From Invisible to #1 AI Recommendation — Crypto Trading Platform (90 Days)

How we used AI-optimized SEO to dominate AI Search for a crypto prop trading firm in just three months.

referring-domains-organic-traffic-growth
  • AI positions
    TOP-1
    across 5 LLMs
  • AI Reach
    70K
    discovery & commercial queries
  • Days
    90
    from low visibility to AI leadership
Placeholder
NDA
  • Industry
    Crypto Prop Trading
  • Challenge
    Invisible to AI search
  • Timeline
    90 days
  • Services
    LLM Visibility

About Client

The client is an international crypto prop trading company operating in a highly competitive and semi‑regulated (grey‑niche) market. The brand faced strong competition from established prop firms with aggressive PR, SEO, and community strategies, while also dealing with trust and reputation challenges common for the crypto trading industry.

The main business objective was to dominate AI‑driven search (LLMs & Google AI Overviews) for commercial and discovery queries, while maintaining steady organic traffic growth and authority signals.

  • 01
    Become visible where AI decides
    Achieve consistent TOP positions in Google AI Overviews and leading LLMs — including ChatGPT, ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews — for high-intent discovery and commercial queries.
  • 02
    Grow non-branded demand in Tier‑1 markets
    Increase non‑branded organic traffic from core markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where competition and user scrutiny are highest.
  • 03
    Establish educational and topical authority
    Build a comprehensive knowledge base around crypto prop trading that AI systems could confidently reference, summarize, and cite as an authoritative source.
  • 04
    Strengthen domain trust signals
    Increase the number and quality of referring domains to reinforce long-term credibility and support both search and AI-driven visibility.

Starting Point: What the Audit Showed

Before any work began, we ran a full AI Visibility Audit across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude using real user queries like «best crypto prop trading firms,» «top funded trader programs,» and «best prop firm challenge.»

The findings:

  • The client had low visibility across AI-generated answers, while established competitors appeared consistently in top positions across every LLM
  • The brand lacked educational and topical authority — almost zero content that LLMs could reference as a credible source
  • Minimal PR placements on authoritative media — the kind of sources LLMs rely on for recommendations
  • Weak domain trust signals compared to competitors with aggressive PR, SEO, and community strategies

The data made the problem concrete: the brand was losing deals not because of product quality, but because AI systems simply didn’t know it existed. We shared these insights with the client in a structured report with comparison tables, AI response screenshots, and a competitive positioning map.

Strategy

We implemented a full-cycle AI visibility strategy — combining classic SEO with AI-first tactics, executed in monthly sprints with clear performance checkpoints.

  • Community authority groundwork (Reddit & Quora);
  • AI-optimized educational content clusters;
  • Discovery & commercial keyword domination;
  • LLM-focused PR and listicle placements;
  • High-quality link building to key pages;
  • AI citation monitoring and SERP validation.

Month 1: Breaking Into AI Answers

Focus: Close the educational authority gap. Launch AI-optimized content. Initial PR push.

We prioritized queries where the client was completely absent but competitors ranked consistently — creating content specifically structured for LLM citation.

Results:

  • TOP positions for core discovery keywords in Google AI Overviews and LLMs
  • +906 organic visits (including +827 from the US)
  • 23 PR publications on authoritative crypto media
  • +59 referring domains (540+ total)
  • Entered TOP recommendations in ChatGPT for «best crypto prop trading firms»
  • #1 position in Google AI Overviews (US & UK)
month1 1 1
ChatGPT response to «Best crypto prop firm in USA» — client appears in the top recommended list with details on profit splits, payout speed, and supported crypto pairs
month1 2 1
Google AI Overview for «Best crypto prop firms in UK» — client featured at #1 position with editorial links and comparison articles

Month 2: Scaling AI Authority

Focus: Strengthen TOP-1 positions. Expand keyword coverage. Scale PR and citations.

A follow-up audit measured progress against the original baseline — showing exactly which queries were now covered and where gaps remained.

Results:

  • +8.5% Google organic traffic growth
  • +14% growth in referring domains (616+ total)
  • Consistent TOP-1 positions across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity
  • TOP-1 for: «best crypto prop firms,» «highest payout crypto prop firm,» «crypto prop firm with most trading pairs»
  • The brand became the default AI-recommended option for multiple high-intent queries
month2 1 1
ChatGPT response «Top Crypto Prop Firms for 2026» — client ranked #1 in a detailed comparison showing max funding, profit splits, payout times, and platforms
Google AI Mode results for "best crypto prop firms"
Google AI Mode results for «best crypto prop firms» — AI-generated summary featuring the client alongside article cards from multiple sources

Month 3: Defending Rankings During Volatility

Focus: Maintain positions during Google Core Update. Strengthen long-term AI visibility.

The Google December 2025 Core Update hit the industry hard. Many competitors lost rankings. Because the strategy was built on genuine authority signals — not shortcuts — the client’s positions held.

Results:

  • TOP positions for 15+ commercial keywords — stable
  • +34% increase in referring domains (725+ total)
  • Stable organic growth across Google & Bing
  • TOP-1 AI recommendations maintained for most discovery queries
  • Dominant presence across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity simultaneously
Google Analytics dashboard (Oct 22, 2025 → Jan 19, 2026): 342,907 total users, 96.76% engagement rate, traffic sources breakdown including Google organic, Bing organic, paid ads, and referrals
Google Analytics dashboard (Oct 22, 2025 → Jan 19, 2026): 342,907 total users, 96.76% engagement rate, traffic sources breakdown including Google organic, Bing organic, paid ads, and referrals
AI Visibility dashboard: score tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, AI Mode, and Gemini (Sep → Dec 2025). Metrics: 68.1K monthly audience, 23 AI mentions, 14 cited pages
AI Visibility dashboard: score tracking across ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, AI Mode, and Gemini (Sep → Dec 2025). Metrics: 68.1K monthly audience, 23 AI mentions, 14 cited pages

Summary

In 90 days, the brand went from being invisible in AI answers to the #1 recommended option across five LLMs. The results compounded because each month’s authority signals amplified the next — PR citations fed LLM recommendations, educational content strengthened domain trust, and consistent monitoring allowed us to adjust in real time.

Why it matters today: Being cited by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity simultaneously means your brand becomes the default answer across every way people search. In competitive niches like crypto prop trading, the brands that AI recommends first are the ones that capture the deal — and the ones that don’t show up simply don’t exist for a growing share of users.

This case demonstrates that AI visibility is not a one-time optimization. It’s a system: content, PR, link building, and monitoring working together to create a compounding effect that gets harder for competitors to reverse over time.

Key Results

  • TOP-1
    AI positions
    #1 recommendation in AI Search
  • 15+
    Keywords
    AI-driven discovery and commercial queries covered
  • 90 days
    From zero to AI leadership
    Low visibility to dominant AI presence in one quarter
  • Bring me
    same result
    ai agents

CONCLUSION

In 90 days, a brand invisible to every major AI assistant became the #1 recommended option across ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews — for 15+ high-intent queries in one of crypto’s most competitive niches.

Vladyslav Nykytenkov

CEO @ Bulls Agency

Thanks to STIVE's efforts, the client saw an 80% increase in organic traffic, a 5.74x ROAS, and top 1-2 positions in LLM-generated answers for key industry queries. The team was well-organized, responsive, and proactive. Moreover, STIVE's expertise in GEO and LLM visibility was impressive.
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