Fortinet's AI Search Visibility Transformation: From 0.6% Citation Share to Featured Positions Across LLM Platforms

Executive Summary

Despite holding 50% of the global firewall market share and serving 700,000+ customers worldwide, Fortinet faced near-invisibility in AI-powered search platforms with only 0.6% citation share. Through strategic analysis and rapid content deployment, LeadWalnut helped Fortinet achieve featured positions across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Page 1 Google rankings within weeks.

Key Results:

• Starting citation share: 0.6% (ranked #31)
• Achieved Page 1 Google rankings for target keywords
• Featured in Google AI Overviews for primary keywords
• Fortinet now cited in ChatGPT responses for cloud security queries
• Top 3 positions across major AI search platforms

Client Background

Fortinet is a US-based global cybersecurity leader and the #1 secure networking vendor worldwide. As a publicly traded company (S&P 500, NASDAQ-100) with $6 billion in revenue and a $60B+ market cap, Fortinet serves over 700,000 customers across enterprises, service providers, and government organizations.

The Challenge: A Digital Visibility Crisis

A comprehensive AI search analysis revealed a critical gap between Fortinet's market leadership and its digital visibility. LeadWalnut identified two distinct scenarios requiring immediate attention:

Scenario 1: Existing High-Quality Content Going Unnoticed

Despite having comprehensive, well-researched pages like the SD-WAN vs MPLS comparison, these resources were completely invisible in AI-powered search results. The challenge wasn't content quality—it was content structure. LLMs weren't recognizing or citing existing Fortinet content because it lacked the specific formatting, schema markup, and conversational frameworks that AI models prioritize.

Page: SD-WAN vs MPLS Comparison 

Scenario 2: Complete Category Invisibility in Cloud Security

Fortinet faced a more systemic problem in the cloud security category—near-total absence from AI search results when users asked about cloud security solutions, best practices, or provider recommendations.

AI Search Citation Analysis:

• Fortinet citation share: 0.6% (ranked #31)
• Completely absent from "Best Cloud Security Solutions" ChatGPT responses
• 78.9% of all citations came from earned media sources where Fortinet had minimal presence

Platform-Specific Visibility Gaps:

The Escalating Threat (October 29, 2025)

The situation intensified when content monitoring detected two new competitor listicles claiming "top cloud security providers" status—neither mentioned Fortinet:

"10 Best Cybersecurity Solutions for 2025" by SentinelOne

"5 Cloud Security Providers for 2025" by SentinelOne

The Critical Stakes

With 80% of enterprise buyers getting answers directly from AI summaries without clicking through to websites, invisibility in AI search meant:

Exclusion from buyer consideration sets

Competitors controlling the narrative

Market leadership being redefined by content, not actual market share

The Analysis: Understanding the Gap

LeadWalnut conducted a multi-platform analysis to understand exactly where and why Fortinet was losing visibility.

Three Critical Gaps Identified:

1. Earned Media Presence

• Minimal inclusion in third-party tech publications
• These sources accounted for 78.9% of all citations
• Competitors dominated mentions on high-authority sites
• Even when mentioned, Fortinet was cited far less frequently than competitors

2. Owned Listicle Content

• Zero Fortinet-authored comparative content existed
• No controlled narrative about market positioning
• Absence of structured content that LLMs prefer to cite
• No comparison frameworks enabling AI citations

3. Topical Authority Gaps

• Limited coverage in emerging themes:
  
  1. CIEM (Cloud Identity & Entitlement Management)
  2. DSPM (Data Security Posture Management)
  3. AI security and threat detection
  4. Attack Path Analysis
  5. Cloud threat hunting & forensics
• Competitors had established semantic leadership in these areas

The Solution: Dual-Track Optimization Approach

Use Case 1: Existing Page Optimization (SD-WAN vs MPLS)

Challenge: Despite being a comprehensive resource, the SD-WAN vs MPLS comparison page was completely invisible in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT responses.

