Case study · Industrial engineering

How C-P Systems grew organic traffic nearly 6x

A 30-year referral business made search a source of net-new clients. Organic traffic rose 5.7x, ranking keywords went from 8 to 865, and AI engines now name the firm in 61% of unbranded category answers.

  • 5.7x

    Organic search traffic

    284 → 1,630 visits / month

    Source: Google Analytics

  • +857

    Ranking keywords

    8 → 865

    Source: Semrush

  • +61 pts

    AI visibility, unbranded prompts

    0% → 61%

    Source: Parsnipp

  • +23

    Top-3 Google rankings

    0 → 23

    Source: Semrush

Key takeaways

  • Parsnipp ran SEO, GEO and paid media for C-P Systems from February 2025 to September 2026.
  • Organic search visits grew from 284 to 1,630 a month, and ranking keywords from 8 to 865.
  • AI engines went from naming C-P Systems in 0 of 25 unbranded answers to 61% visibility.
  • Qualified leads rose 67% from Q2 to Q3 2026.

01 · The business

A referral business meets AI search

For more than 30 years, C-P Systems has delivered process engineering, piping design, relief system design and laser scanning for industrial manufacturers. Most of that work came through word of mouth and long-standing client relationships.

But the engineering managers who hire firms like C-P Systems now start with a search engine or an AI assistant. If the firm doesn’t show up when they ask who does process engineering for chemical manufacturers, the project goes to a competitor that does. So in February 2025, C-P Systems brought in Parsnipp’s Digital Services team to make search a source of net-new business.

02 · The audit

The starting point

In January 2025, C-P Systems’ site drew about 284 organic search visits a month and ranked for just 8 keywords, none in Google’s top three. Parsnipp’s AI Visibility Report, first run in August 2026, added the AI visibility picture: engines answered every question about the firm by name but rarely brought it up on their own.

AI engines named C-P Systems in 0 of 25 unbranded category answers, the questions buyers ask before they know who to call.

Before and after
MetricBeforeAfterSource
Organic visits / month2841,630Google Analytics
Ranking keywords8865Semrush
Top-3 Google rankings023Semrush
AI visibility, unbranded prompts0%61%Parsnipp

03 · Implementation

Working like an in-house team

Parsnipp has run C-P Systems’ organic search since February 2025 and took over paid media and generative engine optimization (GEO) when the previous agency stepped away in early Q2 2026. We work alongside Kassandra West, Director of Marketing & Communications, who leads the firm’s in-house content and web work. The focus has shifted from brand awareness to sales-qualified leads.

  • Built an engineering glossary, adding 207 pages in Q3 2026 alone, to capture technical search and AI questions
  • Fixed 29 technical SEO errors and disavowed toxic backlinks
  • Completed Parsnipp GEO recommendations for citability, breadcrumbs and content freshness
  • Refocused Google Ads on intent and launched Meta and Reddit retargeting

04 · Results

Groundwork in 2025, growth in 2026

Organic search traffic held steady through 2025, then climbed through 2026 in C-P Systems’ own Google Analytics. Qualified leads rose 67% from Q2 to Q3 2026. Search is even reaching new people at existing customers: a VP who wasn’t familiar with the firm found it through a Bing search.

For more than 30 years, our work came from word of mouth. Now we're gaining new clients as a direct result of our organic search efforts.

Kassandra WestDirector of Marketing & Communications, C-P Systems

05 · LLM ads

Testing ChatGPT ads

C-P Systems was one of the first brands to test ChatGPT ads through Parsnipp, running the same ad with and without Parsnipp’s prompt targeting at $100 per side. Its first test, in August 2026, was a clear win, and later rounds were closer. Across all of Parsnipp’s tests since, our targeting has earned about 25% more clicks per dollar.

  • 7.2x

    Clicks vs. a conventional ad, first test

    30 → 215 clicks per $100

    Source: C-P Systems

  • +25%

    Clicks per dollar with Parsnipp targeting

    All test brands, Oct 2026

    Source: Parsnipp benchmark

  • 918

    ChatGPT ad clicks since Aug 2026

    43,043 views across 8 test campaigns

    Source: C-P Systems

Before Parsnipp, people searching for a firm like C-P Systems might struggle to find us. Now they can, and the efficiency gains have allowed us to do more with our marketing budget.

Jeff Baltz Jeff BaltzVice President, Principal Chemical Engineer, PE, C-P Systems

06 · The road ahead

Building on the momentum

C-P Systems now ranks for 865 keywords, with 23 in Google’s top three, and AI engines name it in every brand and competitor question Parsnipp tracks. The biggest opportunity left is unbranded AI search, where the firm is still missing from 18 of 46 category answers.

Next steps

  • SEO topic clusters, using Parsnipp to close GEO content gaps
  • The heavier-lift Parsnipp GEO recommendations
  • Content syndication as the main lead source, with retargeting to nurture
  • Early LLM ad tests on ChatGPT, expanding as Parsnipp's ads platform grows

FAQs

Questions about the C-P Systems results

How long did it take C-P Systems to see results?

Organic traffic held flat through 2025 while technical fixes and new content went in. Growth started in early 2026, about a year in, and reached 5.7x the starting point by September 2026.

What is AI visibility on unbranded prompts?

It’s how often AI engines name your brand when a buyer asks a category question without mentioning you, like “who does process engineering for chemical manufacturers?” It shows whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok and Muse recommend you before a buyer knows your name.

Does GEO work for B2B companies?

Yes, when buyers research with search engines and AI assistants before they reach out. C-P Systems, a process engineering firm, went from 0% to 61% AI visibility on unbranded category prompts and now wins clients who find it on their own.

How were C-P Systems' results measured?

Organic traffic comes from C-P Systems’ own Google Analytics, keyword rankings from Semrush, and AI visibility from Parsnipp’s AI Visibility Report. All three sources show the same direction.

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