How One Manufacturing SEO Strategy Generated $600,000 in New Annual Sales
by Chris Sheehy
Rhode Island Manufacturer Case Study: $600,000 in new annual sales (+) expansion
How Rhode Island Manufacturer, Orbetron, Scaled Niche Manufacturing Through Applied SEO
The Challenge: The “Invisibility Trap” for Rhode Island Manufacturing
Orbetron, a precision manufacturer in Rhode Island, produced world-class feeding equipment but remained digitally invisible to the modern engineer's search path. While their technical engineering was superior, they lacked a digital lead-generation engine capable of reaching global procurement teams who had shifted to “digital-first” research.
I have included a Definitions and Descriptions section at the bottom of this article as a quick reference for some of the industry terms used here.
The Partnership: Polaris MEP and Agency Heritage
The journey toward expansion began when Rhode Island’s Polaris MEP identified a critical opportunity for Orbetron to scale and brought in Chris Sheehy to lead the digital transformation. At the time, this work was executed by Chris through his previous agency, Sidewalk Branding Co. before it was acquired. While the NIST and Polaris MEP success stories reference the Sidewalk Branding name, the strategies, execution, and 29 years of industry expertise behind those results are the foundation upon which Omni Search Labs was built - Sheehy’s latest venture.
The Strategy: Applied SEO (The Evolution to SEvO)
At the time, we used a “Universal SEO” approach, a holistic methodology designed to dominate search engine results pages (SERPs). According to Sheehy, “That strategy has evolved over the years, and in its current iteration, which takes AI into account, it's now referred to as Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO).”
Technical Intent Mapping: We targeted high-intent technical queries used by procurement engineers rather than generic, surface-level keywords.
Holistic Optimization: We ensured Orbetron was found wherever a solution was sought. While the Orbetron success was built on traditional SEO, OSL has since evolved this into Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO) to account for AI search (Perplexity, ChatGPT) and social discovery.
Strategic Syndication: The project was so successful it was syndicated as a “Success Story” by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), providing a global trust signal that standard SEO cannot replicate.
The Results: Performance That Rewrote the P&L
The implementation of this SEO strategy delivered a physical transformation of Orbetron’s business operations:
Massive Sales Growth: Directly generated $500,000–$600,000 in increased sales annually.
Physical Facility Expansion: The surge in demand necessitated an expansion from a 1,300 sq. ft. space to a 2,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility—a 54% increase in footprint.
Job Creation: The increased workload led to the creation of 2 new full-time positions.
Sales Force Empowerment: Gained access to additional sales reps who use the website as a primary tool to demonstrate products to global clients.
[article sources: NIST, Polaris MEP]
Glossary
Search: In this context, "search" refers to the action a customer takes (typing or speaking a question) and the technology that enables businesses to be found.
As a verb: It is the action a person takes when looking for a solution or product on a computer or phone. It is also called a search query.
As a noun: It refers to the entire digital field and the technology that makes it possible to find information online.
A digital lead-generation engine is a reliable system that uses a website to find and attract potential new customers automatically. It serves as a 24/7 sales tool for a company.
“Digital-first” research is a modern habit in which buyers, such as procurement engineers, research products and suppliers online as their first step before contacting a company or salesperson.
Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new—or modify existing—business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing market requirements.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the practice of improving a website so that it appears higher in search engine results, such as on Google or Bing, when someone searches for a specific answer, product, or service.
Universal SEO is a methodology born from Google's 2007 “Universal Search” update. This update allowed search engines to display images, videos, and news results alongside traditional text links, requiring a more comprehensive approach to online visibility.
Holistic optimization/methodology is an all-encompassing strategy that considers a company's entire digital presence rather than individual pieces. It ensures that all digital elements work together to improve overall visibility.
Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO) The modern evolution of SEO, stemming from Universal and Holistic SEO. This strategy ensures a business is found wherever a customer asks a question or looks for a solution. It accounts for traditional search engines, AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity, business listing citations, image/video/audio, and social media discovery across the internet.
SERPs are short for search engine results pages. These are the pages that appear after typing a query into a search engine.
Queries vs. Keywords
Keywords: Specific words or phrases that a business targets in its marketing.
Queries: The actual words or phrases that a person types or speaks into a search engine or tool to find what they need.
Strategic syndication is the process of being published across a variety of respected platforms to build authority and reach. It includes success stories with organizations like NIST and Polaris MEP and involves being featured in industry-specific magazines and online media outlets. It also involves strategically using platforms like LinkedIn to share event- or trade show-related messaging.
