This case study is a special one: Outside The Box is not just an AISOS client — it is the agency where I co-developed the AISOS system. Michel Lieben, founder of OTB, was the first to believe that AI visibility would transform client acquisition for digital agencies. He agreed to be our first guinea pig. The results exceeded our projections.
This article details the exact strategy we deployed, without filters. The figures are real, the actions are replicable, and the lessons are applicable to any agency or B2B services company.
Who is Outside The Box
- Name: Outside The Box (OTB)
- Founder: Michel Lieben
- Location: Brussels, Belgium
- Activity: Digital agency — branding, web design, digital communications, content strategy
- Founded: 2017
- Team: 6 people
- Typical clients: Belgian SMEs and startups, various sectors (real estate, HoReCa, services, tech)
- Website: Portfolio of 50+ completed projects
OTB is a recognised agency in the Brussels ecosystem, with a diversified client portfolio and quality deliverables. But like many agencies, their client acquisition relied primarily on word of mouth and Michel's personal network.
The starting point
The initial diagnosis revealed a striking gap between the quality of OTB's work and its online visibility:
| Dimension | Initial state | Score |
|---|---|---|
| AI Visibility Score | 0 citations out of 40 target queries | 0% |
| Organic traffic | ~800 visitors/month | Low |
| Schema markup | None | 0/10 |
| Blog content | 5 articles dating from 2021-2022 | 2/10 |
| LLMs.txt | Non-existent | 0/10 |
| External mentions | A few Belgian directory links | 3/10 |
| Google Business Profile | Existing but incomplete | 4/10 |
| Service pages | 1 generic "Services" page | 2/10 |
Michel's assessment was clear-eyed: "I build incredible websites for my clients, but my own site is a cobbler's child. And now that people are asking ChatGPT to recommend an agency, it's costing me clients every week."
Target queries included: "digital agency Brussels", "web design agency Belgium", "branding agency Brussels", "best digital agency for Belgian startup", "communications agency SME Belgium". On none of these 40 queries was OTB cited by an LLM.
The AISOS strategy deployed
We designed a 4-pillar strategy, specifically adapted to the case of a local B2B services agency:
Pillar 1: Website overhaul. The OTB website needed to evolve from a static showcase to a rich content hub. We restructured the architecture with: a page per service (branding, web design, SEO, digital strategy, content), a page per target sector (HoReCa, real estate, tech, services), and a portfolio section with detailed case studies.
Pillar 2: Local expertise content. Creation of a blog addressing the questions Belgian SMEs ask: "How much does a website cost in Belgium in 2026?", "How do you choose a digital agency in Brussels?", "Branding for startups: where to start?"
Pillar 3: Technical GEO optimisation. Complete schema markup (Organization, LocalBusiness sub-type ProfessionalService, Service, FAQPage, Review). Detailed LLMs.txt file. Enriched Google Business Profile.
Pillar 4: Local amplification. Mentions in Belgian media, participation in Brussels tech events, contributions to Belgian startup ecosystem blogs.
Detailed execution: month by month
Month 1: Foundations (weeks 1-4)
- Website restructuring: 5 service pages, 4 sector pages, 8 detailed case studies with photos, brief, solution and results
- Full schema markup implementation (12 schema types deployed)
- Creation and publication of the LLMs.txt file
- Google Business Profile optimisation (description, categories, attributes, 15 photos)
- 4 blog articles published ("How much does a website cost in Belgium", "How to choose a digital agency", "Branding vs logo: what's the difference", "Web design for restaurants: a guide")
Month 2: Content and authority (weeks 5-8)
- 8 new articles published, including 2 long guides (3,000+ words)
- Enriched FAQ: 30 structured Q&As with FAQPage schema
- 2 guest posts on Belgian startup ecosystem blogs
- Participation in 1 local podcast ("Brussels Digital Talks")
- Sector pages optimised with local data (Belgian digital market, Belgian SME statistics)
Month 3: Amplification and iteration (weeks 9-12)
- 6 new articles + update of the 4 articles from month 1 with fresh data
- Article published in L'Echo on the digitalisation of Belgian SMEs (OTB mention)
- Active responses on Belgian forums and Reddit (r/belgium, r/brussels)
- Client review campaign: 12 new detailed reviews on Google
- Bi-weekly AI visibility monitoring with continuous adjustments
Results: 30 AI mentions in 3 months
| Metric | M0 | M1 | M2 | M3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI mentions (out of 40 queries) | 0 | 4 | 14 | 30 |
| Organic traffic/month | 800 | 1,400 | 2,800 | 4,200 |
| AI Visibility Score | 0% | 10% | 35% | 75% |
| Leads via AI visibility | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Google reviews | 6 | 8 | 14 | 18 |
| Indexed pages | 12 | 28 | 45 | 56 |
Progress was not linear. Month 1 was mainly technical with few visible results. The "click" happened in week 6, when Perplexity started citing OTB for "digital agency Brussels" — the agency's first-ever AI mention. From that point, the acceleration was constant.
