How organic search became Sova’s #1 pipeline channel
Within weeks of launching a combined SEO and AEO strategy, organic search outperformed every other channel for leads, MQLs, and pipeline.
You need to be discoverable, you need to be visible. And you guys are making sure that our name pops up whenever someone is thinking about talent assessment.
Discovered Labs worked with Sova Assessment on a combined SEO and AEO strategy. The first content launched on January 9th, 2026. Within four weeks, organic demo requests increased 167%, MQLs grew 76%, and the channel generated over six figures in pipeline with five-figure closed revenue. Organic search contributed more than 50% of total year-to-date pipeline, making it Sova’s #1 acquisition channel.
Hear directly from Sabina about the impact on Sova’s pipeline and AI visibility.
The problem
Sova had just rebuilt their website and repositioned their messaging around skills-based hiring. The product was strong. The customer base included some of the biggest names in enterprise recruitment. But organic visibility was the missing piece.
They knew they needed SEO. What made the decision harder was that search itself was changing. Buyers were starting to research vendors through AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity, not just Google. Traditional SEO agencies could help with rankings, but Sova needed a partner who understood how AI models discover and recommend software.
The stakes were clear. Competitors who moved early on AI visibility would own the citations. Those who waited would have to fight harder for the same ground later.
We were looking for someone that could help us with both because we recognized the importance of getting into that space early. And because we lacked the expertise in house, we thought we’d go with someone that knew what they were talking about.
Sabina Reghellin, Content Marketing ManagerOur approach
1. Measurement: AI visibility tracking
Before any content was published, Discovered Labs set up AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. For the first time, Sova could see exactly where they appeared in AI responses, where competitors dominated, and which buyer queries they were missing entirely.
This wasn’t guesswork. It was a baseline that every decision after it was built on.
AI share of voice wasn’t something we were tracking before, but with your help we were able to see where we were placing as opposed to our competitors.
Sabina Reghellin, Content Marketing Manager2. CITABLE content: topical authority for search and AI
Discovered Labs built a content strategy around Sova’s core categories: talent assessment, skills-based hiring, psychometric testing, and virtual assessment centers. Each topic pillar was designed to establish Sova as the definitive source, not just for Google, but for the AI models that pull from those same pages when answering buyer questions.
The content followed Discovered Labs’ CITABLE framework, a methodology built specifically for AI retrieval. Every piece was structured with clear entity relationships, answer-first formatting, and block-level organization that AI models can extract and cite.
Original thought leadership positioned Sova’s perspective on hiring practices, backed by data and real-world examples. Internal linking connected these authority-building articles back to Sova’s product and demo pages, creating a path from education to conversion.
The shift showed up fast. Organic traffic that had previously been dominated by candidates researching how to pass Sova’s assessments started to include buyers with genuine purchase intent.
Not only advising us on what you thought was best for us, but more like explaining why we were making certain choices. The expertise and the content you provided has been pretty useful.
Sabina Reghellin, Content Marketing Manager3. Reddit seeding: third-party validation
AI models don’t just trust what a company says about itself. They weigh what others say about it across the web. Our research shows Reddit influences 27% of ChatGPT’s answers, making it one of the highest-trust sources for AI recommendations.
Discovered Labs ran a third-party validation strategy, creating genuine and relevant mentions in the subreddits where Sova’s target buyers were already active. HR leaders, talent acquisition professionals, and people operations teams discussing assessment tools, skills-based hiring, and recruitment technology.
These mentions served two purposes: direct visibility to potential buyers browsing Reddit, and trust signals that reinforced Sova’s authority in AI search results.
The results
The first content launched on January 9th, 2026. Within four weeks, organic demo requests increased 167% and MQLs grew 76%. The channel generated over six figures in pipeline with five-figure closed revenue, contributing more than 50% of Sova’s total year-to-date pipeline. Organic search became the #1 acquisition channel.
Before working with Discovered Labs, most of Sova’s organic traffic came from candidates researching how to pass assessments. That traffic had limited commercial value. After the strategy launched, the composition of organic traffic shifted toward buyer-intent pages where prospects were evaluating solutions, comparing vendors, and moving toward a purchasing decision.
February was one of our highest months. It’s also a short month, so it says a lot about the strategy working.
Sabina Reghellin, Content Marketing Manager167% increase in organic demo requests
Within four weeks of the first content launching on January 9th, organic demo requests more than doubled. These were buyers evaluating talent assessment platforms, not candidates researching how to pass tests.
Over six figures in organic pipeline
The organic channel generated over six figures in pipeline within the first four weeks, with five-figure closed revenue. For a B2B platform with enterprise contract values, each qualified lead represents significant revenue.
76% increase in organic MQLs
Marketing qualified leads from organic grew 76% in the same four-week window. February 2026 became Sova’s best month for organic MQLs since they started tracking.
50%+ of total YTD pipeline from organic
Organic search contributed more than half of Sova’s total year-to-date pipeline, outperforming paid and outbound combined. It became the #1 acquisition channel.
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