Travel SEO & AISO Case Study – BusTravel Iceland x Delante

About the Client

BusTravel Iceland is an Icelandic tour operator offering day and multi-day tours from Reykjavík, as well as seasonal shore excursions from ports across Iceland.

Operating since 1960, the company focuses on high-quality travel experiences, local expertise, and professional guides.

Its English-language tours take international travelers to some of Iceland’s most popular destinations, landscapes, and attractions.

BusTravel Icelandin numbers & facts✓Operating since 1960✓Day and multi-day tours from Reykjavík✓Seasonal shore excursions from 6 Icelandic ports✓Tours conducted in English✓International customer base

BusTravel Iceland × Delante

BusTravel Iceland came to Delante when traffic from AI was already visible in the data — but its business potential had not yet been fully captured.

Since spring 2025, AI tools had been generating 300+ sessions per month, while monthly conversions remained at around 7–14.
Users were already discovering the brand through AI. The opportunity was to make BusTravel Iceland more visible, move it higher in recommendations, and turn that growing visibility into more valuable customer actions.
The client recognized the shift in Search early. Instead of waiting for competitors to gain an advantage in AI-generated recommendations, BusTravel Iceland decided to combine SEO and AISO in one process.

After 5 months, the brand increased its Brand Score by 15%, grew its Share of Voice from 1.98% to 7.25%, and improved its average position in AI answers from 5.5 to 2.5.

Throughout the project, we supported BusTravel Iceland on the global English-speaking market, building visibility across both Google and AI platforms.

BusTravel Iceland · case AISOWhy Is This Case Unique?BusTravel Iceland did not wait until AI became an obvious customer acquisition channel. The opportunity was identified early.AI tools were already bringing 300+ sessions per month, but only 7–14 monthly conversions. The traffic existed. The business potential was still largely untapped.By combining SEO and AISO, we could work across the entire Search ecosystem — optimizing not only for Google, but also for the way travelers use ChatGPT and other AI tools to research tours, attractions, and local recommendations.Spring 2025 → TodayAI traffic / month300+→500+Conversions / month7–14→30–40The goal was clear: not just to be visible in AI, but to make that visibility more valuable for the business.

Our Goals

Overall Goal: Increase BusTravel Iceland’s visibility across Google and AI platforms, improve its position in AI-generated answers, and generate more valuable actions from organic and AI traffic.

After 3 Months: Complete key technical improvements, launch keyword and AI visibility monitoring, establish the action plan, and achieve the first measurable visibility gains.

After 6 Months: Increase organic traffic, improve rankings for priority keywords, and strengthen the brand’s presence in AI-generated recommendations.

After 12 Months: Build sustainable organic growth, strengthen brand authority, and develop Search into one of the key channels supporting business growth.

BusTravel IcelandProject timeline1 February 2026SEO + AISO partnership beginsBusTravel Iceland started working with Delante in an integrated SEO + AISO model.From the beginning, we saw strong potential: AI was already generating traffic, but it was not yet translating into a proportional number of conversions.2 First stageSEO foundations & AI monitoringWe started by strengthening SEO foundations, implementing technical improvements, monitoring priority keywords, and tracking the brand’s visibility in AI answers.We also mapped similar commercial pages to specific search intents to grow content without creating unnecessary cannibalization between URLs.3 After around 2 monthsBrand Score starts growingAfter approximately two months, BusTravel Iceland’s visibility in AI-generated answers began to grow noticeably.The trend continued over the following months, showing that onsite optimization, content, and off-site activities were collectively strengthening the brand’s presence in AI.4 After around 4 monthsShare of Voice jumpsAfter approximately four months, we recorded a clear increase in AI Share of Voice.External publications and expanded onsite content were helping BusTravel Iceland capture a larger share of visibility for priority prompts.5After 5 monthsStronger and more stable AI positionAfter 5 months, the numbers confirmed a stronger, more stable AI presence:Brand Score+15%Share of Voice1.98% → 7.25%Average AI position5.5 → 2.5Most importantly, the brand started appearing more frequently and higher in AI-generated answers, while BusTravel Iceland’s own domain became one of the most frequently cited sources for priority prompts.

