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RankAbove Case Study Summary: Thirty days after selected RankAbove recommendations were implemented, all five score averages increased across ten Fulcrum Digital webpages, and every page improved overall. RankAbove reported 113 AI-referred sessions during September 7–October 6, 2026, approximately 92% above the estimated monthly average for the preceding 11 months. The underlying referral-session counts were cross-checked against Google Analytics 4. Google Search Console separately documented Google search visibility following the updates.
Score results
Overall
+4.6 points
83.1 → 87.7 / 100
SEO
+0.4 points
84.7 → 85.1 / 100
GEO
+0.2 points
95.0 → 95.2 / 100
AEO
+14.7 points
69.3 → 84.0 / 100
A11Y
+0.5%
Increase
Accessibility
AEO recorded the largest improvement, gaining 14.7 points. RankAbove scores use a 100-point scale; points measure the difference between baseline and review scores. The categories cover search engine optimization (SEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), generative engine optimization (GEO), and accessibility, alongside an overall score.
| Average score | September 3 baseline | October 6 review | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 83.1 | 87.7 | +4.6 points |
| SEO | 84.7 | 85.1 | +0.4 points |
| AEO | 69.3 | 84.0 | +14.7 points |
| GEO | 95.0 | 95.2 | +0.2 points |
Source: RankAbove assessments of the same 10 pages; averages rounded to one decimal place.
The average accessibility score improved approximately 0.5%. All 10 pages improved overall, with About gaining the most at 6.6 points. Nine pages gained at least 12 AEO points each.
What changed
Gabriel, Fulcrum Digital’s Web Experience Specialist, implemented selected schema fixes, technical adjustments, heading hierarchy changes, and keyword updates that fit the company’s brand and voice.
Baseline scans were taken September 3, 2026, changes were implemented September 6, and the review report was generated October 6, 30 days later. Fulcrum Digital’s marketing manager confirmed that the only changes made to the ten webpages during the study period were based on RankAbove recommendations. Other factors may also have contributed to the observed increases.
AI referral results
RankAbove reported 113 AI-referred sessions during September 7–October 6, 2026, approximately 92% above the estimated monthly average for the preceding 11 months. The session counts underlying the report were cross-checked against Fulcrum Digital’s Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data. These figures cover the entire website; the optimization program covered ten webpages.
AI referrals represented 0.81% of site traffic, versus 0.56% across the annual comparison window, approximately 45% higher in relative terms.
| Referral source | Sessions |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 100 |
| Brave | 11 |
| Gemini | 1 |
| Perplexity | 1 |
| Total | 113 |
Source: RankAbove reporting, cross-checked against Fulcrum Digital’s GA4 session-source data. Reporting period: September 7–October 6, 2026. Annual comparison window: October 7, 2025–October 6, 2026. Figures cover the website.
Google Search Console Follow-Up
Google Search Console separately documented search clicks, impressions, and appearances in Google’s generative AI features following the updates. During September 3–30, 2026, the RYZE and Enterprise Solutions pages recorded the following results:
| Page | Generative AI impressions | Search impressions | Search clicks |
|---|---|---|---|
| RYZE | 426 | 1,086 | 3 |
| Enterprise Solutions | 1,073 | 2,903 | 2 |
Both pages reached their September daily generative AI-impression peaks on September 23. Their first recorded Search clicks followed on September 28.
Impressions measure appearances in search results, rather than website visits. Google’s generative AI impressions are included within Search reporting and should not be added to the Search impression totals. These measurements are separate from the AI referral sessions reported above.
Source: Fulcrum Digital’s Google Search Console, filtered to each exact page URL. Reporting period: September 3–30, 2026. GSC records these search measurements; it does not verify RankAbove optimization scores or establish what caused the increases.
Practitioner perspective
“For the case study, I implemented a select set of recommendations that fit our brand and voice. These were mainly schema fixes, technical adjustments and hierarchical heading tags and keyword updates across the core pages.”
— Gabriel Vaz Freier
Web Experience Specialist, Fulcrum Digital
Next steps
Further work can address structured data, content gaps, unnamed icon links, and text contrast, while tracking engagement and conversions from AI referrals.
Explore RankAbove to establish your website’s SEO, AEO, and GEO baseline and review prioritized recommendations.
Measurement notes
Fulcrum Digital is RankAbove’s parent company. The score assessments cover the same ten webpages; AI-referral figures cover the entire website.
Measurement sources: Referral-session counts and website-session totals were cross-checked against Fulcrum Digital’s Google Analytics 4 data. Search clicks, Search impressions, and Google generative AI impressions were recorded in Google Search Console. Optimization scores and recommendations were produced by RankAbove.
The 92% comparison uses (760 − 113) ÷ 11 = approximately 58.8 sessions as an estimated prior monthly benchmark. The 113-session reporting window is September 7–October 6, 2026; the 760-session annual window is October 7, 2025–October 6, 2026. This is not a month-over-month comparison. Traffic-share figures are rounded.
Category averages can mask individual declines. Across these ten pages, two SEO scores declined by three points and one accessibility score declined by three points. RankAbove scores use a 100-point scale; GA4 and GSC do not validate those scores.
This is a before-and-after case study. The findings document results observed after selected recommendations were implemented; they do not establish causation or guarantee the same results for other websites.
About the Author
Don Pingaro is the co-creator of RankAbove. He works on the platform’s research, development, and go-to-market strategy, with a focus on helping marketing teams understand SEO and AI search visibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Case Study FAQ
What changed during this 30-day RankAbove case study?
Selected schema fixes, technical adjustments, heading hierarchy changes, and keyword updates were implemented on 10 Fulcrum Digital webpages. Baseline scans were taken September 3, 2026. Changes were implemented September 6, and the review report was generated October 6, 30 days later. No other changes were made to the reviewed pages during that period.
What are the results of this 30-day RankAbove case study?
Fulcrum Digital saw its best month of the year for AI-referred sessions, up ~92% over the estimated monthly average for the past 11 months. Average scores in all categories RankAbove.ai tracks increased: +4.6 points overall, +0.4 points for SEO, +14.7 points for AEO, and +0.2 points for GEO on a 100-point scale. Accessibility improved approximately 0.5% in relative terms. All 10 pages improved overall.
What does “92% more AI referrals” mean?
RankAbove reported 113 AI-referred sessions during September 7–October 6, 2026. That was approximately 92% above an estimated prior monthly average of 58.8 sessions, calculated as (760 − 113) ÷ 11 from the annual reporting total. The underlying session counts were cross-checked against Fulcrum Digital’s GA4 data. This is a website-wide comparison against an estimated preceding monthly average, not a month-over-month increase or traffic limited to the ten optimized pages.
Which sources generated the AI-referred sessions?
The past-month Observatory view recorded 100 sessions from ChatGPT, 11 from Brave, one from Gemini, and one from Perplexity, for a total of 113. These figures cover the website and count sessions, rather than unique visitors.
Were other changes made that could have caused this?
No. The only changes made to these pages were based on recommendations from RankAbove which Gabriel (the user) thought would have the most impact. Then he edited the recommended changes to fit Fulcrum Digital’s brand and voice before implementation.