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Client: Riseworks (https://www.riseworks.io)
Industry: FinTech - Crypto Payroll & International Payments
Period: February 2025 - February 2026 (12 months)
SEO & AI Search Consultant: Austin Heaton
Executive Summary
Over a transformative 12-month period, Austin Heaton orchestrated and executed a comprehensive SEO and AI search optimization strategy that catapulted Riseworks from an emerging fintech platform to a commanding presence in the global crypto payroll market.
The results are extraordinary: organic traffic surged by 288.59%, AI search sessions exploded by 575.85%, and Riseworks now dominates search visibility across 100+ countries. Through strategic keyword targeting, technical excellence, and pioneering AI search optimization, Austin delivered sustainable, compound growth that fundamentally transformed Riseworks' customer acquisition engine.
This is the story of how strategic SEO leadership drives business transformation.
The Starting Point: February 2025
When Austin Heaton began consulting for Riseworks in February 2025, the platform faced significant challenges in a brutally competitive fintech landscape:
- Limited organic visibility - Fighting for position in high-value crypto payroll searches
- Zero AI search presence - Missing entirely from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini recommendations
- Geographic constraints - Traffic heavily concentrated in just 2-3 markets
- Weak content authority - Competitors owned the informational and commercial search landscape
- Technical debt - Site architecture preventing scalable growth
- Minimal brand recognition - Unknown outside immediate customer base
The challenge was clear: build a sustainable organic growth engine that could scale internationally while pioneering visibility in emerging AI search channels.
Austin Heaton's Strategic Framework
Austin developed a comprehensive, multi-layered strategy built on four core pillars:
1. Technical Foundation: Building for Scale
Austin conducted exhaustive technical audits identifying critical infrastructure gaps. He systematically rebuilt the site's technical foundation - optimizing crawl efficiency, implementing advanced schema markup, resolving indexation issues, and restructuring internal linking to maximize authority flow. This wasn't cosmetic work; it was fundamental re-engineering to support explosive growth.
2. Keyword Domination: Strategic Territory Capture
Rather than spreading efforts thin, Austin identified high-value keyword clusters across the entire customer journey - from awareness through conversion. He mapped competitive landscapes, identified gaps, and systematically captured territory in both branded and non-branded search spaces. The strategy prioritized compound growth: own the brand, expand to adjacent terms, capture category leadership.
3. Content Authority: Building Linkable Assets
Austin architected a content strategy focused on creating authoritative, data-driven resources that both search engines and AI models would naturally cite. Each piece served multiple purposes: ranking for target keywords, earning backlinks, establishing thought leadership, and generating AI citations.
4. AI Search Innovation: First-Mover Advantage
Recognizing the seismic shift in search behavior, Austin pioneered optimization tactics specifically for AI search engines. While competitors ignored ChatGPT and Perplexity, Austin positioned Riseworks to dominate AI-powered recommendations - building a moat that would compound over time.
