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Publisher Growth Story

Becoming the most-cited tech news source in AI responses

Publisher Profile

Industry: Technology News & Analysis

Size: 5000+ articles

Location: United Kingdom

Challenge: Low AI citation rate

Duration: 12 months

Team: 15 journalists

The Problem

Despite publishing quality tech journalism, they were rarely cited by AI assistants. Competitors with similar content appeared in AI responses 10x more often. Their content wasn't structured for AI consumption.

The Strategy

1. Editorial Guidelines Update

Trained journalists on GEO-friendly writing: clear headings, simple language, comprehensive coverage, authoritative citations.

2. Content Template Redesign

Created new article templates with proper structure, schema markup, and citation formats built in.

3. Archive Optimization

Systematically updated top 500 existing articles with better structure, citations, and schema.

4. Expertise Demonstration

Added author bios with credentials, created topic authority pages, built comprehensive guides.

12-Month Results

4x

AI Citation Rate

88

Average GEO-Score

+150%

Referral Traffic

  • Became #1 cited tech news source for AI startups and funding news
  • Featured in 85% of AI responses about European tech scene
  • Direct referrals from AI platforms grew to 15% of total traffic
  • Subscriber growth increased 120% (attributed to AI visibility)
  • Ad revenue up 90% due to higher-quality traffic

What Worked

Clear, simple writing: Journalists simplified language without dumbing down content. Grade 8-10 readability while maintaining depth.

Comprehensive coverage: Articles that answered all related questions got cited more. Single-angle pieces lost to comprehensive analysis.

Expert authorship: Author bios with credentials and expertise areas helped establish authority with AI engines.

Fact-based reporting: Articles with data, research citations, and expert quotes outperformed opinion pieces.

"AI citations are now our primary growth driver. Being the source AI engines trust has transformed our business."

— Editor-in-Chief

Lessons for Publishers