How We Built AI Search Visibility for a Custom Handmade Drapery Business

In a market where homeowners increasingly turn to AI-powered search and answer engines to find trusted service providers, being visible in a traditional search results page is no longer enough.  

This case study explores how we helped a custom handmade drapery and window treatment business strengthen its digital presence, not just for Google rankings, but for the AI systems now shaping how people discover and choose home furnishings brands. 

Through a combination of website optimization, E-E-A-T strengthening, structured data, and off-page authority building, we worked to position the business as a credible, citable source within AI-generated answers, while also reinforcing its traditional SEO performance.  

Helping a Custom Drapery Business Build a Stronger Presence Across AI-Powered Search 

Our client is a family-owned custom handmade drapery and window treatment company serving homeowners across the United States and Canada.  

As search behavior shifted toward AI-powered tools and answer engines, the business needed a strategy that covered both channels. The campaign combined AI search and traditional SEO objectives, aiming to grow the business’s visibility not only in classic organic rankings but in AI-generated answers and recommendations, an increasingly important discovery channel for high-consideration, expertise-driven purchases like custom drapery.  

The Challenge: Building Visibility Beyond Traditional Google Search Rankings 

Before this campaign, the business’s digital presence was built mainly around its own website and organic search performance. The site described the company’s craftsmanship and service well, but had limited visibility in AI-powered tools and answer engines, platforms that rely on structured, well-cited, authoritative information to decide which businesses to mention. Pre-campaign organic visibility was 0, with keyword rankings at 12 and minimal presence in AI-generated results. 

The business also needed stronger expertise and trust signals, and a digital footprint beyond its own site. Without consistent citations, third-party references, and structured data, search engines and AI models had less information to confirm who the business was, what it offered, and why it was credible.  

This created the opportunity: make the business easier for search engines and AI systems to interpret, verify, and recommend. 

Identifying the Opportunity to Improve AI Visibility, AEO, and GEO 

As more homeowners turn to AI-powered tools and answer engines to research and shortlist service providers, these platforms are becoming an additional discovery channel alongside traditional search. Being mentioned and cited directly in AI-generated answers carries real weight: it means the business is being recognized as a trusted source, not just a website competing for clicks. 

Meeting that opportunity meant strengthening the signals AI systems use to evaluate a business: 

• Entity understanding — a clear, consistent picture of who the business is 

• Topical relevance — depth of content around its core services 

• E-E-A-T signals — demonstrated expertise, experience, authority, and trust 

• Third-party authority — external validation beyond the business’s own website 

• Structured website information — machine-readable data search engines and AI tools can parse 

• Local business signals — consistent, verifiable location and service-area data

Our Integrated SEO and AI Search Strategy for Building Digital Authority 

No single tactic builds AI visibility on its own. Improving how a business is understood, cited, and recommended by AI systems requires layering on-page work with off-page authority building, so each activity reinforces the others rather than operating in isolation. The strategy for this campaign combined: 

• Website restructuring and content improvements 

• E-E-A-T optimization 

• Schema markup 

• Citation building 

• Digital PR 

• Guest posting 

• Reddit link building 

• Content syndication 

• In-content backlink acquisition 

• AEO/GEO-focused optimization 

Together, these activities were designed to build both the first-party foundation (a website that clearly communicates expertise and structure) and the third-party authority (external references and citations) that AI-powered search relies on to determine which businesses to trust and mention. 

Rebuilding the Website to Create a Stronger Foundation for Search and AI Discovery 

The website was the starting point for the campaign, since both search engines and AI systems draw first-party information directly from it. Strengthening the site’s structure and content gave later off-page work a stronger foundation to build on. 

Restructuring Key Pages Around Services, Expertise, and Customer Intent 

Key pages were reorganized around the business’s core services and the questions homeowners actually search for, making the site easier to navigate and easier for search systems to categorize. 

Expanding Service Information to Strengthen Topical Relevance 

Service pages were expanded with more detailed information, adding roughly 1,000 words of new content per page to build topical depth around drapery and window treatment services. 

Creating Clearer Connections Between the Business, Its Services, and Its Expertise 

Internal linking and content structure were adjusted to more clearly connect the business’s services to the expertise behind them. 

Improving the Website as a Source of Information for AI-Powered Search 

Content was structured to be more directly usable by AI systems, which favor clear, well-organized information over dense or promotional copy. This included clearer headers, more concise descriptions, and new sections covering FAQs, service details, and expertise-related content. 

Rewriting Titles and Meta Descriptions to Clarify What Each Page Offers 

Title tags and meta descriptions were rewritten for 18 pages, from the homepage and services page to the FAQ, contact, and consultation pages. Where pages previously had no meta description at all, each now states what the page covers and where the business operates.  

The services page, for example, became “Custom Curtains & Window Drapery Services in Toronto,” giving search engines and AI systems a concise, consistent summary to draw on.  

