# AI search optimisation agencies in New Zealand. URL: https://levystreet.com/compare/ai-search-optimisation-agencies-nz/ Updated: 2026-10-19 An AEO agency NZ guide: who offers AI search optimisation, what each agency publishes, prices and guarantees, and what no one can promise. October 2026. ## Short answer New Zealand agencies offering AI search optimisation (AEO or GEO) include MOGGED Digital (Wellington, part of Levy Street), Pure SEO and First Page NZ (Auckland), Kia Ora Digital (Queenstown), Vanguard 86 (New Plymouth) and hairyLemon (Christchurch). Choose one that measures AI mentions, citations and enquiries separately and promises work, not placement: Google, OpenAI and Microsoft all say inclusion is not guaranteed. - Google says optimising for its generative AI search features is still SEO, with no special markup required. - Google, OpenAI and Microsoft Bing each say appearing in AI answers or results is not guaranteed. - Choosing rule: pick an agency that tracks mentions, citations and enquiries separately and promises work, not placement. - Of the twelve agencies listed, only Vanguard 86 publishes AEO prices: ballpark from $2,500 a month. - MOGGED Digital, part of Levy Street, includes AI search readiness in every SEO plan. AI search optimisation, also called answer engine optimisation (AEO) or generative engine optimisation (GEO), is work to make a business the source AI assistants name or cite when people ask about its field. In New Zealand it is sold mostly by SEO agencies, which fits: the search companies say it is largely the same work. Levy Street wrote this guide. MOGGED Digital, listed first, is part of Levy Street, so we have a direct interest in this market. Every other agency's details come from its own website, checked on 20 October 2026. No agency paid to be included. If something here is wrong or out of date, [tell us](/contact/) and we will fix it. ## How AEO and GEO differ from SEO Less than the new names suggest. Google's guidance says that, from its perspective, optimising for generative AI search is still SEO, that no special schema.org markup is needed and that Google Search ignores llms.txt files. Microsoft says Bing and Copilot rely on "the same core crawling, indexing, and ranking foundation as traditional search". OpenAI says a site must allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler to be eligible for ChatGPT search. | Aspect | Traditional SEO | AI search optimisation | |---|---|---| | Goal | Rank pages in search results | Be named, cited or linked in AI answers | | Main work | Crawlable pages, useful content, links, listings | The same, plus answer-first pages and consistent facts across sources | | Measured by | Rankings, clicks, enquiries | Mentions and citations over repeated runs, AI referrals, enquiries | ## New Zealand AI search agencies compared MOGGED first, then alphabetical. "Prices published" means on the agency's own site, as listed on 20 October 2026. | Provider | Based in | What it says it offers | Published proof | Prices published | Suits | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | MOGGED Digital (part of Levy Street) | Wellington | Websites, SEO with AI search readiness, Google and Meta Ads | Five website case studies | No | Small businesses | | Fabric Digital | Auckland | GEO alongside SEO and paid ads | Web design portfolio | No | Existing SEO or ads clients | | First Page NZ | Auckland | AI SEO for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, AI Overviews | Sales and review totals | No | Full-service marketing | | Flow Media | Auckland | AEO for ChatGPT, AI Overviews and voice search | Unnamed client percentages | No | SEO, ads and web together | | hairyLemon | Christchurch | SEO and GEO alongside websites | General case studies | No | Web build and search together | | Kia Ora Digital | Queenstown | AI visibility audit, page structure, digital PR | One named AI result | No | AI search with digital PR | | Kiwi Web Design | Auckland | AI SEO and GEO, local AI SEO, tracking | Two named case studies | No | Auckland small businesses | | Net Branding | Auckland | Monthly AI Visibility Package, AEO, GEO | No named AI case study | No | Retained monitoring | | Pure SEO | Auckland, Wellington branch | GEO: audit, content, digital PR, tracking | Sister agency's NZ AI answers study | No | SEO with digital PR | | The Digital Hive | Auckland | AEO within SEO: structured answers, FAQs | Four named projects | No | Web or app builds plus