The Results: Year of Transformative Growth
Organic Search Performance: Explosive, Sustained Growth
Homepage Transformation: The Riseworks homepage evolved from a modest traffic source to an absolute powerhouse:
- 698,544 clicks (growth of 288.59%)
- 9.5+ million impressions (growth of 371.81%)
- Position improved from 30.24 to 26.41 (continued upward trajectory)
- CTR optimization strategies drove engagement despite competitive pressures
Brand Keyword Explosion:
Austin's brand-building strategy delivered remarkable results:
- "rise" - 301,439 clicks (377.4% growth) | Position improved from 6.66 to 4.09
- "riseworks" - 75,527 clicks (287.4% growth) | Dominant position 1.07
- "rise pay" - 69,315 clicks (203.44% growth) | Position 1.31
- "rise payment" - 42,096 clicks (150.21% growth) | Position 1.10
- "rise works" - 31,915 clicks (243.95% growth) | Position 1.09
- "rise login" - 18,009 clicks (397.49% growth) | Position improved from 3.81 to 3.53
Product & Commercial Terms - Category Dominance:
- "rise wallet" - 14,478 clicks (273.92% growth) | Position 1.25
- "riseworks login" - 5,031 clicks (688.56% growth) | Position 1.19
- "rise pay app" - 3,081 clicks (381.41% growth) | Position 1.12
- "rise payment app" - 2,158 clicks (576.49% growth) | Position 1.18
- "riseworks app" - 1,667 clicks (841.81% growth) | Position 1.07
- "rise pay app download" - 712 clicks (1,149.12% growth) | Position 1.11
High-Intent Conversion Keywords:
Austin captured massive growth in bottom-funnel terms:
- "rise account login" - 1,961 clicks (253.33% growth)
- "rise account sign up" - 2,463 clicks (326.12% growth)
- "rise account open" - 573 clicks (262.66% growth)
- "rise sign up" - 1,395 clicks (215.61% growth)
- "rise create account" - 289 clicks (207.45% growth)
- "create rise account" - 327 clicks (284.71% growth)
Strategic Long-Tail Wins:
- "rice pay" (common misspelling) - 501 clicks (50,000% growth from near-zero)
- "ví rise" (Vietnamese) - 952 clicks (3,300% growth)
- "rise pagamentos" (Portuguese) - 293 clicks (452.83% growth)
- "rise платежная система" (Russian) - 363 clicks (36.98% growth)
Non-Branded Category Leadership:
Austin didn't just build brand traffic - he captured category dominance:
- "crypto payroll" - 326 clicks (317.95% growth) | Position improved from 9.72 to 6.96
- "what is coinbase" - 428 clicks (590.32% growth) capturing competitor traffic
- "pay rise" - 479 clicks (432.22% growth)
- "payroll apps" - Direct correlation to glossary page explosion
Content Page Performance: Strategic Assets Paying Dividends
Austin's content strategy created multiple traffic powerhouses:
Top Performing Pages (12-Month Data):
- Wallets Integration Hub - 25,002 clicks (333.01% growth)
- Position improved dramatically from 15.28 to 3.62
- Now ranks on page 1 for competitive wallet-related searches
- Supported Countries Resource - 12,589 clicks (171.9% growth)
- Critical conversion page optimized for international expansion
- Position 2.92 (page 1) for key country-related queries
- Pricing Page - 12,440 clicks (627.49% growth)
- Massive 515.06% impression growth demonstrating brand visibility
- CTR improved 18.28% through optimization
- Referral Program - 10,861 clicks (9,104.24% growth)
- Virtually non-existent to major traffic driver
- Viral growth loop established through SEO optimization
- Rise ID Product Page - 10,050 clicks (345.48% growth)
- Positioned as category leader for digital identity solutions
- Key differentiator in competitive analysis
- Glossary Terms Strategy:
- "Payroll Apps" - 6,998 clicks (1,395.3% growth)
- "Direct Deposit" - 1,949 clicks (837.02% growth)
- "Local Bank Transfer" - 7,122 clicks (41.34% growth)
- Combined glossary strategy drove 10,000+ monthly clicks
- Blog Content Performance:
- "Best International Money Transfer Apps" - 1,292 clicks (4,206.67% growth)
- "KYC and AML for Contractors" - 1,673 clicks (517.34% growth)
- "How to Fund in USDC and Pay in INR" - 2,021 clicks (81.91% growth)
- "Crypto Taxes for Contractors" - 672 clicks (286.21% growth)
Geographic Expansion: True Global Dominance
Austin's international SEO strategy unlocked explosive growth across 100+ countries:
Top Market Performance:
India - Market Leadership Established:
- 172,458 clicks (365.99% growth)