Strengthening E-E-A-T by Showcasing the People and Expertise Behind the Business 

AI systems weigh expertise and trust signals heavily when deciding which businesses to cite. This phase focused on making the people and experience behind the business more visible on the website. 

Expanding the About Us Page to Establish First-Hand Experience 

The About Us page was rebuilt to reflect the business’s standing as a long-established, hands-on operation, built on more than 30 years of experience designing and crafting custom drapery and window treatments. Rather than a short company blurb, the page now tells a more complete story of the business’s background and specialization. 

Highlighting the Experience and Roles of the Business Owners and Team 

The page was updated to describe the founder and the design team and their specific responsibilities, giving both readers and AI systems a clearer picture of who is behind the work. 

Connecting Real-World Drapery Expertise with the Services Offered 

Content changes tied the team’s hands-on background directly to the services listed on the site, reinforcing that the expertise described is applied expertise, not just marketing language.  

Using First-Party Expertise to Strengthen Trust and Entity Signals 

Thirty-plus years of documented, first-hand experience gives search engines and AI systems a clear, verifiable signal that the business is a legitimate authority on custom drapery, rather than a generic content site targeting the keyword.  

Implementing Schema Markup to Help Search Engines Better Understand the Business and Its Content 

Schema markup gives search engines and AI systems structured, machine-readable information about a business, reducing ambiguity in how it’s interpreted. 

Structuring Business and Organization Information 

Markup was added to clearly define the business’s name, location, service area, and category in a format search engines and AI systems can parse directly, rather than infer from page copy.

  

Marking Up Relevant Services and Website Content 

Service and content pages were marked up to make individual offerings machine-readable, helping AI systems match specific services to specific search queries.  

Strengthening Connections Between the Business, People, Services, and Website 

Schema markup was used to connect the business entity, its team, and its services within a single structured framework, reducing the ambiguity AI systems would otherwise have to resolve on their own. 

Creating a More Machine-Readable Website Foundation for AI Search 

Together, these structured data updates gave the site a clearer, machine-readable foundation, with a schema validation, supporting how AI systems parse and interpret its content.  

Expanding the Business’s Digital Footprint Through Local Citations 

Consistent business information across external platforms reinforces the accuracy and credibility of a business’s identity, a factor both local search and AI systems rely on. 

Establishing Consistent Business Information Across External Platforms 

150 citations were built or corrected across relevant business directories, ensuring the business’s name, address, and phone information matched consistently across the web. 

Reinforcing Local and Business Entity Signals 

Consistent citation data reinforced the business as a single, verifiable entity across multiple platforms, strengthening the identity signals search engines and AI systems use to confirm legitimacy. 

Supporting the Website’s Local Search and AI Discovery Potential 

These citations added supporting signals that reinforced local search visibility, supporting the business’s presence in local searches and in AI-powered search tools.  

Using Digital PR to Increase Brand Exposure and Third-Party Authority 

Beyond the website itself, the business needed independent voices vouching for it, sources AI systems could cross-reference outside the company’s own domain. Digital PR was used to build exactly that. 

Creating Additional External References to the Business 

PR placements were secured, creating independent, third-party references to the business beyond its own website and directory listings. The press release was distributed to outlets including Business Insider, AP News, StreetInsider and Barchart.  

Expanding the Business’s Presence Beyond Its Own Website 

Each placement added to a growing set of external mentions, helping establish the business’s presence across the wider web rather than confining it to owned properties. 

Supporting Brand and Entity Recognition Across the Web 

PR coverage reinforced brand recognition and gave AI systems additional independent sources to cross-reference when confirming who the business is and what it does.  

Building Topical Authority Through Relevant Guest Posts and Contextual Backlinks 

Citations and PR established that the business exists and is legitimate. Guest posts and contextual backlinks went a step further, reinforcing that it’s specifically an authority on drapery and window treatments. 

Publishing Content on Relevant Third-Party Websites 

Seven (7) guest posts were published on websites relevant to home furnishings, interior design, and related topics, extending the business’s content presence beyond its own site. 

Acquiring In-Content Backlinks Within Relevant Contexts 

In-content backlinks were acquired within relevant articles, placing references to the business in context rather than as isolated directory-style links.

  

Expanding the Number of External Sources Referencing the Business 

Each guest post and backlink added another external source referencing the business by name, expanding the pool of information available to both search engines and AI systems. 

Supporting Topical and Authority Signals Relevant to AI Search 

Because the placements were topically relevant, they reinforced the business’s authority specifically within the drapery and window treatment space, rather than generic backlink volume alone. 

Using Reddit and Content Syndication to Diversify the Business’s Online Presence 

AI systems increasingly draw on discussion platforms and syndicated content, not just brand websites and press coverage. Reddit and syndication rounded out the business’s footprint on that front. 

