AI Search visibility, including 4× more AI citations than the closest competitor for tracked terms
- By mid-December, AI Search sessions had already surpassed every other month of the year
The Challenge: Cortavo Pre-Implementation
About the client
Cortavo provides managed IT services for growing businesses that want a reliable IT partner without building an in-house department.
Baseline state (what needed fixing)
Before the engagement, Cortavo needed stronger performance across two discovery paths that now influence buying decisions:
- Traditional search: consistent growth in rankings and traffic for high-intent “managed IT” terms.
- AI Search: being cited as a trusted recommendation when prospects ask tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews who to choose.
The strategic challenge wasn’t “publish more content.” It was to create a system where Cortavo becomes the obvious answer, both in search results and in AI-generated recommendations, and then prove that impact with reporting and attribution.
What we did
Alt text: Infographic showing an “AI Search & LLM Strategy” hub with six pillars: technical SEO, topic clusters, AI-intent listicles, link building, AI awareness, and LLM positioning.
The engagement focused on a practical plan: build durable visibility (traditional + AI), earn authority signals that LLMs trust, and keep execution tied to commercial outcomes.
1) Positioning for LLMs & AI Search
AI Search doesn’t work like classic SEO. In many prompts, AI tools don’t return “10 blue links”, as they return a short list of recommendations and cite sources. Cortavo’s goal was to become one of those consistently cited sources for the prompts that match buyer intent.
To keep this measurable, we tracked performance using domain citations. In other words, how often Cortavo’s site is referenced in AI-generated answers, across a defined prompt set tied to the brand report.
That matters for two reasons:
- It reflects real visibility inside the answer, not just being “somewhere on the page.”
- It’s tied to the exact prompts we care about (so it doesn’t drift into vague, unrepeatable reporting).
2) Full-Funnel AI Awareness (turning citations into demand)
The practical goal of AI visibility isn’t “being mentioned.” It’s showing up when a prospect asks:
- “Who are the best managed IT providers?”
- “Which IT support company should I choose?”
- “What’s a reliable MSP near me?”
Those prompts create high commercial leverage: the user is already in evaluation mode, and the AI answer often drives the shortlist. Our approach focused on building the kind of content footprint and authority signals that make Cortavo a safe recommendation.
That meant:
- Publishing content that answers decision-level questions clearly (service selection, pricing expectations, evaluation criteria).
- Making key pages easy to cite with strong structure, clear claims, and supportive context.
- Reinforcing off-site trust signals so the brand feels “real” and consistent.
3) Technical & Authority Foundation
AI systems still inherit a lot of their trust signals from the broader web. Strong technical hygiene and authority building increases the chances of:
- ranking in classic results, and
- being referenced as a credible source in AI answers.
This phase focused on creating stability and making growth compounding rather than fragile.
4) Brand Mentions & Linkbuilding
To strengthen Cortavo’s authority profile, we built backlinks to high-quality sites as part of the ongoing strategy (improving the site’s credibility and supporting ranking/citation growth).
5) Content Strategy & Topic Clusters
We built content around topic clusters that map to how buyers research MSPs and IT support:
- Core service intent (managed IT services, IT support, IT outsourcing style themes)
- Evaluation content (how to choose, what to expect, common pitfalls, pricing signals)
- Comparison-style content where relevant (how providers differ, what questions to ask)
This combination improves internal linking, relevance depth, and “coverage” for AI prompts.
6) AI-Intent Focused Listicles
Listicles work unusually well for AI discovery because they mirror how prompts are phrased (“best X”, “top Y”, “recommended Z”). As part of the content mix, we used AI-assisted listicles that are human edited and published as supporting assets, helping Cortavo show up more often in AI-generated recommendations.
Scope of Services
Ongoing SEO + AEO retainer deliverables included:
- Account management retainer (keyword research, link building outreach, ongoing account maintenance)
- Human-written content creation (each piece ~2,000 words)
- AI-assisted listicles (AI generated, human edited)
- Link building to strengthen authority
- Site publishing (new pages published on the website)
- Fractional CMO support (monthly call with Alexej; leadership support and budget guidance)
Performance & Results
Alt text: Brand ranking table showing mentions, share of voice, and brand coverage, with Cortavo leading with 224 mentions (82% share of voice, 16% coverage).
