MBMI Metal Buildings is a Florida-based seller of steel and metal buildings with a national market. This case study covers two results: a first national number one for “Steel Buildings” and “Metal Buildings”, and what Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data and AI engines showed as of October 15, 2026. It also says plainly that organic search sessions were lower in the latest 12 months.
By Donnie Strompf. Updated October 2026.
What the business is
MBMI sells steel and metal buildings from Florida to a national market. Donnie identifies “Steel Buildings” and “Metal Buildings” as the two keywords where MBMI reached national number one.
This page uses Donnie’s account of that ranking, GA4 data for MBMI’s site, and AI answers checked on a stated date.
The situation
The ranking is a past result. Donnie describes it this way:
“MBMI was my first national number one, for ‘Steel Buildings’ and ‘Metal Buildings’, and it took 12 to 16 months.”
Donnie Strompf, founder
The 12 to 16 months is how long the two keywords took to reach number one. It says nothing about traffic or sales, and it does not establish where MBMI ranks today. This page has no dated rank check, and it gives no year for the ranking because the records we hold do not include one.
Organic search sessions to MBMI’s site fell. They were lower in the 12 months to October 14, 2026 than in the 12 months before (GA4). The engagement rate of those organic visits rose, on a smaller number of visits. The page gives the direction and leaves the counts out.
What was done
The two services that describe this kind of work are SEO services and AEO services. SEO is the service aimed at rankings and organic search visits. AEO is the service aimed at answers from AI engines such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. Donnie leads SEO strategy. On the SEO service, you approve every page before it goes live.
The records we hold do not tie the AI figures below to a set of engagement dates, so this page does not say that any action produced them. Read them as observations, each with its range or date.
What the numbers show
Each GA4 row is a date range. Each answer row is one dated check.
| Metric | Earlier range | Later range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic search sessions | 12 months to Oct 14, 2025: higher | 12 months to Oct 14, 2026: lower | GA4 |
| Sessions from AI engines | No earlier six-month figure published | 209, six months to Oct 14, 2026 | GA4 |
| Key events from AI engines | No earlier six-month figure published | 12, six months to Oct 14, 2026 | GA4, key events as configured in the site’s GA4 |
| ChatGPT answer to a buyer prompt | None published | Named MBMI first, Oct 15, 2026 | Saved ChatGPT answer |
| Perplexity answer to a buyer prompt | None published | Named MBMI first, Oct 15, 2026 | Saved Perplexity answer |
The prompt asked about buying a pre-engineered metal building in Florida, so it speaks to a Florida buyer question and not to national rankings. On October 15, 2026, ChatGPT and Perplexity both named MBMI first. Both answers come from that one day. The page carries no revenue, order or lead figures, and no ranking history by date.
In GA4, MBMI’s site recorded 209 sessions and 12 key events from AI engines in the six months to October 14, 2026. Of the client sites we track, MBMI recorded the most AI-engine sessions in those six months. The local SEO, Google Ads and AI search statistics page has outside benchmarks if you want to put 209 in context.
The ranking account is historical, the organic line fell in the latest 12 months, and the AI figures come from a third source: a six-month GA4 range and dated answers.
What an owner in the same industry can take from it
- Compare rankings, organic sessions and AI-engine sessions as separate lines, and ask what each report counts. GA4’s Traffic acquisition report lets you set two date ranges and split sessions by channel and by source.
- Ask any agency for the start and end dates of a past national ranking project, not only the headline. Donnie’s own figure for two keywords is 12 to 16 months, which describes one project and is not a promise.
- Run buyer-style prompts in ChatGPT and Perplexity yourself, write down the date, the exact wording and the engine, and save the answer. A dated answer can be checked later and an undated one cannot.
For a second national project with its own data, see the XO private jet case study.
Price for this kind of work
Our SEO fee is $1,000 to $1,600 a month, rising to about $3,500 a month in competitive markets. AEO is $950 to $2,000 a month when it runs alongside SEO. Prices reviewed October 2026. These are today’s published ranges and say nothing about what MBMI pays or paid. Every service is on the pricing page, and the SEO cost guide covers what changes the price.
FAQ
Does this case study say your work caused the AI results?
No. The records we hold give dates and counts for the AI figures, not the dates of the engagement for that period. So the page reports what was recorded and attributes nothing to a specific action, ours or anyone else’s.
Is MBMI still number one for those keywords?
This page does not say. Donnie’s quote is an account of a past result, and no dated rank check is shown here. If current position matters to you, ask for a rank report with a date on it, from any agency, before you rely on a number-one claim.
Is there a longer view of AI-assistant traffic to MBMI’s site?
Yes, on a 12-month grouping. AI assistants sent MBMI’s site 128 sessions in the 12 months to October 14, 2026. In the 12 months before, they sent none. GA4 counts 116 of them as engaged sessions. It attributes 6 key events to them, as configured in the site’s GA4. Treat it as separate from the six-month figure.
Why does a number-one case study show lower organic sessions?
Because the two measure different things. Donnie’s quote covers two keywords reaching number one. GA4’s organic sessions count search visits to the whole site. This page reports both and does not say why organic sessions fell, because the records we hold give no cause.
Next step
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