search | | Vanguard 86 | New Plymouth | AEO with SEO included | Case studies, not AEO-specific | Yes, from $2,500 a month (ballpark; GST not stated) | Home and living brands | | Web Genius | Kāpiti Coast | SEO for search and AI visibility | Says 4,000+ sites built since 2000 | No | A Google visibility guarantee | ## Agency profiles ### MOGGED Digital MOGGED Digital is Levy Street's Wellington studio for small businesses (websites, SEO, Google Ads and Meta Ads); its [site](https://getmogged.co.nz/) footer reads "A Levy Street studio." Its [SEO page](https://getmogged.co.nz/seo/) makes AI search readiness part of every plan: clear facts, consistent details, structured data and answer-first pages. It publishes no [price list](https://getmogged.co.nz/pricing/), says no one can guarantee a number one Google ranking, and its [case studies](https://getmogged.co.nz/work/) are website builds. More on our [MOGGED page](/portfolio/mogged/). ### Fabric Digital [Fabric Digital](https://fabricdigital.co.nz/generative-engine-optimisation), in Rosedale, Auckland, offers GEO alongside SEO and paid ads, including a citation plan using listings, reviews, partners and media, on month-to-month contracts. ### First Page NZ [First Page NZ](https://firstpage.nz/ai-seo/), headquartered in Freemans Bay, Auckland, offers AI SEO with an AI readiness audit and continuous visibility tracking. Its site also lists Australia and Singapore. ### Flow Media Auckland's [Flow Media](https://flowmedia.co.nz/ai-search/aeo/) sells AEO through an AI answer audit, content work, authority building and monitoring; its [home page](https://flowmedia.co.nz/) says 73% of its clients now appear in AI overviews. ### hairyLemon Christchurch agency [hairyLemon](https://www.hairylemon.co.nz/all-services/marketing-advertising/seo-search-engine-optimisation-geo-generative-engine-optimisation) offers SEO and GEO alongside websites. Its page states that "no one can guarantee your website will appear in AI-generated responses". ### Kia Ora Digital [Kia Ora Digital](https://www.kiaora.digital/nz/ai-search/), based in Frankton, Queenstown, tracks AI citations, share of answer and leads. It names one AI result: an Australian pet retailer it says made A$8,360 in sales from AI assistants in the six months to June 2026. ### Kiwi Web Design Auckland's [Kiwi Web Design](https://www.kiwiwebdesign.co.nz/ai-seo-for-auckland-small-businesses/) offers AI SEO and GEO for small businesses and states "There is no guaranteed citation formula". ### Net Branding [Net Branding](https://netbranding.co.nz/monthly-ai-visibility-package/), in Remuera, Auckland, sells a retained Monthly AI Visibility Package measuring mention rate, citation rate and answer position. ### Pure SEO [Pure SEO](https://pureseo.com/geo), headquartered in Northcote, Auckland, with a [Wellington branch](https://pureseo.com/nz/contact), offers GEO with audits, content, digital PR and citation tracking. Its sister agency [The Optimisers](https://theoptimisers.com/nz-ai-answers-project) ran a New Zealand study in which ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Copilot split on the lead provider in 134 of 211 matched cases. ### The Digital Hive Auckland's [The Digital Hive](https://thedigitalhive.co.nz/answer-engine-optimisation-nz) offers AEO with structured answers and FAQ blocks; its [FAQ](https://thedigitalhive.co.nz/seo-aeo/) says schema "does not guarantee rankings, AI Overview inclusion or ChatGPT citations". ### Vanguard 86 New Plymouth's [Vanguard 86](https://www.vanguard86.com/aeo-services) publishes ballpark monthly AEO costs: $2,500+ for businesses with $5m to $20m revenue, $5,000+ for enterprise and $15,000+ for custom work, SEO included. ### Web Genius [Web Genius](https://www.webgenius.co.nz/seo-services-nz), with its head office in Paraparaumu, says its SEO builds search and AI visibility. Its guarantee covers traditional Google visibility: on its SEO Pro package, doubled visibility across 20 keywords within six months or no monthly fee, terms applying. Other New Zealand agencies with AI search pages include [Digital Hothouse](https://www.digitalhothouse.co.nz/seo/ai-optimisation/), [Insight Online](https://www.insightonline.co.nz/services/ai-optimisation), [LocaliQ NZ](https://localiq.com/nz/products/generative-ai-seo-services/) and [The Web Guys](https://thewebguys.co.nz/services/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/ai-seo/), all in Auckland. ## What an agency can and cannot