# AI search optimisation for NZ small businesses

People now ask ChatGPT for "a good electrician near me". AI tools recommend businesses they can check. We make you easy to check.

**Short answer:** AI search optimisation makes your business easy for ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers to find, check and name. In our experience they lean on five signals: reviews, published prices, consistent details, trusted mentions and clear service pages. On 2 Oct 2026, ChatGPT named Web Smart HQ in its top 3 for "local SEO company West Auckland". We quote after a quick look. No lock-in.

## What AI search optimisation is, in plain English

AI search optimisation, also called generative engine optimisation (GEO), is the work that helps AI tools recommend your business. You may also see it spelled "optimization". Same thing.

When someone asks an AI tool for a local business, it pulls together what it can find and trust. It reads websites, Google profiles, reviews and directories. If your details are thin, out of date or contradict each other, it picks someone else.

### How AI tools pick who to recommend

There's no secret form to fill in. These are the five signals we see again and again.

| Signal | What the AI looks for | Where it comes from |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reviews | A good rating, a decent number of reviews, recent ones | Google and other review sites |
| Published prices | A clear "from" price it can quote | Your website, in plain text |
| Consistent details | The same name, address and contact details everywhere | Your site, Google profile, directories |
| Trusted mentions | Your business named on sites it already trusts | Directories, industry bodies, local lists |
| Clear service pages | A page per service and place, with direct answers | Your website |

- **Top 3** ChatGPT, "local SEO company West Auckland" (Checked 2 Oct 2026)
- **Top 3** ChatGPT, "web designer Titirangi" (Checked 2 Oct 2026)
- **Top 3** Gemini, "web designer in Titirangi" (Checked 2 Oct 2026)

## What we change, on your site and off it

About half the work is on your website. The other half is everywhere else AI tools look.

**On your website**
- Plain-text prices and services, readable without clicking anything
- Pages for each service and each place you work
- Direct answers to the questions customers ask
- Schema, so machines can read your business details
- Settings that let AI tools read your site at all

**Off your website**
- A complete, current [Google Business Profile](https://websmarthq.com/google-business-profile/)
- A steady review habit
- Matching details across NZ directories and Bing Places
- Mentions on trusted local and industry sites

> **What we won't do** No fake "best of" lists that rank our clients first. No planting posts on forums. No fake reviews. Google treats these as spam, and AI tools are getting better at spotting them. If anyone offers "guaranteed ChatGPT rankings", walk away.

### GEO vs SEO

They overlap more than the jargon suggests.

|  | SEO | AI search (GEO) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Goal | Rank in Google's results and map pack | Get named in AI answers |
| Main signals | Pages, links, Google profile, reviews | The same, plus prices, mentions and consistency |
| What you see | A list of links | A short answer naming a few businesses |
| Overlap | Most of the work helps both | Most of the work helps both |

## Doing it yourself? Start here

You can make a real start on your own in an afternoon.

- Put a "from" price for your main services on your website, in text
- Fill in every field of your Google Business Profile
- Ask every customer for a Google review, starting with your last five
- Check your name and contact details match on Google, your site and directories
- Claim your listing on Bing Places, which some AI tools draw on
- Ask ChatGPT about your trade and town, and note who it names

## What it costs

We quote after a quick look at your business. No lock-in. If your SEO and Google profile are already in good shape, the AI work is smaller. If they're not, we start there, because that's what AI tools read. Our [SEO](https://websmarthq.com/seo/) and [local SEO](https://websmarthq.com/local-seo/) pages explain that side.

## AI search FAQ

### Can I pay ChatGPT to recommend my business?

Not inside the answer itself. There's no fee that buys a mention in what ChatGPT or Gemini writes back. Where AI tools show ads, they're labelled and kept apart from the answer. What does influence answers is what the tool can find and trust: your reviews, clear prices, consistent details and mentions on trusted sites.

### What's the difference between GEO and SEO?

SEO aims to rank your pages in Google's results and map pack. GEO, or generative engine optimisation, aims to get your business named in AI answers. They overlap a lot: both reward clear pages, a complete Google profile and real reviews. GEO adds extra weight on published prices, consistent details everywhere and mentions on sites the AI already trusts.

### How do ChatGPT and Google's AI choose which local business to recommend?

In our experience, they pull together what they can find and check. Strong signals include published prices, your Google rating and review count, and pages for each service and suburb with clear answers. Mentions on trusted lists and directories help too. If your details are thin or contradict each other, the AI tends to name someone it can verify more easily.

### How do I get ChatGPT to recommend my business myself?

Start with the basics. Put prices and services on your website in plain text. Complete your Google Business Profile and keep reviews coming. Make sure your details match everywhere, and claim Bing Places. Check your site doesn't block AI tools from reading it. Then ask ChatGPT about your trade and town each month, and note what changes.

### Is Web Smart HQ recommended by AI itself?

Yes, for the searches we checked. On 2 Oct 2026, ChatGPT named Web Smart HQ in its top 3 for "local SEO company West Auckland" and for "web designer Titirangi". Gemini named us in its top 3 for "web designer in Titirangi". AI answers change often and vary by wording and location, so treat this as a snapshot, not a promise.

### What do you change on my website and off it?

On your site: plain-text prices and services, and a page for each service and place. We add direct answers, schema, and settings that let AI tools read the site. Off your site: a complete Google Business Profile and a steady review habit. Then matching details across directories and Bing Places, and mentions on trusted sites.

### Can you guarantee my business will be mentioned?

No. Nobody controls what ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI says, and answers change from day to day. Anyone promising guaranteed AI rankings is guessing. What we can do is the work these tools seem to reward, then check the answers for your key searches and tell you what we found. That's honest, and it's checkable.

### How much does AI search optimisation cost?

We quote after a quick look at your business. No lock-in. The amount of work depends on how strong your SEO, Google profile and reviews already are. AI tools read those first, so if they need work, we start there. You'll get a fixed price and the list of work before anything starts.

## Find out what AI says about you

Send us your business name and web address. We'll check your site and Google profile and tell you what's holding you back.

[Start with a quick chat](https://websmarthq.com/contact/)

## Read next

- [Is SEO still worth it with AI?](https://websmarthq.com/guides/is-seo-still-worth-it-ai/): Where SEO and AI answers overlap, and where they don't.
- [SEO services NZ](https://websmarthq.com/seo/): The groundwork AI tools read first.
- [Our reviews](https://websmarthq.com/reviews/): Our Google reviews, word for word.

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Source: https://websmarthq.com/ai-search-optimisation/
Web Smart HQ · Titirangi, Auckland 0604, New Zealand · hello@websmarthq.com · Business Lite $499 + GST, Business Plus $899 + GST