Case Study: ClickBid
Case Study
AI Visibility
ClickBid is a long-term Magnetic North client and a trusted donation and auction platform for nonprofits. Over the years, our team has supported ClickBid through a full range of digital marketing services, including SEO, paid media, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, website maintenance, email marketing, HubSpot support, and ongoing strategy.
As AI search began changing how people discover brands, we saw an opportunity for them to get ahead.
Results We've Seen
% average visibility gain in just a few months
% increase in AI traffic sessions
new customers from AI traffic in Q1
closed-won lead on the same day the form was submitted
The Challenge
ClickBid operates in an extremely competitive industry. As a donation and auction platform for nonprofits, they are often competing against companies with massive marketing budgets and aggressive positioning.
One of the biggest challenges in the space has been the rise of platforms claiming to be “free.” For nonprofits, that message can be appealing at first glance. But in reality, “free” often comes with added costs that are passed along to donors, supporters, or organizations in other ways.
ClickBid has taken a different approach. With decades of experience, real-person support, and a strong commitment to keeping costs affordable for nonprofits, their team has continued investing in a better platform, stronger integrations, and a better experience for users.
The challenge was clear: ClickBid had a strong story to tell but needed to make sure that story was showing up in the places people are now searching for answers.
With AI tools like ChatGPT becoming part of the buyer journey, we saw an opportunity to help ClickBid leapfrog competitors in a newer, less crowded space: AI visibility.
The Strategy
To help ClickBid take advantage of this opportunity, we added AI Visibility Tracking to their ongoing marketing strategy.
Each month, our team met with ClickBid to review how they were appearing across relevant AI search prompts. We tracked visibility, competitor mentions, sentiment, and the types of sources AI tools were pulling from when recommending donation and auction platforms.
From there, we turned the data into action.
Our strategy included:
- Identifying high-opportunity prompts where ClickBid could increase visibility
- Creating listicle-style content designed to support AI search discovery
- Adding specific language to the website based on phrasing AI tools were already favoring
- Developing competitor comparison pages to help ClickBid influence the narrative
- Highlighting ClickBid’s key differentiators, including transparent pricing, support, experience, and platform value
- Recommending stronger third-party review signals, including continued focus on G2
Because AI visibility is still an emerging channel, we were able to move quickly. Instead of waiting months to see whether a traditional SEO strategy would gain traction, we used monthly tracking to identify what was working, what needed to be strengthened, and where ClickBid had the best chance to show up.
The Results
In just the first few months, ClickBid saw meaningful movement from its AI visibility strategy.
ClickBid began appearing in AI-generated recommendations for prompts where they had not previously been mentioned. Visibility improved across a variety of key searches, and one blog created in partnership with the ClickBid team became a top-cited source across multiple AI responses.
Results included:
- 3% average visibility gain in just a few months
- Significant visibility increases across select high-value prompts
- New AI mentions in areas where ClickBid previously had no presence
- New and restructured content became a favored source for multiple prompts
- Nearly 150% increase in AI traffic sessions
- Over 3-minute average session duration from AI-referred traffic
- All leads were considered sales qualified (SQL)
- 4 new customers from AI traffic in Q1
- 1 closed-won lead on the same day the form was submitted
That last result was especially exciting. For ClickBid, a same-day form submission to closed-won customer is historically non-existent. Seeing that happen from a channel that did not meaningfully exist a year ago showed the true potential of AI visibility.
Why It Matters
Visibility is important, but the real goal is quality leads and new customers.
What we saw with ClickBid is that AI-referred visitors arrived with stronger intent and more trust in the business from the start. When a tool like ChatGPT recommends a platform as a strong option, users are coming to the site with a different mindset. They are beyond browsing and already closer to making a decision.
For ClickBid, this created a new path for high-quality traffic, stronger engagement, and real sales opportunities.
As more people use AI tools to research software, compare vendors, and make decisions, ClickBid is positioned early in a channel that is only going to grow. By investing in AI visibility now, they are building momentum before the space becomes as competitive as traditional search.
The Takeaway
ClickBid has always had a strong product, a strong team, and a strong story. Our job was to help make sure that story was being found in the next generation of search.
By combining AI visibility tracking, strategic content, competitor positioning, and ongoing optimization, we helped ClickBid gain traction in a new marketing channel and turn that visibility into real customer growth.
This is exactly why we are excited about AEO. It gives strong brands a new opportunity to show up, stand out, and reach high-intent buyers in a way that was not possible before.
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