Hartwig
Challenge
Hartwig knows precision. They’ve spent 60+ years helping aerospace, medical and automotive manufacturers get CNC machining right for their unique business needs. But Google started manufacturing a different kind of problem for Hartwig. AI search summaries began answering technical questions without ever sending users to websites, and most companies in this sector watched their organic traffic drop 25%, or worse, as zero-click searches became the norm. Hartwig needed to up their visibility for their complex automation solutions and precision equipment in a market where the rules kept changing with every algorithm update. The challenge: staying visible when search engines started answering questions without directing anyone to actual websites.
client
Hartwig
INDUSTRY
Manufacturing & Industrial
SERVICES
Marketing strategy
Creative direction & design
Digital marketing
Branding
Solution
1905 New Media treated their SEO like they treat machining — precise, strategic and built to last. Instead of chasing traffic numbers, we created content worth clicking through. We built a content foundation strong enough to weather Google’s constant algorithm changes while keeping visitors engaged with information they actually needed. Every page served a purpose in the bigger strategy. The team optimized brand pages for high-intent searches, adding FAQ sections for equipment, including Okuma machines, Sodick systems, and automation solutions. We helped position Hartwig as the authority on CNC equipment.
Results
While competitors averaged a 25% traffic loss, Hartwig’s organic search traffic dropped just 4.3% year over year. We doubled their top 10 Google rankings from 37 to 72 keywords in one year and secured five #1 positions by September 2025. Organic search now drives more than 50% of all leads with a 63.6% engagement rate. Contact inquiries rose year over year from 375 to 389 in September, but the impact shows up in lead quality rather than raw numbers. People finding Hartwig through search are ready to have real conversations about equipment and solutions. We helped the client present this data to their company management in a refreshed branded PowerPoint, which they will be able to repurpose for future customer presentations.
“For the first time, I had the level of SEO and traffic insight I needed to present our marketing performance with real confidence. We had not just improved our visibility, but more importantly, our leads — both in quantity and quality.”
Doug W.
MARKETING MANAGER
