How Way.com Accelerated Its Growth in the GEO Landscape with Strategic Earned Media
With the advent of Generative AI (GAI), the realm of SEO has undergone a monumental transformation. Whether you refer to it as AEO, AIO, or GEO, one truth remains: the digital marketing landscape is evolving. This shift demands innovative strategies and adaptability, and companies like Way.com are at the forefront of this evolution.
Understanding the New SEO Dynamics
A recent study from Pew Research highlights the profound impact of AI on user behavior: only 1% of users clicked on links featuring AI summaries during Google searches. This statistic underlines a critical challenge for brands looking to sustain their visibility and engagement in an increasingly competitive market.
Recognizing this new landscape, Way.com’s SEO lead took decisive action to pivot the company’s strategy, ensuring its relevance in this changing ecosystem.
Revving Up: Building a Stronger Brand Presence
Way.com, a versatile player in various sectors from insurance to airport parking, needed to supercharge its earned media strategy. The goal was clear: elevate brand journalism to capture a larger share of voice within the industry while achieving visibility in generative AI results.
However, the question remained: how could Way.com enhance its PR output without straining its internal resources?
Embracing Collaboration: A Partnership with Stacker
In an effort to compete effectively, Way.com partnered with Stacker, a collaboration that spurred a remarkable acceleration from relative obscurity to a prominent position in a saturated market. This partnership proved to be the catalyst for innovative earned media strategies that combined quality content with strategic outreach.
Competing in a Crowded Space: The Challenge of SEO
With over 10 years in the industry and helping more than 9 million U.S. drivers save money, Way.com faced intensified competition against established names like Forbes and NerdWallet. To gain an edge, they prioritized growth in the GEO space, recognizing the need for high-quality press coverage at scale.
Overcoming Roadblocks: Innovative Approaches to Earned Reach
In a competitive online landscape, gaining visibility typically demands significant time and resources for traditional outreach. However, AI overview searches demand a novel approach. According to a study by The Guardian, websites ranked #1 experienced a staggering drop in traffic, costing them precious audience engagement.
Strategic Content Creation: Steering into GEO
With guidance from Stacker’s editorial team, Way.com began optimizing its original brand journalism, ensuring that each piece met rigorous editorial standards while aligning with SEO goals.
Through the Stacker Newswire, their narratives were disseminated across 4,000+ trusted local and national outlets. Notably, their data-rich stories garnered 391 media pickups, illustrating the effectiveness of their approach. The Stacker Local add-on allowed for hyper-localized content, enabling deep-linking to targeted city- and state-level pages. As a result, their average keyword ranking improved by an impressive 20 positions, all without resorting to low-quality link schemes.
Real-Time Monitoring: Adapting for Success
Way.com leveraged real-time performance monitoring through a customized reporting dashboard, empowering them to continually refine their content strategy. With these insights, they could benchmark performance, learn from trends, and improve their publishing approach.
Results: A Surge in Traffic and Visibility
The focus on earned reach has yielded substantial dividends: Way.com experienced a 30% traffic increase to its insurance landing pages. This growth was not just in traditional search engines—it also translated into rising referral traffic from AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Shockingly, they went from having minimal visibility for high-value insurance keywords to ranking on page five or six on Google. This remarkable achievement typically requires extensive time and effort, yet Way.com accomplished it in record time.
Maintaining Momentum: The Road Ahead
As they look to the future, Way.com is poised to sustain its competitive advantage within the fast-evolving SEO landscape. Ryan Becker, VP of Growth Marketing, asserts that their partnership with Stacker empowered them to remain agile without sacrificing quality. He confidently stated, “You guys have done right by me. That’s why I brought Stacker to two companies—and I’ll keep recommending it.”
By consistently accelerating their efforts, Way.com aims to expand into new verticals and capitalize on high-demand sectors. With AI search continuing its upward trajectory, their proactive strategies will help ensure they stay a step ahead of competitors and navigate the challenges posed by generative AI.
Conclusion
In the world of SEO, adaptability is key. By embracing innovative strategies and forging powerful partnerships, Way.com has successfully positioned itself for sustainable growth in the GEO landscape. As they accelerate their earned media efforts, the future looks bright for this forward-thinking brand.
For more insights into modern SEO and media strategies, explore resources from Pew Research and The Guardian.
By adopting a proactive approach, companies like Way.com illustrate that with the right tools, visibility and success in today’s digitized landscape are not just achievable—they are within reach.