Queries where OTB is now cited include:
- "best digital agency Brussels" (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini)
- "web design agency for restaurants Belgium" (Perplexity, Gemini)
- "how much does a website cost in Belgium" (ChatGPT — link to OTB article)
- "branding agency startup Brussels" (ChatGPT, Perplexity)
- "recommended digital agency SME Belgium" (Perplexity)
[Image: Graph showing OTB's AI mention growth over 12 weeks]
Concrete business impact
The 8 additional monthly leads via AI visibility represent a structural change for a 6-person agency. Here is what that means in concrete terms:
- Average OTB project value: 6,000 to 15,000 EUR
- Lead-to-client conversion rate: 30% (these leads are pre-qualified by AI)
- New monthly clients via AI: 2 to 3
- Estimated additional monthly revenue: 15,000 to 35,000 EUR
- AISOS support cost: confidential, but ROI positive from month 2
Michel Lieben sums up the impact: "Before AISOS, 100% of my clients came from word of mouth. Today, 25% come from AI. And these clients arrive with stronger purchase intent — the AI has already convinced them I am the right choice. My sales cycle has been cut in half."
This case also demonstrates the effectiveness of the AISOS system for agencies and services companies. Our guide on the AI pivot for digital agencies develops these strategies in detail.
[Image: Video testimonial from Michel Lieben, founder of Outside The Box]
FAQ — Outside The Box case study
Why is OTB featured as an AISOS case study?
Outside The Box is AISOS's first client and the agency where the system was co-developed. Michel Lieben agreed to share these results publicly to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Are these results achievable for an agency in another city?
Yes, and potentially with even faster results. Brussels is a competitive market. In smaller cities or less saturated markets, results can be achieved in 6 to 8 weeks.
How much content does OTB produce on an ongoing basis now?
After the intensive initial phase, OTB publishes 2 articles per month and updates existing content quarterly. That is sufficient to maintain and improve the positions gained.
Are the 30 AI mentions maintained over time?
Yes, and they continue to grow. 6 months after the end of the initial phase, OTB is cited in 38 of the 40 target queries. AI visibility, once acquired, is relatively stable as long as content is kept up to date.
Does this approach also work for specialised agencies?
Specialised agencies (SEO, performance marketing, UX design) have an even greater advantage because their niche is more precise. Expert content on a specific niche is cited more easily than generalist content.
What was Michel Lieben's role in the strategy?
Michel contributed his domain expertise, case studies, client data (anonymised) and his knowledge of the Belgian market. AISOS managed the strategy, content production, technical optimisation and monitoring. This collaboration model is what we offer all our clients.
Conclusion
The Outside The Box case is living proof that AI visibility is accessible to any services company, regardless of size. From 0 to 30 AI mentions in 3 months, with measurable business impact: 8 additional leads per month, a sales cycle cut in half and a diversification of client acquisition.
This is exactly the type of transformation we replicate every day at AISOS. Every business has unique expertise — our role is to make it visible to AI.
Ready to become the next OTB? Contact AISOS for your free AI visibility audit and discover your potential.
Our other case studies: Reply.io x2 traffic | Generect x3 traffic | PPM Express 10M+ impressions
