What is GEO? How to Get Your NZ Business Found by AI Search

The way people search for products and services is changing. AI is no longer only working behind the scenes in a search algorithm. It is increasingly producing the answer itself, combining information from multiple sources and presenting a useful summary before the user visits a website.

Google’s AI Overviews now appear on roughly a third of the desktop queries tracked by Semrush. At the same time, some search categories are seeing zero-click rates approach 70%, meaning users increasingly get what they need without visiting another website. Traditional search and AI search are converging, rapidly moving us from the “clicked web” towards the “cited web.”

For New Zealand businesses, that means visibility is no longer only about ranking in a list of links. It is also about becoming a trusted source that search engines and AI tools can understand, reference and recommend.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of making your online information easier for AI-assisted search tools to find, interpret and reference when they generate an answer. You may also see related terms such as Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), AI Engine Optimisation (AIO) and generative search optimisation.

Traditional SEO aims to help a page appear prominently in search results. GEO also considers whether the information on that page is clear, specific and well-supported enough to be used in an AI-generated response. The goal is not to manipulate an AI model or guarantee a recommendation. It is to make your business a credible, accessible source.

The platforms most relevant to NZ businesses currently include Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot.

SEO and GEO are converging

SEO and GEO are not competing strategies. Good GEO starts with many of the same foundations as good SEO: crawlable pages, useful information, clear structure, reputable mentions and a technically sound website. The difference is in how the information may be surfaced and measured.

Five practical GEO tactics for NZ businesses

1. Write the answer first

People often ask AI search tools complete questions rather than short keyword phrases. Your pages should answer those real customer questions directly, then provide the useful detail underneath.

If you hire VR equipment for corporate events, a page that only says “headsets available” leaves important questions unanswered. A more useful page explains the available equipment, suitable group sizes, service areas, setup requirements and what affects the price. If you cannot publish a fixed price, explain the variables and give a realistic starting point or quote process.

2. Use accurate structured data

Schema markup is machine-readable code that can help compatible search systems interpret details such as your organisation, location, services and opening hours. LocalBusiness, Organisation, Service and Article schema can all be appropriate when they accurately describe visible page content.

Schema supports machine readability, but it does not guarantee a ranking, citation or recommendation. It works best when the information in the code matches what visitors can see and what reputable third-party profiles say about the business.

3. Publish specific, supportable information

Generic claims such as “we provide the best service” give a search system very little to work with. Specific information is more useful: where you operate, which problems you solve, how your process works, what a customer should prepare and what makes one option suitable for a particular situation.

Original research, case-study outcomes and relevant statistics can strengthen a page when the methodology or source is clear. A controlled GEO study found that adding relevant statistics and credible citations improved its source-visibility measures, but that does not translate into a guaranteed real-world uplift for every business. Accuracy and usefulness matter more than adding impressive-looking numbers.

4. Keep your business details consistent

Search and AI systems compare information across your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles and business directories. An old phone number on one listing or conflicting addresses across profiles can create uncertainty.

Use the same official business name, phone number, address or service area, opening hours and core service descriptions wherever practical. For a local IT company, for example, clearly distinguish workshop repairs, on-site support and remote assistance rather than expecting a system to infer the difference.

5. Use questions and headings where they help people

Descriptive headings and concise question-and-answer sections make a page easier to scan and can make individual answers easier to extract. That does not mean every page should be padded with FAQs, or that a particular heading level is an AI ranking factor.

Use FAQs for genuine customer questions: pricing, service areas, booking requirements, turnaround times, guarantees and what happens next. Each answer should be useful on its own while fitting naturally into the wider page.

How to check your AI search visibility

Asking ChatGPT or Perplexity once can provide a useful spot check, but it is not a complete visibility audit. Generated results can change with the wording of the question, the platform, model updates, location, date and follow-up context.

A more defensible check uses a documented set of prompts across several platforms. Include branded questions, non-branded service searches and local customer scenarios. Repeat important prompts and record:

• whether your business is mentioned;
• how accurately your services and location are described;
• which web sources are cited;
• which competitors appear; and
• which useful questions your current pages fail to answer.

This creates a baseline you can revisit after improving your site and business profiles. AI visibility is still an evolving field, so treat the results as directional rather than a fixed score.

What GEO does not guarantee

No agency can honestly guarantee that ChatGPT, Google or Perplexity will cite a particular business. These systems use changing indexes, ranking processes and generated responses that website owners do not control.

Good GEO improves the quality, clarity and accessibility of the information available about your business. Those improvements can support conventional search visibility, AI-assisted discovery and customer confidence even when a specific AI citation does not appear.

Frequently asked questions

A practical place to start

Start with the pages that describe your most important services. Make sure each one clearly explains who the service is for, where it is available, what it includes, what affects the cost and what the customer should do next. Then review your structured data, business profiles and third-party listings for accuracy.

BuildAI includes SEO and GEO foundations in the websites we create for New Zealand businesses. Our free AI Opportunity Audit can assess your current content, technical setup and visibility across major AI search tools, then identify the improvements most likely to be useful.

About the author: Nikolai Janetzke is the founder of BuildAI.nz. He develops practical websites, AI systems and automation workflows for New Zealand businesses.

Data note: AI Overview prevalence and zero-click estimates vary by dataset, market, device, query category and measurement method. The figures above are directional and deliberately scoped. Sources include Semrush Sensor and Similarweb search research.