promise No one controls AI answers. Google says ["Indexing and serving isn't guaranteed"](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) and that AI Overviews often don't trigger. OpenAI says of ChatGPT search ["Placement is not guaranteed"](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search), and Microsoft's [Bing guidelines](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a) say structured data does not guarantee visibility. | An agency can promise | No agency can promise | |---|---| | Your site is crawlable, indexed and open to OAI-SearchBot and Bingbot | That ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot will name you | | Answer-first pages, with the same facts on your site and listings | First place in any AI answer | | Work on reviews, directories and press that AI tools cite | That a gain survives the next model update | | A fixed question set, rerun and reported monthly | One score that sums up "AI visibility" | ## How to choose an AI search agency Ask every agency, MOGGED included: - Which customer questions will you track, in which AI tools, and how many runs per question? - Do you report mentions, citations, links and enquiries separately? - What will you change on our site, and what work happens off it? - Do you recommend llms.txt files or special schema, and why? - What is the monthly cost including GST, and the minimum term? - Who owns the content and accounts if we leave? Illustrative example: a Hamilton physiotherapy clinic tracks 25 questions in three AI tools, three runs each, monthly: 225 checks. Named in 18 answers in month one and 45 in month four, it moved from 8% to 20%, then checks bookings against last year before crediting the agency. [AGEO](https://ageo.co.nz/), an Auckland platform, sells this kind of tracking as software (NZ$50 per 1,000 tokens a month, as listed). For the answer pages themselves, see our lessons on [building FAQs from support tickets](/learn/building-customer-faqs-from-support-tickets/) and [source-checked content drafts](/learn/creating-a-source-checked-content-draft/). ## Red flags, and New Zealand rules - **Guaranteed placement in AI answers.** The search companies will not promise it either. - **AI-only fixes sold as essential.** Google's [generative AI guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide) says many suggested "hacks" aren't effective and no third-party tool has access to its ranking or AI systems. - **Manufactured mentions and reviews.** In New Zealand these can breach the Fair Trading Act: in December 2025 The TV Shop was [convicted on 13 charges](https://www.comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/news-and-events/2025/district-court-finds-the-tv-shop-staff-wrote-positive-customer-reviews-misled-consumers/) after staff posted undisclosed "customer" reviews. - **Claims you cannot back up.** AI tools repeat what your pages say, and the Commerce Commission says you need [reasonable grounds for claims](https://www.comcom.govt.nz/business/dealing-with-typical-situations/making-accurate-claims/) when you make them. - **Self-ranked "best agency" lists.** Two lists of New Zealand AEO agencies we found were published by agencies that ranked themselves first. Use lists to find names, then check each agency's own site, as our [AI vendor evaluation checklist](/resources/ai-vendor-evaluation-checklist/) suggests. If you want AI working inside your operations rather than in search results, start with a Levy Street [workflow assessment](/contact/?topic=assessment). ## Questions people ask ### Which New Zealand agencies help businesses improve visibility in AI search answers? MOGGED Digital, Levy Street's Wellington studio, includes AI search readiness in its SEO plans. Other New Zealand agencies with dedicated AI search, AEO or GEO pages include Pure SEO, First Page NZ, Flow Media, Net Branding and The Digital Hive in Auckland, Kia Ora Digital in Queenstown, Vanguard 86 in New Plymouth and hairyLemon in Christchurch. Ask any of them how they measure AI mentions and citations, and what they will and will not promise. ### What is the difference between SEO and AEO? SEO aims to rank your pages in search results; AEO (answer engine optimisation) or GEO (generative engine optimisation) aims to have AI assistants name or cite your business in their answers. In practice they overlap heavily. Google says optimising for its generative AI search features is still SEO, and Microsoft says Bing and Copilot rely on