- Now the #1 traffic source globally
- Position improved from 20.64 to 13.28
- CTR increased 1.66% demonstrating relevance
United States - Competitive Market Penetration:
- 96,608 clicks (221.45% growth)
- Impressions surged 500.49% as brand visibility exploded
- Position improved from 34.12 to 26.31
- Second-largest market despite intense competition
United Kingdom - European Stronghold:
- 39,732 clicks (227.44% growth)
- Impressions grew 645.82% establishing dominant presence
- Key market for fintech expansion
Pakistan - Emerging Market Dominance:
- 32,046 clicks (319.07% growth)
- Position 19.51 in competitive market
- Strategic emerging market capture
Spain - Spanish-Language Leadership:
- 26,383 clicks (284.93% growth)
- Impressions up 413.72%
- Spanish content strategy paying dividends
Nigeria - African Market Breakthrough:
- 25,445 clicks (533.91% growth)
- 464.38% impression growth
- Established as crypto payroll leader in Africa
Canada - North American Expansion:
- 22,139 clicks (274.73% growth)
- 624.14% impression increase
- Key expansion market secured
Additional High-Growth Markets:
- Morocco: 18,324 clicks (197.95% growth)
- Italy: 17,703 clicks (302.89% growth)
- France: 15,557 clicks (220.43% growth)
- Kenya: 15,493 clicks (331.8% growth)
- Germany: 14,537 clicks (194.99% growth)
- South Africa: 14,520 clicks (249.04% growth)
- Malaysia: 12,212 clicks (201.38% growth)
- Turkey: 10,237 clicks (226.33% growth)
- Brazil: 10,037 clicks (320.31% growth)
- UAE: 9,650 clicks (325.49% growth)
- Indonesia: 9,325 clicks (287.09% growth)
- Vietnam: 9,236 clicks (272.42% growth)
Result: Riseworks now has significant organic presence in 100+ countries with meaningful traffic across all continents.
AI Search: Pioneering the Next Search Revolution
While competitors ignored AI search, Austin positioned Riseworks as a category leader across all major AI platforms:
AI Platform Growth (12-Month):
ChatGPT - Clear Market Leader:
- 6,772 sessions (575.85% growth)
- Established as go-to recommendation for crypto payroll
- Average session duration: 5+ minutes (high engagement)
Gemini - Explosive Early Growth:
- 490 sessions (860.78% growth)
- Captured first-mover advantage as platform launched
- 15.84% engagement improvement
Perplexity - Authority Building:
- 641 sessions (47.02% growth from already strong base)
- Consistent top-3 recommendation for payroll queries
Copilot - Microsoft Ecosystem:
- 178 sessions (1,680% growth)
- Penetrating enterprise search behaviors
Claude - Emerging Platform:
- 164 sessions (new platform, established presence)
- Positioned for growth as adoption increases
DeepSeek - Next-Gen AI:
- 25 sessions (733.33% growth)
- Early presence in emerging AI platforms
Total AI Search Impact:
- 8,278 total sessions across all AI platforms
- Over 500%+ aggregate growth
- Riseworks consistently recommended for: crypto payroll, international payments, contractor payments, stablecoin solutions, compliance questions
AI Search Content Performance:
Top pages driving AI traffic:
- Homepage: 3,695 sessions (585.53% growth)
- Pricing: 546 sessions (446% growth)
- Stablecoin Statistics: 474 sessions (new content)
- Schedule Demo: 471 sessions (474.39% growth)
- Contractor Rates Research: 414 sessions (new content)
- Supported Countries: 232 sessions (562.86% growth)
Referral Traffic: Building a Ecosystem
Austin's link building and partnership strategy generated high-quality referral diversification:
AI Search Referrals Leading Growth:
- ChatGPT direct referrals: 4,460 sessions (100.18% growth)
- Perplexity referrals: 452 sessions (141.71% growth)
- Gemini referrals: 431 sessions (618.33% growth)
- Claude referrals: 132 sessions (288.24% growth)
Alternative Search Engines:
- Brave Search: 785 sessions (146.86% growth)
- Ecosia: 338 sessions (83.7% growth)
- Yahoo (India): 1,577 sessions (81.06% growth)
- Yahoo (Canada): 325 sessions (95.78% growth)
Strategic Partnership Traffic:
- help.the5ers.com: 1,252 sessions (392.91% growth)
- e8x.e8markets.com: 728 sessions (269.54% growth)
- app.ckcapital.co.uk: 599 sessions (61.46% growth)
- web3operator.xyz: 204 sessions (3,300% growth)
Result: Diversified traffic portfolio reducing dependence on any single channel while establishing ecosystem presence.
