What SEO and GEO mean in mechanical engineering
In mechanical engineering, buying decisions take a long time. Engineers and buyers research thoroughly, compare technical data and, more and more often, ask not only Google but AI assistants as well.
SEO: being found when engineers search
Search engine optimisation makes sure your website appears at the top of Google when someone searches for your products or solutions. In mechanical engineering these are often very specific queries with little volume – but behind them are projects with a high order value.
GEO: being named when AI assistants answer
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization: optimising so that ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot or Google’s AI answers know and recommend your company. AI assistants prefer to name providers whose websites are clearly structured and deliver verifiable facts.
YASDA and WAGEMUT: working together since 2020
YASDA is a Japanese manufacturer of high-precision machine tools. We met in July 2020, more or less by chance: YASDA and we had our offices in the same building. Sebastian stepped outside for a short cigarette break and ran into Shō. After a few brief conversations, the order for the redesign of the corporate website for Europe and Germany came at the end of August.
The goal was clear from the start: the YASDA brand should become better known in Germany and Europe and stand for absolutely top quality.
How we optimised the YASDA website for engineers
The new site went live in February 2021 after a short beta phase. The main requirement: four target groups, each addressed individually – by number and orientation of axes, by industry and by model designation. Since then we have expanded the site steadily and, above all, optimised the product pages for the different engineer personas.
Mother Machine: owning a term through content marketing
In Japan, machine tools are called mother machines because they produce the parts for all other machines. For EMO 2023 we turned that into a campaign and, from 2024, established the term in Europe through content marketing. Today YASDA appears on the first page of Google for “mother machine”.
EMO as the growth engine
Whenever EMO comes around – the world’s leading trade fair for machine tools – we accompany YASDA from April to September, twice with 3D presentation films produced specifically for the exhibition stand. In those phases the website brought in leads from all over the world, far beyond the DACH region and Europe. A single timelapse film we produced for YASDA even sold a machine directly.
Plus 200 percent revenue in Europe
Since 2020, YASDA’s revenue in Europe has grown by 200 percent. Of course that is not down to the website alone – behind it are outstanding machines and the work of the YASDA team. But website, content marketing and trade fairs made sure the right people find YASDA and get in touch.
Why the YASDA website is being rebuilt again in 2026
Despite this success, we are rebuilding the YASDA website from scratch in 2026. The current site has built a lot of trust and brought in many enquiries, but two things have changed: across the industries, which sectors generate how much revenue is shifting noticeably. And we see a shift from user-centred to product-centred design.
For YASDA this means: every machine gets a page that stands on its own and delivers so much verifiable information that search engines and AI assistants can understand and cite it. Together with YASDA’s management in Germany we are implementing this right now – in time before preparations for the next EMO begin in April 2027.
What you can take away for your own website
Three things made the difference at YASDA. The website addresses different target groups specifically instead of showing everyone the same thing. Product pages are complete front doors, because many visitors never see the home page. And website, content and trade fair are planned together, so the attention from the fair arrives on the website.
Good to know: SEO and GEO in mechanical engineering
How long does it take for SEO to work in mechanical engineering?
First effects usually show after a few months, but sustainable growth only comes over years. We have been developing the YASDA website continuously since 2021.
How do I find out whether my company shows up in AI answers?
Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Copilot directly for providers in your field and see whether you are named. For a well-founded assessment we offer a free check of your AI visibility: in 30 minutes we look together at how your company appears in AI answers.