The PPM (Project Portfolio Management) market is dominated by giants: Microsoft Project, Monday.com, Asana, Smartsheet, Wrike. Each has marketing budgets running into tens of millions of euros and content teams of 20+ people. How can a mid-sized European software vendor survive in this environment?
PPM Express found the answer: do not play the same game. Rather than competing on generic terms ("project management software"), they built irreplaceable authority on the niches that the giants ignore — and optimised every piece of content to be cited by LLMs.
Context: PPM Express vs the giants
PPM Express is a European software vendor (founded in 2016) offering a project portfolio management solution integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem (Project Online, Azure DevOps, Planner, Jira). Their niche: businesses already using Microsoft 365 that need a portfolio governance layer without changing ecosystem.
Starting position (early 2025):
- Organic traffic: ~180,000 visitors/month
- Organic impressions: ~3.2 million/month
- Average position: 18.4 (mostly page 2 of Google)
- AI Visibility Score: 11%
- Active blog but generic content, similar to competitors
The core problem: PPM Express was producing acceptable but undifferentiated content. Their articles on "the 10 best project management practices" were buried in an ocean of identical content produced by players with 10x higher domain authority.
The 3-pillar strategy
The strategy was built around 3 complementary pillars, each addressing an identified weakness:
| Pillar | Objective | Key actions | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical SEO | Solid foundation | Core Web Vitals, schema, architecture | Months 1-3 |
| Authority content | Topical authority | Content hubs, original data, guides | Months 2-8 |
| GEO optimisation | AI visibility | LLMs.txt, FAQ, mentions, comparisons | Months 3-12 |
Technical SEO as the foundation
The first phase was entirely technical. The team audited and fixed more than 200 technical issues:
Core Web Vitals: The Lighthouse score went from 54 to 92. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) was reduced from 4.2s to 1.8s through image optimisation, aggressive caching and migration to a European CDN.
Site architecture: Complete restructuring of the information architecture into thematic silos. Each silo corresponds to a use case (PPM for IT, PPM for construction, PPM for financial services) with a pillar page and satellite articles.
Schema markup: Implementation of SoftwareApplication with all properties, FAQPage on 60+ pages, HowTo for tutorials, enriched Organization with pricing and certifications.
Internal linking: Complete revision of the internal link structure using a mapping tool. Every article links to its pillar page, to other articles in the same silo, and to 1-2 articles from other silos. Orphan pages were eliminated.
Measured impact: +23% organic traffic in 3 months from technical fixes alone, before any new content was created. As Searchmetrics notes: "Technical SEO fixes are the most underestimated lever. They can generate 20-30% additional traffic without any new content."
Sector authority content
The second phase transformed the generic blog into a sector expertise hub:
In-depth sector guides: "PPM for IT departments in 2025", "Construction project portfolio management in Europe", "Project governance in financial services". Each guide runs to 3,000+ words with sector data, comparison tables and concrete examples.
Original data: PPM Express published the "PPM Benchmark Report Europe 2025", analysing anonymised data from 500+ client companies. On-time delivery rates, average budget per project by industry, main causes of overruns. This report became one of the most frequently cited sources by LLMs on project portfolio management questions.
Comprehensive comparisons: 10 "PPM Express vs [competitor]" pages with feature-by-feature comparisons, pricing tables and honest recommendations ("PPM Express is better if..., [competitor] is better if...").
Tutorials and templates: A library of 20 downloadable project management templates, each accompanied by a tutorial article. The templates generate leads (email required) and the tutorials feed AI visibility.
From 0 to 10 million impressions
| Metric | M0 (early 2025) | M6 | M12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic impressions/month | 3.2M | 6.8M | 10.4M |
| Organic traffic/month | 180,000 | 340,000 | 520,000 |
| Average position | 18.4 | 12.1 | 8.7 |
| AI Visibility Score | 11% | 29% | 48% |
| Keywords in top 3 | 45 | 189 | 412 |
| Monthly leads (content) | 120 | 290 | 510 |
| Domain Authority | 38 | 44 | 51 |
The best-performing content for AI visibility:
- "PPM Benchmark Report Europe" — cited in 78% of queries about PPM benchmarks
- "PPM Express vs Microsoft Project: detailed comparison" — cited in all alternative-seeking queries
- "The PMO Guide for 2025" — became the reference for PMO queries in French and English
[Image: Graph showing PPM Express organic impressions over 12 months]
The CEO of PPM Express stated in an interview with ZDNet France: "Our content strategy is no longer just marketing — it has become our best sales force. When a prospect contacts us, they have already read 3 of our articles and know exactly why our solution fits their case."
[Image: Breakdown of PPM Express traffic by content type]
FAQ — PPM Express case study
Is PPM Express an AISOS client?
This case study is based on public analysis of PPM Express's strategy and data shared in their interviews and public reports. The principles described align with the AISOS methodology.
Is 10 million impressions realistic for an SME?
Impressions depend on the search volume in your sector. 10M impressions is achievable in an international B2B market like PPM. For a local market, volumes will be lower but conversion rates higher.
What was the budget for this strategy?
Based on estimates from the resources deployed, the total budget over 12 months was between 80,000 and 120,000 EUR (in-house content team + external consultants). The ROI, measured in leads generated, far exceeds the investment.
Can technical SEO alone generate so many results?
No. Technical SEO laid the foundations (+23% in 3 months), but it is the combination with authority content and GEO optimisation that enabled the 10M impressions milestone. The three pillars are complementary.
How do you publish original data as a small business?
Use data from your own platform or service. Even with 50 clients, you have unique data. Anonymise it and publish benchmarks. You can also run surveys with your LinkedIn audience.
Are downloadable templates really a lever for AI visibility?
The templates themselves are not directly cited by LLMs, but the tutorial articles that accompany them are cited massively. The template is the lead magnet; the article is the visibility vehicle.
Conclusion
The PPM Express case illustrates how a mid-sized European software vendor can compete with global giants by combining technical excellence, sector authority content and GEO optimisation. 10 million impressions and 48% AI visibility in 12 months — results that have transformed their client acquisition.
Ready to transform your acquisition? Contact AISOS for a personalised diagnosis.
Also read: Reply.io case study | Technical SEO 2026 | Outside The Box case study