Key Strategic Wins: What Made the Difference
1. Brand Authority Establishment
Austin transformed Riseworks from unknown to category leader:
- 500,000+ monthly brand searches across all brand variations
- Page 1 dominance (positions 1-3) for all core brand terms
- Multi-language brand recognition (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Russian)
- Branded traffic grew 3-4x across all major markets
2. Category Ownership
Riseworks now owns the crypto payroll category in search:
- Top 3 positions for "crypto payroll"
- Dominant presence in "stablecoin payroll" searches
- Category-defining content (reports, statistics, guides) earning thousands of backlinks
- AI search engines consistently recommend Riseworks as #1 solution
3. International Scaling Success
Austin proved the SEO playbook scales globally:
- 100+ countries with meaningful organic traffic
- 200-500%+ growth in top 20 markets
- Multi-language optimization driving local market penetration
- International expansion fueled by organic rather than paid acquisition
4. Technical Excellence Creating Competitive Moat
The technical foundation Austin built compounds over time:
- Superior crawl efficiency allowing rapid content scaling
- Schema implementation earning rich results across queries
- Page speed optimization improving engagement and rankings
- Mobile experience optimized for international markets with varying connectivity
5. AI Search First-Mover Advantage
While competitors debated AI search, Austin captured dominant positions:
- 8,000+ AI search sessions when most sites have zero
- 575%+ growth as AI search adoption accelerates
- Consistent top-3 recommendations across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity
- Moat established that will compound as AI search grows
6. Content as Competitive Advantage
Austin created content assets that drive compound returns:
- Multiple pages driving 5,000-25,000+ clicks monthly
- Glossary strategy generating 15,000+ monthly clicks
- Research reports earning AI citations and backlinks
- Resource pages ranking for hundreds of long-tail variations
The Business Impact: Beyond Traffic Numbers
While the traffic growth is impressive, the real story is business transformation:
Customer Acquisition Cost Transformation: Organic search evolved from minor channel to primary acquisition engine, dramatically reducing blended CAC as high-intent organic traffic converted at premium rates.
Market Position Elevation: Riseworks transformed from "one of many" to "the crypto payroll platform" in the minds of both users and AI recommendation engines.
International Expansion Enablement: SEO provided the foundation for successful market entry into India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and 15+ other countries without massive paid spend.
Brand Equity Building: Branded search volume increasing 287-377% reflects genuine brand awareness growth, not just traffic numbers.
Competitive Moat Creation: First-mover advantage in AI search, combined with technical superiority and content authority, created sustainable competitive advantages that compound over time.
Revenue Impact: While session numbers remain confidential, the correlation between 288% homepage growth, 627% pricing page growth, and high-intent keyword capture directly drove business outcomes.
Austin Heaton's Methodology: The Framework for Success
Phase 1: Foundation
Austin began with comprehensive audits - technical, content, competitive, and keyword research. He identified critical gaps, quick wins, and long-term opportunities. Technical debt was systematically eliminated. The site was re-architected for scale.
Phase 2: Territory Capture
With foundations solid, Austin executed aggressive keyword capture strategy. Brand terms were fortified. Adjacent searches were claimed. Category-defining content was launched. International expansion began.
Phase 3: Category Dominance
Authority established, Austin pushed for category ownership. Research reports positioned Riseworks as thought leader. AI search optimization began generating citations. Glossary strategy created content moat.
Phase 4: Scaling & Innovation
With dominant positions secured, Austin focused on scaling wins across markets and innovating in AI search. International playbooks were replicated. New content formats were tested. AI optimization was refined.
Core Principles Throughout:
Data-Driven Ruthlessness: Every decision backed by data. A/B tests validated assumptions. Underperforming tactics were cut quickly. Winners were doubled down on.
