NEW — Generative Engine Optimisation

Be the answer
AI tools give.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity "who's the best SEO agency in NZ?" — is your business the answer? GEO makes sure it is. No other NZ agency offers this at the SME price point.

Start GEO from $749/mo

Around 1 in 5 Google searches now trigger an AI-generated answer — and that number is growing rapidly.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of making your business visible in the answers generated by AI tools — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, Gemini, and Claude. These tools don't just list links; they give direct answers, and they cite specific businesses by name.

Traditional SEO gets you ranked in Google's blue links. GEO gets you named when someone asks an AI "what's the best [your service] in [your area]?" — which is increasingly how buying decisions start, especially among younger and tech-forward customers.

The window to get ahead is right now. Most NZ businesses haven't started thinking about GEO yet. That means there's a real first-mover advantage available for businesses willing to move early. Mahi Digital is the only agency in NZ offering GEO at the SME price point.

How AI tools decide who to cite

AI search engines pull from: structured data (schema markup), content that directly answers questions, authoritative mentions across the web, consistent entity information (name, address, phone, description), and conversational FAQ-format content. GEO is the practice of systematically optimising all of these signals.

~40%
of Google searches now trigger an AI-generated answer
Limited
NZ agencies offering AI Search (GEO) specifically packaged for SMEs
4–8 wks
Typical time to see improved AI search visibility
$749
Per month including GEO foundation — Authority plan

The GEO stack — every signal AI tools look for.

🏗️

Schema Markup & Structured Data

We implement and maintain the JSON-LD schema that tells AI tools exactly who you are, what you do, where you operate, and what customers say about you. This is the foundation every GEO strategy is built on.

✍️

Prompt-Intent Content

We create content specifically designed to answer the questions people ask AI tools — FAQ pages, service descriptions, and comparison content written in the natural language AI engines are trained to pull from.

🔗

Entity Optimisation

AI tools build a picture of your business from mentions across the web. We strengthen your "entity" — making sure your name, category, location, and services are consistent and authoritative everywhere AI tools look.

📡

AI Citation Monitoring

On the AI-First plan, we actively monitor whether your business is being cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI responses. Monthly reporting shows your AI visibility score and how it's trending.

🤖

Crawler Access Management

We ensure all major AI crawlers — GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and others — can access your site. Many NZ websites accidentally block them through misconfigured robots.txt settings.

📄

llms.txt Implementation

The emerging standard for AI-readable site summaries. We create and maintain your llms.txt file — a plain-language summary of your business written specifically for AI systems to consume and cite.

GEO questions, answered plainly.

Is GEO the same as SEO?
No — they're related but different. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) focuses on ranking in Google's traditional search results — the blue links. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) focuses on appearing in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. You need both. Good GEO typically builds on a solid SEO foundation, which is why our Authority and AI-First plans include both.
Does GEO work for local service businesses, or just big brands?
It works extremely well for local businesses — arguably better than for big brands right now. When someone asks ChatGPT 'who's the best plumber in Napier?' or 'recommend a café in Hawke's Bay', AI tools are looking for specific, locally authoritative answers. A well-optimised local business can get cited far more consistently than a national chain that hasn't done the work.
How do you measure GEO success?
On our AI-First plan, we run monthly visibility checks across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Gemini using prompts relevant to your category and location. We track whether your business is cited, how often, and in what context. We include this in your monthly report alongside traditional SEO metrics.
How long does GEO take to show results?
Faster than traditional SEO. Most clients see their first AI citations appear within 4–8 weeks of us implementing schema markup and publishing GEO-optimised content. AI tools re-index content more frequently than traditional search, so changes can show up relatively quickly.
What if I already rank well on Google — do I still need GEO?
Yes. Ranking in Google's blue links and being cited in AI answers are completely separate. A business that ranks #1 on Google for a search term may not appear at all in ChatGPT answers for the same query — and vice versa. As AI search grows, having both signals covered becomes increasingly important.

Ready to show up in AI search?

Get cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI — before your competitors figure this out.