AI Search Performance
Across tracked prompts relevant to Cortavo’s services, Cortavo became the most consistently cited domain, meaning AI tools referenced cortavo.com far more often than competitors when generating recommendation-style answers.
What the AI tracking showed:
- Cortavo earned 4× more AI citations than the closest competitor for relevant search terms
- Cortavo was “by far the most cited domain” for the targeted prompts, showing clear dominance for the strategy’s intended queries
- In the AI report callout, Cortavo recorded 1,110% more domain citations than its closest competitor
- AI Search sessions accelerated strongly and not even halfway through December, traffic had already exceeded every month except November
Alt text: Data showing Cortavo is by far the most cited domain for the relevant prompts we have targeted showing just how effective the AI Search Strategy has been.
Why this matters
Domain citations reflect how often Cortavo is referenced directly in AI-generated answers (ChatGPT-style answers and Google AI Overviews). These citation counts are based only on the prompts added to the brand report, keeping measurement consistent and focused on the queries that match buyer intent.
Organic Search Visibility (traffic + rankings growth)
Alt text: Organic traffic line chart, showing that traffic stays nearly flat from late June through early October, then begins a steady climb, with sharper jumps in late November and a steep surge in mid–late December, ending around 3.4K.
Alt text: Area chart of organic keyword positions (Sep–Dec) showing 11–20 and 21–50 rankings dipping in early October, then rising sharply from early November and continuing upward through late December.
Alongside AI visibility, Cortavo’s classic organic search performance rose sharply in the same timeframe.
Our Ahrefs charts show two key movements:
1) Organic traffic growth (last 6 months): The traffic trend stays flat through the early period, then inflects sharply in late October and climbs steadily through November and December—finishing near the top of the visible scale (~3.4K in the chart).
2) Keyword footprint expansion (positions): Our “Organic positions” chart shows growth in the number of keywords ranking in positions 11–20 and 21–50, with the strongest lift beginning around early November and continuing through late December.
Commercial Outcomes (the business impact)
Alt text: Illustration titled “SEO Cumulative Total Contract Value” showing an upward green arrow ending at a large green circle labeled $210,408, with coins and a small rising bar chart in the bottom-right.
The growth translated into real revenue and pipeline. After six months working together, Cortavo generated:
- $210,000+ in contracted value from organic and AI search traffic
- $1,000,000+ in MQL pipeline
Working With Us: Growth Roadmap
Phase 1: 45-Day High-Touch Onboarding
Over the first 6-months of working with us you will begin to see progress similar to the graph below. The reason we take our time and are so thorough is because rushing the key onboarding phase inevitably leads to issues down the line that may have negative effects on the performance of the strategies we utilize.
Phase 2: 6-Month Performance Trajectory
Alt Text: Diagram showing the customer journey map with NUOPTIMA over the first 6 months of working with us
Our 3 Key Goals Are:
- Establish Data Infrastructure: Secure access and configure tracking across GA4, Google Search Console, and Looker Studio to ensure data transparency and accurate attribution.
- Technical Optimization & Audit: Execute a comprehensive audit of schema, tags, and technical SEO to stabilize the site’s foundation for future growth.
- Strategic Brand Alignment: Conduct a high-level kickoff to define content focus and integrate brand guidelines on tone, style, and formatting.
Alt Text: Line graph showing what the performance of a client could look like over the first 6 months of working with NUOPTIMA
Beyond a GEO/AI Search Partner
We go beyond AI search and organic traffic to act as genuine growth partners. By aligning with your core business model, we focus on maximizing revenue and operational efficiency rather than just tracking metrics. Our goal is to drive your bottom line while helping your business run more smoothly.
- Revenue-First Strategy: Focusing on high-intent traffic that converts into sales, not just vanity metrics.
- Operational Alignment: Tailoring our growth tactics to fit your specific business model and workflows.
- Business Resilience: Building long-term authority to protect your revenue against market shifts and algorithm updates.
Full-Funnel Partnership: Supporting your business as a dedicated extension of your team, focused on total growth.