The Challenge
Way.com’s growth strategy required breaking into some of the most competitive SEO verticals, especially auto insurance, where sites like NerdWallet and Forbes dominate search results. Manual outreach wasn’t scalable, and traditional SEO couldn’t consistently deliver the backlinks needed to drive performance.
Ryan Becker, who had previously led SEO efforts at Way.com, rejoined the company to help tackle this challenge. With new product lines like insurance and repair launching, his mission was to accelerate organic growth without sacrificing efficiency or quality.
“We needed high-quality press at scale. Stacker offered a way to get real coverage and real backlinks that traditional PR or link exchanges couldn’t match.”
— Ryan Becker, VP of Growth Marketing, Way.com
The Solution
To accelerate growth in highly competitive verticals like auto insurance, Way.com turned to earned media to strengthen its robust SEO foundation. The company leveraged Stacker to gain widespread editorial coverage and earn high-authority backlinks that supported key programmatic landing pages.
In particular, Way.com used the Stacker Local add-on to create and distribute localized content at scale. These stories were strategically aligned with thousands of newly launched vertical pages targeting state- and city-level keywords. The local coverage helped build relevance and page-level authority across key markets, contributing to consistent gains in average keyword position.
Way.com has also started to see its brand surface more frequently in AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. While still emerging, referral traffic from these platforms is growing steadily, extending the value of earned media from traditional search engines to the next generation of AI-powered discovery.
How It Works
Stacker blends editorial expertise with a powerful earned media distribution engine, enabling brands to publish compelling, data-driven stories across a network of more than 4,000 trusted local and national news outlets.
With Stacker Connect, Way.com submits original stories tailored to its SEO and brand goals. Stacker’s editorial team then refines and formats each piece for broad syndication, ensuring the content meets journalistic standards and is optimized for pickup.
Way.com also activates the Stacker Local add-on to generate hyper-local stories that correspond with geographic keyword targets. This helps support deep linking to city and state-level pages, reinforcing authority across long-tail search terms.
After distribution, Way.com tracks campaign performance using Stacker’s reporting dashboard. The platform provides real-time visibility into total readership and the number of earned media pickups, helping the team quantify reach and benchmark impact at scale.
Through Connect, Way.com has been able to scale the reach of stories like High tariffs and car repairs cost: The ripple effect, which earned 391 pickups across publishers on the Newswire.
The Results
Since launching its partnership with Stacker, Way.com has seen measurable improvements across key SEO metrics and early traction in AI search environments.
✅ 30% increase in traffic to insurance landing pages linked through Stacker stories
✅ +20 position lift in average keyword ranking for competitive state- and city-level insurance terms
✅ Brand visibility gains in AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, with steady month-over-month growth in referral traffic
✅ Scalable link building to deep data pages, reducing reliance on costly or low-quality link schemes
In just a few months, Way.com went from not ranking at all for high-value insurance terms to appearing on page five or six of Google search results. That steady upward momentum is expected to continue as additional stories are published and domain authority strengthens.
“We used to be invisible for a lot of these insurance terms. Now we’re seeing consistent gains every month. Stacker has absolutely helped us move the needle.”
— Ryan Becker
Why Stacker?
For Way.com, the value of the partnership went beyond brand mentions or SEO gains. What stood out most was Stacker’s unique approach to earned media and the collaborative experience of working with the team.
- Publisher-first model: Unlike traditional PR or sponsored content platforms, Stacker partners directly with editors across its network, ensuring content gets in front of real audiences, not buried behind paywalls or labeled as ads
- Tailored collaboration: Stacker worked closely with Way.com to understand business goals, adjust distribution tactics, and continuously refine performance based on real-time data and feedback.
- Trust and consistency: From the first test pilot to today, Way.com has experienced consistent results and a high level of professionalism from the Stacker team.
“You guys have done right by me. That’s why I brought Stacker to two companies—and I’ll keep recommending it.”
— Ryan Becker
Future Outlook
Way.com plans to deepen its partnership with Stacker as it continues expanding into new verticals. Following the success of its insurance campaign, the team is preparing to launch additional local content strategies focused on high-demand areas.
With ambitious lead-generation goals tied to SEO performance, Way.com sees earned media as a key lever for sustainable growth. By continuing to align content distribution with programmatic SEO efforts, and by monitoring emerging traffic sources like AI search, the company is positioning itself for long-term success in a highly competitive space.
“For us, it’s about scaling smart. Stacker helps us move fast without cutting corners, and that’s exactly what we need to compete in these markets.”
— Ryan Becker
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