Adding Third-Party Discussion and Reference Signals Through Reddit 

5 Reddit links/mentions were added (3 links and 2 brand mentions), including live threads in r/Interior Design and r/Vaughan, introducing organic-style discussion and reference signals from a platform increasingly cited by AI answer engines. 

Extending Relevant Content to Additional Online Properties Through Syndication 

A blog post content was syndicated, extending the reach of existing content to additional online properties beyond the business’s own site.  

Creating a More Diverse Digital Footprint Across Multiple Platforms 

Between Reddit mentions and syndicated content, the business’s digital footprint became more diverse, appearing across platform types that AI systems commonly draw on, not just its own website.  

Connecting On-Page Optimization With Off-Page Authority to Support AI Visibility 

No single part of this campaign worked in isolation. Website improvements established the foundation. E-E-A-T content demonstrated expertise. Schema markup improved machine-readable information. Citations reinforced business identity. Guest posts and backlinks strengthened authority. PR expanded third-party visibility. Reddit and syndication diversified external references. 

Together, these activities created a more comprehensive digital presence, one that gives both traditional search engines and AI systems more reliable signals to draw on when determining whether, and how, to reference the business.  

Measuring the Campaign’s Impact with Semrush AI Tracker 

With the strategy in place, Semrush AI Tracker was used to measure how, and whether, the business was beginning to surface in AI-powered search. 

Current AI Visibility Score and AI Search Performance 

According to Semrush AI Tracker, the business currently holds an AI Visibility score of 14 and has recorded 1 AI Mention. 

Where the Business Appeared Across AI-Powered Search Experiences 

The AI Mention was recorded within Google’s AI Mode, Google’s AI-powered answer experience. AI Mode is the first platform where the brand has registered, giving the campaign a foothold to extend into ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Gemini. 

 

Tracking AI Mentions, Citations, and Visibility Over Time 

AI visibility is cumulative, and the score of 14 reflects the layered signals described above: a restructured website, schema markup and an llms.txt file, consistent citations, press coverage, guest posts, Reddit mentions, and syndication. Continued tracking in Semrush AI Tracker will show how mentions and cited pages grow as these signals compound. 

 

Supporting AI Visibility with Traditional SEO Performance Improvements 

AI visibility didn’t develop in isolation, it moved alongside measurable gains in traditional organic performance. 

Changes in Clicks, and Impressions 

Google Search Console clicks increased by 14.29% (224 vs. 196), while impressions increased by 67.02% (4.47K vs. 2.67K) over a six-month period, compared with the six months before. 

 

Growth in Referring Domains and Backlinks 

Referring domains grew from 75 to 79, with total backlinks increasing by 5.33% 

Improvements in Local Search Visibility 

Local-intent searches began earning clicks for the business in the last 28 days. “Custom drapery Toronto,” “custom curtains Toronto,” and “drapery Vaughan” each recorded a click, up from zero in the previous 28 days, while “drapery store near me” held steady. The services page, retitled “Custom Curtains & Window Drapery Services in Toronto,” rose from 0 to 3 clicks. 

 

From Website Optimization to AI Visibility: What Changed 

Pulling the campaign together into a single before-and-after narrative shows how each piece connected to the next. 

Before: A Website with an Opportunity to Strengthen Its Digital Authority 

Before this campaign, the business had limited AI search visibility and a digital footprint largely confined to its own website. 

Strategy: Combining Website, E-E-A-T, Technical SEO, and Off-Page Optimization 

The strategy combined website restructuring, E-E-A-T development, schema markup, citation building, digital PR, guest posting, Reddit link building, and content syndication into a single integrated plan aimed at both traditional rankings and AI-powered search visibility. 

Implementation: Building First-Party and Third-Party Signals Across the Web 

Work was carried out across the website itself (first-party signals) and across external platforms, directories, PR outlets, guest post sites, Reddit, and syndication networks (third-party signals), so the business’s identity and expertise were reinforced consistently in multiple places. 

Result: Establishing Measurable Visibility in AI-Powered Search 

The campaign made Drapery by Anna Maria visible in AI-powered search. Semrush AI Tracker records an AI Visibility score of 14 and an AI Mention in Google’s AI Mode, alongside a 14.29% increase in clicks and a 67.02% increase in impressions in Google Search over six months. 

 

Key Takeaways From Building AI Search Visibility for a Custom Drapery Business 

Building AI search visibility isn’t a single tactic, it’s the result of several signals working together over time: 

• AI visibility requires more than traditional keyword optimization 

• Strong first-party expertise helps establish business context 

• Structured data supports machine-readable information 

• Third-party authority expands the business’s digital footprint 

• Local and off-page signals can complement on-site optimization 

• AI Tracker data makes visibility measurable, from the first AI mention onward 

For businesses competing in high-consideration categories like custom drapery, this integrated approach is what turns a well-built website into a source AI systems actually trust enough to cite.