Using AI To Support AKM & Birds’ SEO Strategy
AKM Steels is a trusted stockholder of high-quality tool steel for the engineering industry. What really sets them apart is their exclusive trading relationship with Doerrenberg in Germany, giving customers access to premium materials that aren’t widely available elsewhere.
Behind AKM is their parent company, Bird Stainless – a friendly, family-run business with over 35 years of experience. Bird specialises in precision-ground stainless steel long bar and serves both UK and international markets. Together, the two businesses give customers the best of both worlds: tool steels and one of the UK’s strongest “ready-to-ship” stainless steel stockholdings, complete with in-house cutting and grinding.
Our relationship with Bird Stainless and AKM began back in 2021 and by 2023, it was clear their old websites weren’t keeping up with the professionalism and expertise of the businesses, so we worked with them to redevelop both sites. The move away from clunky pagebuilder templates to a bespoke multisite solution gave them a digital presence that finally matched the quality of their products and service.
Stats
Approx traffic growth (SE Ranking)
After the site launch, traffic saw a slight dip due to the natural impact of migration and the removal of outdated content that no longer reflected their services. However, performance quickly recovered and has continued to grow since, with AI-driven traffic beginning to build momentum at the start of 2025.
Back in June 2021, the site ranked for around 400 keywords. Today, that figure has doubled to over 800, with approximately 155 of these holding top 3 positions.
Strategy
The SEO strategy for both sites follows the same principles but the content is tailored to each audience and what they’re searching for online.
One key step was adding technical information directly onto the relevant product pages. In the past, AKM had kept this detail hidden away in downloadable PDFs, but we recognised that users were actively searching for it. By consolidating everything on a single page for each steel grade, we made the information more accessible while also improving search visibility.
We also enhanced page content and user experience by introducing product-specific FAQs. This means users can find the answers they need without clicking around the site or heading back to search results, while search engines benefit from the added context – helping the pages rank for a broader range of keywords.
Finally, we carried out targeted link-building activities. This involved making sure content was published in a shareable format and submitting the sites to relevant industry directories and websites. We also looked at where competitor sites had gained backlinks, ensuring AKM and Birds were listed in the same places to strengthen their authority.
AI Visibility
As a technical industry, AI overviews are dominant in their target search results, especially for steel grade comparisons and questions their users have. As we shift towards more and more AI features in search, it becomes less about traditional rankings and traffic and more about visibility.
Good organic visibility generally correlates with good AI visibility. For example, one of AKM’s top-performing blog posts is a tool steel comprehensive guide. As this piece already ranks well, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing it appearing in more of Google’s AI overview links.
Need Help?
Throughout all our SEO strategies we implement we take a holistic approach – rather than focusing on one area in isolation, we ensure every tactic works hand-in-hand with your wider marketing strategy. This joined-up approach delivers stronger visibility, more consistent results, and long-term growth for our clients.
If you’d like support aligning your SEO with your overall marketing strategy, get in touch via our contact form – we’d love to explore how we can work together.
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