Generect is a Belgian startup founded in Brussels in 2024. Their product: a B2B lead generation platform that uses AI to identify and qualify prospects from public data (LinkedIn, Crunchbase, company registries). A hyper-competitive market dominated by American players such as Apollo.io, ZoomInfo and Lusha.
When Generect's co-founder contacted us, his assessment was clear: "We have a solid product, our early adopters are satisfied, but we are invisible online. When someone asks ChatGPT for a European lead gen tool, we don't exist."
Generect profile
- Sector: B2B SaaS — lead generation
- Location: Brussels, Belgium
- Team: 8 people
- Product: GDPR-compliant AI B2B prospecting platform
- Differentiation: European data, native GDPR compliance, AI qualification
- Initial traffic: ~12,000 organic visitors/month
- Initial AI Visibility Score: 4%
The challenge: existing in a saturated market
The B2B lead generation market is one of the most competitive in SaaS. US players have marketing budgets 50 to 100 times larger than Generect's. But they also have a weakness: their content is generic, US-centric and does not address the specificities of the European market (GDPR, multilingualism, local B2B specificities).
The initial diagnosis revealed:
| Dimension | Initial state | Identified opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Blog content | 15 generic articles | GDPR-specific content not found with US players |
| Schema markup | None | SoftwareApplication + structured comparisons |
| Comparison pages | 0 | 8 major competitors to compare against |
| GDPR data | Unexploited | Unique argument vs Apollo/ZoomInfo |
| EU media presence | Low | "GDPR-compliant lead gen" niche = untapped |
| LLMs.txt | Non-existent | Quick to implement |
The strategic angle was clear: position as THE GDPR-compliant European alternative to American lead generation giants. A positioning that LLMs could clearly associate with Generect if the content was there.
The GEO strategy deployed
We designed a GEO strategy on 3 pillars:
Pillar 1: High-value content with a European angle. Rather than competing with US players on generic terms ("best lead generation tools"), we targeted European queries:
- "GDPR-compliant lead generation tool"
- "European alternative to Apollo.io"
- "GDPR-compliant B2B prospecting"
- "GDPR-compliant B2B database in Belgium"
Pillar 2: Impeccable technical structure. SoftwareApplication schema markup with applicationCategory, operatingSystem, offers and review. FAQPage on 20+ pages. LLMs.txt file with clear positioning.
Pillar 3: Targeted amplification. Guest posts in European tech media, contributions to GDPR blogs, presence on review platforms (G2, Capterra) with a focus on European compliance.
Execution: month by month
Month 1: Complete technical foundations. 15 existing articles optimised (structure, FAQs added, fresh data). 10 new Answer Pages on GDPR + lead gen questions. 8 "Generect vs [competitor]" pages published. Schema markup deployed site-wide.
Month 2: Publication of the "B2B Lead Generation Europe Report 2025" with proprietary platform data (conversion rates by European country, email bounce rates by industry, GDPR benchmarks). 12 new in-depth articles. First guest posts published (3 tech media outlets).
Month 3: Second content wave (15 articles). Publication of a "GDPR Guide for B2B Prospecting" (4,000-word cornerstone content). Participation in 2 Belgian B2B podcasts. Launch of a webinar series transcribed and published as articles.
In total: 45 new content pieces in 3 months, each optimised for both classic SEO AND AI visibility. As EIT Digital notes: "European startups that play the regulatory compliance card as a competitive advantage in their content attract disproportionate attention from LLMs."
Detailed results
| Metric | Before (M0) | After (M3) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly organic traffic | 12,000 | 38,000 | +217% (x3.2) |
| AI Visibility Score | 4% | 36% | +800% |
| ChatGPT citations (out of 30 queries) | 1 | 11 | +1000% |
| Perplexity citations (out of 30 queries) | 3 | 18 | +500% |
| Monthly signups | 45 | 128 | +184% |
| Signups via AI recommendation | 0 (0%) | 28 (22%) | - |
| Keywords in Google top 10 | 34 | 156 | +359% |
| Domain Authority | 22 | 31 | +41% |
The most striking result: 22% of signups come directly from AI recommendations. These users arrive on the site with higher purchase intent because AI has already pre-qualified them by recommending Generect as the right solution for their needs.
The best-performing page: "GDPR-compliant European alternative to Apollo.io" — it is cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity AND Gemini, and alone accounts for 15% of organic signups.
[Image: Generect organic traffic growth curve over 3 months]
[Image: Breakdown of Generect signup sources (organic, AI, direct, referral)]
FAQ — Generect case study
Is Generect an AISOS client?
Yes, Generect engaged AISOS to design and pilot its GEO strategy. The results presented are real and measured over the period indicated.
Is 45 articles in 3 months realistic for a small team?
Generect combined the work of its founder (domain expert) with the AISOS content team. The founder provided expertise and data; AISOS managed production, structure and optimisation. This model is replicable.
Does the GDPR angle work for other sectors?
Absolutely. European regulatory compliance is an underexploited angle in many sectors: fintech, healthtech, edtech, HR tech. Every European company can use compliance as a lever for AI visibility against US competitors.
How does Generect measure signups "via AI recommendation"?
Via a signup form that includes the question "How did you discover Generect?". Responses mentioning ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or "an AI" are counted. This is a declarative method that is potentially an undercount.
Are these results sustainable after content production stops?
Published content continues to generate traffic and AI citations. However, AI visibility requires regular updates to maintain data freshness. Generect continues to publish 2-3 articles per week to consolidate its positions.
Conclusion
The Generect case demonstrates that an early-stage startup can dominate players 100x larger in AI visibility through clear positioning (GDPR compliance), expert content and rigorous execution. In 3 months: 3x traffic and 22% of signups via AI — all without a media budget.
Your startup can achieve similar results. Contact AISOS to discover your personalised GEO strategy.
See also: AI SEO for B2B SaaS | Reply.io case study | Startups and zero-budget AI visibility
