How Build Epic Consulting Helped Poolsmith Build a National Search Presence

When Build Epic Consulting began working with Poolsmith Technologies in April 2020, the company already had what most businesses would love: a genuinely different product. Poolsmith had developed a patented CO₂-based system designed to help control swimming pool pH without the routine handling and storage of traditional liquid acid. The technology had been field-tested for years, but it faced a major digital marketing challenge.

Very few people were finding it online.

At the beginning of our partnership, Poolsmith had a Domain Authority of just 2, fewer than 25 referring domains, fewer than 100 backlinks, approximately 150 monthly website visitors, and only 55 SERP features. More than six years later, the digital footprint surrounding Poolsmith looks very different.

Starting With the SEO Foundation

Our first goal wasn’t to chase hundreds of keywords. It was to create a stronger foundation around Poolsmith’s technology, products, and the problems they solve. That meant improving the website, strengthening technical SEO, identifying relevant search opportunities, developing useful content, improving internal linking, and beginning the long process of building authority around the domain.

Poolsmith wasn’t simply competing with another brand selling the same product. We also had to compete for attention within a massive pool industry where homeowners were already familiar with traditional methods of controlling pH. Our SEO strategy needed to help search engines understand what Poolsmith offered while connecting the technology to the questions and problems pool owners were already searching for.

From 55 SERP Features to 2,821

One of the clearest measurements of Poolsmith’s growth is its overall search presence. When we started in April 2020, Poolsmith appeared in just 55 SERP features. Today, that number has grown to 2,821. More importantly, Poolsmith now has 72 keywords ranking in the Top 3 positions and 151 keywords appearing on Page 1. That visibility wasn’t created by finding one magical keyword. It came from continually expanding the topics, questions, services, and problems associated with Poolsmith’s technology.

As the site became stronger, we could move beyond highly specific product terminology and compete for broader informational searches related to pool pH, lowering pH, acid alternatives, CO₂ pH control, and pool water chemistry.

Building Authority Over Time

Search visibility and website authority tend to be built through consistent work rather than overnight changes. Poolsmith started with a Domain Authority of 2, fewer than 25 referring domains, and fewer than 100 backlinks. Today, the website has a Domain Authority of 22, approximately 795 referring domains, and roughly 1,900 backlinks.

That growth matters because a website doesn’t exist in isolation. Search engines can evaluate signals from across the web when determining which resources may deserve visibility. The goal wasn’t simply to accumulate links. It was to develop a broader digital footprint around the Poolsmith brand and its expertise.

From Approximately 150 to More Than 1,900 Monthly Visitors

Ranking growth only matters if people actually find the website. Poolsmith began with approximately 150 monthly visitors. Today, the website receives an average of around 1,951 monthly visitors, including approximately 797 organic visitors. That’s more than 12 times the monthly website traffic Poolsmith had when our partnership began.

For a specialized product, that growth represents something bigger than traffic alone. It means substantially more opportunities for homeowners, pool professionals, and others researching pH control to discover Poolsmith and learn about a solution they may not have previously known existed.

Then Search Changed

When Build Epic began working with Poolsmith in 2020, nobody was talking about optimizing a website for ChatGPT. AI search metrics effectively started at zero because the search environment we have today didn’t exist yet. As ChatGPT and other AI-powered search experiences emerged, we began expanding our strategy into Answer Engine Optimization while continuing to strengthen the SEO foundation already in place. Today, Poolsmith has an AI Authority Score of 34, 10 AI mentions, and 83 cited pages.

Those numbers are particularly interesting because they demonstrate why we don’t view SEO and AEO as competing strategies. SEO built the foundation. AEO expands where that authority can potentially be discovered.

Answering the Questions Customers Are Actually Asking

The next stage of Poolsmith’s growth isn’t simply about maintaining existing rankings. We’re continuing to identify larger search opportunities based on the questions pool owners actually ask. One example is the search surrounding how to lower pH in a pool. Instead of focusing only on branded terminology or highly technical descriptions of CO₂ technology, the strategy increasingly connects Poolsmith’s expertise to the problem a homeowner is trying to solve.

This approach also works naturally with AI-powered search because people don’t always search using short keyword phrases anymore. They ask complete questions, compare options, research alternatives, and look for explanations. Our job is to make sure Poolsmith has authoritative, useful information available when those conversations happen.

Six Years of Building, Defending and Expanding

There wasn’t one blog, backlink, website update, or SEO trick responsible for Poolsmith’s growth. The results reflect more than six years of consistently building content, search visibility, backlinks, technical strength, and digital authority. The strategy has evolved as the company, competition, Google, and search behavior have evolved.

That’s exactly how we believe long-term SEO should work.

• Build the foundation.
• Defend the visibility you’ve earned.
• Expand into the next opportunity.

From 55 SERP features to 2,821. From approximately 150 monthly visitors to more than 1,900. From fewer than 25 referring domains to approximately 795. And now, from no measurable AI presence to an AI Authority Score of 34 with 83 cited pages. Poolsmith is a great example of what can happen when a business doesn’t treat SEO as a short-term project.

Ready to Build Your Digital Authority?

At Build Epic Consulting, we help businesses build long-term visibility through SEO, AEO, website strategy, content, and digital authority.

If you’re ready to build, defend, and expand your presence across traditional and AI-powered search, contact Build Epic Consulting and let’s talk about what’s possible.

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