Success Story

0.6% to 87% AI Citation Share Achieved in 30 Days

Building Topical Authority for LLM Citation Success

Challenge

Despite being a global cybersecurity leader, Fortinet had limited visibility in AI-powered search. When users asked LLMs questions like “Best cloud security solutions,” “Cloud security best practices,” or “How to secure cloud infrastructure,” Fortinet was rarely cited. Analysis showed that competitors dominated LLM responses, largely through earned media and third-party content, while Fortinet had minimal presence. This put the brand at risk of being missed during high-intent buyer research.

Client Profile

The client is a US-based global cybersecurity leader and the #1 secure networking vendor worldwide. They are known for a strong market position and a comprehensive, integrated security portfolio across network, cloud, and enterprise environments. Serving 700,000+ customers across enterprises, service providers, and government organizations, their offerings include next-gen firewalls, SD-WAN, Unified SASE, cloud security, and security operations. The company is a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader across multiple categories, with a leading share in the firewall market.

Key benefits to the Client

87%

citation share across AI search platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) within 30 days, up from 0.6%, boosting Fortinet’s AI search visibility.

Top 3

ranking in LLM citations for the cloud security category, up from #31, ensuring Fortinet is prominently cited in AI-driven buyer research.

42%

growth in direct traffic (459K → 653K) boosting visibility and engagement from target audiences across cloud security topics.

Research & Analysis

The initial research revealed that

0.6% citation share captured by Fortinet while 78.9% of cloud security AI citations came from earned media dominated by Palo Alto, CrowdStrike, and Zscaler

Fortinet had zero visibility when querying "best cloud security solutions" on ChatGPT while SentinelOne's listicles generated 3 citations per response

2 new competitor listicles were published, excluding Fortinet from "top providers" lists, threatening to cement alternative narratives in LLM training data

Critical content gaps in emerging cybersecurity themes were found (like AI Security, CIEM, DSPM, and Threat Hunting) where CheckPoint, Palo Alto, CrowdStrike established stronger topical authority

I have worked with many SEO agencies in the past but LeadWalnut stands out in terms of SEO expertise, market research, commitment, responsiveness, project management, and strict adherence to schedule.

Kent Yunk, Director of SEO

What was Done by LeadWalnut

5 Implementation Actions

Game Changer

Strategic Listicles

Published "7 Top Cloud Security Providers" and "8 Cloud Security Solutions to Watch in 2026" with dual-optimization for both Google rankings and LLM citations, positioning Fortinet prominently with market leadership data.

78.9%

earned media opportunities identified through gap analysis of SentinelOne, CM-Alliance, Marlabs, and Gartner-affiliated publications where competitors gained citations but Fortinet was absent.

emerging themes prioritized for topical authority: AI Security & Threat Detection, CIEM, DSPM, Attack Path Analysis, and Cloud Forensics with entity-first content architecture.

content formats deployed: owned listicles with comparison tables, head-to-head guides with structured data, and topical authority pieces featuring quotable statistics and citation magnets.

15+

high-DA publishers targeted through PR outreach and content syndication including tech media, security blogs, and industry publications for maximum LLM training exposure.

Performance Indicators

Fortinet now appers in AI Overviews for key cloud security phrases

ChatGPT began citing Fortinet in responses for "cloud security providers" and "cloud security solutions"

Citations in ChatGPT for cloud security recommendations

How Leadwalnut can help?

LeadWalnut is an ISO-certified enterprise SEO specialist focused on helping you to maximize rankings, traffic, and conversions from your website.

LeadWalnut uses a combination of Content Strategy, Video Marketing, and Social engagement techniques to improve web performance.

LeadWalnut builds world-class websites, creates engaging success stories, and refines key messages around offerings, and problem areas to build trust and emotional connections with prospects.