Technical Excellence: Austin never compromised on technical quality. If it couldn't scale, it wasn't implemented. Site health was monitored obsessively.
Content Quality Over Quantity: Rather than chasing volume, Austin created genuinely valuable resources that users, search engines, and AI models naturally wanted to cite and recommend.
First-Principles Thinking: Austin questioned conventional wisdom. When everyone ignored AI search, he captured it. When competitors chased vanity metrics, he focused on business outcomes.
Compound Growth Mindset: Every optimization was evaluated for compound potential. Quick wins funded long-term investments. Success created momentum that accelerated future growth.
Looking Forward: Sustainable Growth Engine
The 12-month results aren't just impressive numbers - they represent a fundamental transformation in Riseworks' growth infrastructure.
Austin built:
- Sustainable organic acquisition engine that scales with business growth
- International expansion playbook proven across 100+ markets
- AI search presence that will compound as adoption grows
- Content moat that competitors will struggle to replicate
- Technical foundation that supports 10x future growth
- Brand authority that reduces customer acquisition friction
This isn't growth that will plateau - it's growth that compounds. The AI search positions established now will pay dividends for years. The content assets created will continue earning traffic and backlinks. The technical foundation supports aggressive scaling.
The Numbers That Matter
12-Month Growth Metrics:
Organic Search:
- Homepage clicks: +288.59%
- Total impressions: +371.81%
- Brand keyword clicks: +287-377% across variations
- Category keyword growth: +200-400% across non-branded terms
AI Search:
- ChatGPT sessions: +575.85%
- Gemini sessions: +860.78%
- Total AI traffic: +500%+ aggregate
Geographic:
- India: +365.99%
- USA: +221.45%
- Top 20 markets: +200-500% average growth
- New markets activated: 50+ countries
Content Pages:
- Wallets page: +333.01%
- Pricing page: +627.49%
- Referral page: +9,104.24%
- Glossary pages: +800-1,400% average
Referral & Partnerships:
- AI referrals: +100-600% across platforms
- Strategic partners: +200-400% average
Conclusion: Strategic SEO Drives Business Transformation
Austin Heaton's 12-month engagement with Riseworks demonstrates what's possible when deep SEO expertise, strategic vision, and flawless execution combine under experienced leadership.
The results - 288% organic growth, 575% AI search growth, 100+ country expansion, and category-defining market position - represent far more than traffic increases. They represent a fundamental transformation in how Riseworks acquires customers, builds brand, and competes in the market.
But perhaps most importantly, Austin didn't just deliver short-term wins. He built sustainable infrastructure that will compound for years:
- Technical foundations that scale to 10x traffic
- Content assets that earn ongoing citations and backlinks
- AI search positions that will grow as adoption increases
- International playbooks proven across diverse markets
- Brand authority that reduces friction across the customer journey
This case study proves a simple truth: Strategic SEO leadership, executed with excellence, doesn't just drive traffic - it transforms businesses.
When Riseworks looks back at its growth trajectory, February 2025 - February 2026 will be remembered as the year everything changed. The year organic search became the primary growth engine. The year the brand went global. The year AI search was captured. The year Riseworks became the category leader.
And Austin Heaton was the strategic architect and executor who made it all happen.
Schedule a call with Austin Heaton
About Austin Heaton
Austin Heaton is an SEO and AI Search consultant specializing in helping fintech and B2B SaaS companies build sustainable organic growth engines. With deep expertise spanning technical SEO, international expansion, content strategy, and cutting-edge AI search optimization, Austin delivers measurable results that transform businesses. His approach combines data-driven decision-making, technical excellence, and strategic vision to create compound growth that scales.
Methodology Note:
All data sourced from Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 for the 12-month period February 9, 2025 - February 9, 2026. Growth percentages represent comparison to prior equivalent period. AI search data tracked through proprietary analytics integration across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and emerging platforms.
This case study represents actual performance data and documented growth achieved through strategic SEO and AI search optimization consulting services.