Page: SD-WAN vs MPLS Comparison

Implementation:

1. H1 restructuring with "How-To" framework (LLMs prioritize problem-solving content)
2. Schema markup for better AI parsing
3. Real-world use case section additions
4. "How to Choose" problem-solving framework
5. FAQ enhancement in conversational tone
6. Comparison table demonstrating key differences

Results (Within 3 Weeks):

• Now appearing in Google AI Overviews
• Ranking on Google's first page for target query
• Getting cited in ChatGPT responses

Use Case 2: Category Visibility Improvement (Cloud Security)

Strategic Response Framework:

1. Strengthen Earned Media Presence

• Analysis showed 78.9% of citations came from earned media, where Fortinet had only 0.6% citation share
• Recommendation: Expand content outreach to high-authority third-party tech media and collaborate with PR/SEO teams to ensure product mentions

2. Develop Fortinet-Owned Listicle Content

• Competitor SentinelOne appeared multiple times through listicle articles like "10 Best Cybersecurity Solutions for 2025" and "5 Cloud Security Providers for 2025."
• Created strategic listicles for Fortinet: "Top 10 Cloud Security Platforms for 2025" and "7 Leading Cloud Security Providers for Enterprise Defense"
• Strategically include Fortinet alongside peers, ensuring cross-category keyword coverage while controlling narrative and backlink structure.
• Promote this content through high-DA publishers to attract citation from LLM crawlers and SEO engines.

3. Build Topical Authority

• Addressed content gaps in AI Security & Threat Detection, CIEM, DSPM, Attack Path Analysis, and Cloud Threat Hunting

Technical Implementation

SEO Optimization:

• Primary keywords in H1/H2 hierarchy
• Comparison tables for scanning
• FAQ sections with answer snippets
• Schema markup (Article, ListItem, Organization structured data)
• Mobile-first architecture and Core Web Vitals compliance

GEO (AI Search) Optimization:

• Structured data tables that LLMs parse efficiently
• Citation magnets: quotable statistics with verifiable sources
• Conversational query matching for natural language processing
• Authority signals: Gartner recognition, customer counts, satisfaction scores
• Clear hierarchies and direct answer formats

The Results: Market Position Reclaimed

Immediate Impact (First 7 Days)

Search Rankings:

• Both articles achieved Page 1 Google positions within 7 days
• Page 1 rankings maintained for "cloud security providers"
• Page 1 rankings maintained for "cloud security solutions"
• Featured in AI Overviews for both primary keywords

ChatGPT Visibility:

• ChatGPT began citing Fortinet in initial responses
• Fortinet now appears in citations for "top 5 cloud solution providers"
• Featured in responses citing the "7 Leading Cloud Security Providers for Enterprise Defense" article

Sustained Results:

• Currently featured on Google's Page 1 search results
• Featured in AI Overviews for both keywords
• Cited in LLM responses on ChatGPT for target search phrases
• Maintained visibility across all monitored platforms

The LeadWalnut Approach

1. Proactive Content Intelligence

• Daily SERP monitoring across Google and AI platforms
• Weekly LLM response analysis (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude)
• Real-time competitor content tracking

2. Dual-Optimization Expertise

• Traditional SEO mastery combined with GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
• Strategies that win in both paradigms
• LLM-friendly content architecture

3. Rapid Response Capability

• Pre-built frameworks for immediate deployment
• 48-72 hour content production for critical threats
• Fast approval cycles through established trust

Client Testimonial

"LeadWalnut doesn't just do SEO—they protect our entire digital presence. When competitors attempted to erase us from AI search results, they had a response live in days, not weeks. The speed and precision of the response protected not just our search rankings, but our position as a market leader." - Kent Yunk, Director of SEO, Fortinet

The Bottom Line

This case study demonstrates that AI search visibility isn't determined by market position alone—it requires:

✓ Strategic content architecture that LLMs prefer to cite
✓ Proactive monitoring to detect threats early
✓ Rapid response capabilities to act within days, not weeks
✓ Deep understanding of how LLMs process and prioritize information
✓ Dual optimization for both traditional and AI search

For Fortinet, this meant reclaiming their rightful position as a cloud security leader in the channels where enterprise buyers make decisions. For the industry, it established a new standard for protecting brand visibility in the AI-powered search era.

Ready to Protect Your Brand Visibility?

In the AI search era, being the market leader isn't enough—you need to be visible where buyers are looking. Contact LeadWalnut to build your content intelligence system and rapid response framework through specialized GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) services.

Key Questions to Consider:

• What is your current citation share in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews?
• Are competitors appearing in AI search results while you're invisible?
• How quickly can you respond when competitor content threatens your visibility?
• Do you have a dual-optimization strategy for traditional and AI search?

The cost of invisibility is exclusion from buyer consideration sets. The cost of delay is letting competitors establish citation precedence.

Explore LeadWalnut’s B2B SaaS GEO Optimization Services to secure your position in the AI-powered search era, or contact LeadWalnut today for a custom strategy.