BusTravel IcelandHow did we do it?1We combined SEO and AISO into one processWe did not run SEO and AI optimization as two separate projects.From the start, we treated them as one Search strategy designed to increase BusTravel Iceland’s visibility across both traditional and generative search.2We organized similar commercial pagesTravel websites naturally contain many pages covering similar destinations, tours, routes, attractions, and activities.We mapped user intent to the right URLs so that individual pages could strengthen each other instead of competing for the same searches.3We expanded onsite contentContent became one of the key parts of the process.We developed and optimized information that helps both search engines and AI models clearly understand BusTravel Iceland’s offer, expertise, locations, and relevance to specific traveler needs.This increased the brand’s chances of appearing for high-value travel queries.4We strengthened the brand with external publicationsAt the same time, we built BusTravel Iceland’s authority beyond its own website.External publications supported traditional SEO while also expanding the digital footprint AI models can use when understanding and recommending the brand.5We monitored the brand’s position in AITraffic alone does not show whether a brand is winning in AI Search.That is why we monitored: Brand Score AI Share of Voice Average position in AI-generated answers Cited sources AI traffic Key eventsThis allowed us to measure whether BusTravel Iceland was simply being mentioned — or becoming one of the brands AI was more likely to recommend.

Results

After 5 months, BusTravel Iceland achieved consistent growth across AI visibility and the quality of traffic coming from ChatGPT.

Brand Score Increased by 15%

Wykres liniowy "Brand Score & Visibility" pokazujący wzrost wskaźnika marki z około 40% do 60% oraz wahania widoczności na poziomie 10-20% w okresie od marca do sierpnia.

BusTravel Iceland strengthened its overall presence across the monitored AI ecosystem.

Share of Voice Increased From 1.98% to 7.25%

Wykres liniowy "Share of Voice over time" pokazujący udział marki BusTravel, który utrzymuje się na stałym poziomie ok. 2-3% od marca do połowy czerwca, po czym wzrasta, osiągając szczyt ponad 10% na przełomie czerwca i lipca, by utrzymać się w przedziale 6-9% do sierpnia.

The brand captured a significantly larger share of visibility compared with competitors across priority AI prompts.

BusTravel Iceland Became the 10th Most Frequently Cited Source

The client’s own domain became the 10th most frequently cited source across the priority prompts included in our monitoring.

AI platforms were not only mentioning BusTravel Iceland more often — they were increasingly using the company’s own website as a source.

Average AI Position Improved From 5.5 to 2.5

BusTravel Iceland moved significantly closer to the top of AI-generated recommendations. For travelers asking AI to recommend tours and operators in Iceland, this increased the brand’s chances of being considered during the decision-making process.

Key Events From ChatGPT Increased by 325.5% YoY

Most importantly, stronger AI visibility translated into measurable customer actions. The number of key events generated by users coming from ChatGPT increased by 325.5% year over year.

Business impactWhat did these results mean for the business?The goal was never simply to generate more AI mentions.We wanted to make BusTravel Iceland more visible at the moments when potential customers were researching, comparing, and choosing tours — and make that visibility deliver measurable value.After 5 monthsMonthly AI sessions300+→500+Monthly conversions from AI traffic7–14→30–40Average position in AI answers5.5→2.5lower = betterAI Share of Voice1.98%→7.25%Key events from ChatGPT+325.5%year over yearBusTravel Iceland was no longer simply receiving more AI traffic.More potential customers were finding the brand, seeing it higher in recommendations, visiting the website, and taking valuable actions.For an international tourism business, this means becoming more competitive at a new stage of the customer journey — before a traveler even reaches the website.

From the Client’s Perspective

We knew AI was beginning to have a growing impact on how travelers search for information and choose tours. We wanted a partner who would not treat AISO as an addition to SEO, but would help us build visibility across both areas at the same time. After several months, we can see that BusTravel Iceland appears more frequently and higher in AI answers, while traffic from ChatGPT is starting to have a real business impact.

AI Can Drive Traffic. But Being Recommended Is What Drives Business

Getting traffic from AI does not automatically mean a brand is capturing the full potential of the channel. BusTravel Iceland was already generating 300+ monthly sessions from AI tools before the project started, but conversions remained relatively low.

What changed was the brand’s competitive position. By combining SEO, AISO, content, and off-site activities, we helped BusTravel Iceland move higher in AI-generated answers, increase its Share of Voice, and turn stronger visibility into more valuable customer actions. For international travel brands, this is becoming increasingly important. Travelers are already asking AI which destinations to visit, what tours to book, what attractions to see, and which local operators to choose.

If your competitors are being recommended and your brand is not, you may lose the customer before they ever reach your website.

How We Turned AI Visibility Into Business Growth for BusTravel Iceland in 5 Months

Industry

CMS

Services provided under the project

Challenge

Solution