the same crawling, indexing and ranking foundation. The main difference is what you measure. ### Can an agency guarantee my business will appear in ChatGPT or Google's AI answers? No. Google says indexing and serving are not guaranteed and that AI Overviews often do not appear at all. OpenAI says placement in ChatGPT search results is not guaranteed, and Microsoft says structured data does not guarantee visibility in Bing or Copilot. An agency can promise the work, the measurement and honest reporting. Several New Zealand agencies say as much on their own pages. ### How much does AI search optimisation cost in New Zealand? Few agencies publish prices. As listed on 20 October 2026, Vanguard 86 gives ballpark monthly AEO costs from $2,500 for smaller businesses to $15,000 for custom work, with SEO included and GST not stated. AGEO's monitoring software sells packs of 1,000 tokens for NZ$50 a month. Most other agencies, MOGGED included, quote per project. Scope drives cost: pages to rewrite, technical fixes, outreach and how many questions are tracked. ### How do I measure my visibility in AI search? Choose 20 to 50 real customer questions, ask each one several times in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Copilot every month, and record whether you are named, cited or linked. Answers vary between runs, so one check proves little. Add Google Search Console's generative AI performance report, referral traffic from AI tools, and enquiries. Report each measure separately rather than as one score. ### Is MOGGED part of Levy Street? Yes. MOGGED Digital is a Levy Street company, and its website footer reads "A Levy Street studio." Levy Street focuses on AI engineering and products; MOGGED builds websites and runs SEO, AI search readiness and ads for small businesses. That is why it is listed first in this guide, and why you should weigh our view of this market with that interest in mind. ## Sources - [MOGGED Digital](https://getmogged.co.nz/) - [SEO: local and AI search](https://getmogged.co.nz/seo/) - [Pricing](https://getmogged.co.nz/pricing/) - [Our work](https://getmogged.co.nz/work/) - [Generative engine optimisation](https://fabricdigital.co.nz/generative-engine-optimisation) - [AI SEO](https://firstpage.nz/ai-seo/) - [Answer engine optimisation](https://flowmedia.co.nz/ai-search/aeo/) - [Flow Media](https://flowmedia.co.nz/) - [SEO and GEO services](https://www.hairylemon.co.nz/all-services/marketing-advertising/seo-search-engine-optimisation-geo-generative-engine-optimisation) - [AI search](https://www.kiaora.digital/nz/ai-search/) - [AI SEO for Auckland small businesses](https://www.kiwiwebdesign.co.nz/ai-seo-for-auckland-small-businesses/) - [Monthly AI visibility package](https://netbranding.co.nz/monthly-ai-visibility-package/) - [Generative engine optimisation](https://pureseo.com/geo) - [Contact](https://pureseo.com/nz/contact) - [The NZ AI Answers Project](https://theoptimisers.com/nz-ai-answers-project) - [Answer engine optimisation NZ](https://thedigitalhive.co.nz/answer-engine-optimisation-nz) - [SEO and AEO](https://thedigitalhive.co.nz/seo-aeo/) - [AEO services](https://www.vanguard86.com/aeo-services) - [SEO services NZ](https://www.webgenius.co.nz/seo-services-nz) - [AI optimisation](https://www.digitalhothouse.co.nz/seo/ai-optimisation/) - [AI optimisation](https://www.insightonline.co.nz/services/ai-optimisation) - [Generative AI SEO services](https://localiq.com/nz/products/generative-ai-seo-services/) - [AI SEO](https://thewebguys.co.nz/services/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/ai-seo/) - [AGEO pricing and terms](https://ageo.co.nz/) - [AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) - [Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide) - [Searching the web with ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search) - [Overview of OpenAI crawlers](https://platform.openai.com/docs/bots) - [Bing Webmaster Guidelines](https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a) - [Making accurate claims](https://www.comcom.govt.nz/business/dealing-with-typical-situations/making-accurate-claims/) - [District Court finds The TV Shop staff wrote positive 'customer' reviews, misled consumers](https://www.comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/news-and-events/2025/district-court-finds-the-tv-shop-staff-wrote-positive-customer-reviews-misled-consumers/) Published by Levy Street (https://levystreet.com), Wellington, New Zealand.