SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of improving a website, so it appears more prominently in search results. It focuses on making a site technically sound, easy to navigate, rich with helpful content, and trusted by search engines. At its core, SEO ensures search engines understand what a business offers and why that business deserves to be shown to potential customers raising their hands online, especially as search becomes more conversational and AI-driven.
Strong local SEO ensures that when someone nearby searches for “coffee shop near me” or “best HVAC in Grand Rapids,” that business has a strong chance of showing up at the top of the search engine results page, or SERP. Optimizing Google Business Profiles, earning local reviews, building citations, and creating location‑specific content all help a business stand out among its peer competition. The result is more foot traffic, more calls, and more customers who are already looking for exactly what that business provides.
SEO has become the essential control lever in an AI‑driven search landscape, where zero‑click results and algorithmic interpretation increasingly dictate visibility. As search engines rely more on AI to infer intent and filter low‑value or generic content, only brands with technically sound, trustworthy, and human‑authored SEO foundations can maintain discoverability and authority. In this era of opaque algorithms and shrinking opportunities for traditional clicks, intentional SEO isn’t just optimization. It’s the prerequisite for being recognized, surfaced, and chosen by consumers who are already signaling demand.
The Case for Deploying an Intentional SEO Solution
When R&R Heating & Cooling reached out to MLive, the business was seeking immediate change for their digital marketing efforts. R&R noted that the initial excitement to potentially partner with MLive was to access the broad, massive, first-party data reach of the Michigan consumer, specifically focusing on more affluent areas on the west side of the state. R&R found themselves stagnant in the SEO stage and were seeking a comprehensive rework.
The discussion started off as general brand awareness interest but soon evolved into a greater need. MLive’s SEO team brought early findings back to kickstart the optimization process. What the SEO experts discovered was a necessary revamping of the site and overall SEO program (already running). They found the content on R&R’s site was AI-generated, which is suppressed by search engine algorithms as irrelevant, not brand-specific. With the ease and collaborative communication with R&R, the SEO team was able to make swift changes, and R&R’s organic metrics saw an incredible lift, marking SEO a resounding success even within its infancy.
How SEO Complements the AI Algorithm
Greater visibility and brand trust in the age of AI is possible. SEO can complement the dynamic AI landscape, while delivering measurable performance.
Outcomes
Within 90 days of launching SEO, R&R Heating & Cooling has seen an immense and rapid organic growth.
Organic traffic percentage saw an increase of 38.19% year-over-year for total users. The organic channel key event completions totaled 42.52% of total key events, which led to a 19.58% increase year-over-year. Organic pageviews were up a staggering 74.26% year-over-year. Our SEO deployment lifted the engaged sessions to 72.41% growth year-over-year. And finally, the “contact us” page saw a 443.37% year-over-year increase against 2024.
From a Google Profile perspective, R&R’s Google Profile Search Impressions increased by 5.87% year-over-year. Google Profile Clicks up-ticked by a total of 12.27% year-over-year and within those clicks, 15.75% year-over-year increase for direction clicks, 3.19% year-over-year increase for website clicks, and 20.61% year-over-year increase for phone call clicks
38.19%
growth in organic
19.58%
growth in organic key event completions
74.26%
growth in organic page views
72.41%
growth in engaged sessions
443.37%
growth in contact us page engagement
5.87%
increase in Google Profile Search Impressions
12.27%
growth in overall Google Profile Clicks
I appreciate the ease that [the MLive team is] to work with. It made this transition between companies so much easier.” – Cory Dunn, Brand Manager, R&R Heating & Cooling
SEO is no longer an optional add-on to optimize a business’ digital footprint. It is the critical backbone to showing up when consumers are raising their hands for the product or service offered; it is a necessary component to aid in the transforming online world of AI. With advanced expertise in deploying SEO, R&R Heating & Cooling has seen heightened engagement rates, an uptick in measurable performance month after month, and the business is able to connect meaningfully with the right consumer at the right time in their consumer journey. For savvy marketers seeking to maximize impact through intentional and incremental optimizations, SEO is a necessary strategic investment to complement their overall marketing mix in the age of AI.
Contributed by Janie Mortell, Digital Strategy Manager
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