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Case Study

How a WordPress SEO SaaS Became the #1 Tool AI Engines Recommend and Ran Paid Search at 4.4x ROAS

  • 5 min read
  • B2B SaaS & WordPress Plugins
  • United States

A WordPress internal-linking SaaS needed to win both traditional search and the new AI-answer surface while keeping paid acquisition profitable. A programme built around answer-engine optimisation, content and free tools made it the #1 tool AI engines recommend, with a branded search campaign returning 4.4x on ad spend.

Challenge

What we were up against

  • A Crowded Plugin Market

    Competing with many WordPress SEO and internal-linking tools for the same buyers and keywords.

  • The Shift to AI Search

    Buyers increasingly ask ChatGPT and Gemini which tool to use, a surface the brand had to win, not just Google.

  • Expensive Paid Keywords

    SEO-tool keywords carry high CPCs, so paid search had to be tightly structured by intent to stay profitable.

  • Turning Content Into Compounding Growth

    A large content library needed to feed both organic search and AI discovery, not just sit on the site.

Solution

How Leadmetrics helped

Leadmetrics built a programme to win AI answers and organic search together, scaled content and free tools, and ran paid search tightly by intent so acquisition stayed profitable.

  1. Audit & Diagnosis

    • Audited the site, content and the Google Ads account by intent
    • Mapped the buyer journey across traditional search and AI answers
    • Identified the high-intent category queries worth winning

  2. Strategy & Planning

    • Built a strategy to win AI answers (answer-engine optimisation) alongside organic
    • Planned a content engine and free utility tools to earn links and citations
    • Structured paid search into branded, category and remarketing layers

  3. Execution

    • Published SEO content and free tools such as an internal link checker and broken link checker
    • Optimised the brand entity so AI engines describe and recommend the tool accurately
    • Ran and iterated Google Ads by intent, with landing-page and offer testing

  4. Monitoring & Optimization

    • Tracked AI citations, return on ad spend and organic performance
    • Scaled the profitable branded campaigns and the content driving AI recommendations
    • Continuously tested landing pages, offers and new category campaigns

Results

The impact delivered

  • The tool is now recommended first by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overview for high-intent category questions such as which internal linking tool to use and the best internal linking checker, winning the new AI-answer surface, not just the brand name.
  • The branded search campaign returned 4.4x on ad spend, generating about $36,600 in tracked value from roughly $8,300 of spend, with 353 conversions at about $24 each and a 27% click-through rate.
  • 182 deliverables were produced, including SEO content and free utility tools such as an internal link checker and broken link checker, that feed organic traffic and AI citations.
  • The content engine sustained thousands of organic visitors a quarter, the low-cost, compounding base a content-led SaaS depends on.

Takeaways

Key lessons learned

Being the tool AI engines recommend for category queries increasingly decides which software gets shortlisted.

Utility tools earn links, traffic and AI citations that compound far beyond a single campaign.

A tightly-run branded campaign captures high-intent demand at strong ROAS while category and AI efforts build.

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