How Net Branding Helps Clients Increase Their Digital Presence with AI in Digital Marketing

As a small business, you’re probably seeing a lot about how Artificial Intelligence is the next big thing in digital marketing. Understanding it all can be overwhelming, and you don’t have to – that’s our job.

Since its inception, our team has been dedicated to purposefully integrating AI into the work we do for our clients. AI is continually evolving, and we want to integrate it in a manner that’s both beneficial and effective, without any negative impacts on our clients’ digital presence.

So, if you’re a Kiwi business that’s wondering how we use AI to your advantage while helping you stay unique in a cluttered digital space, here’s how.

Google and Bing searches have evolved, with AI Overviews now taking the top spot to replace traditional website links. Today, you may see Net Branding displayed like this when you do an online search for ‘online marketing company’ or ‘search engine optimisation’:

What does this AI influence mean for your website’s digital marketing? Instead of sending traffic to your site, potential customers are getting their information from the top spot and no longer clicking on websites. In fact, studies show a significant decline in organic CTR when an AI Overview is present in the search results.

To stay visible online, you’ll want to get your spot on the AI Overview. If your articles, content, or website pages aren’t there, it means fewer clicks, leads, and opportunities for your customers to find you.

Additionally, more customers are using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for their searches. Your potential customers are looking for information and services in ChatGPT, instead of the usual ‘Googling it’.

Because of the rapid growth in AI search, you should optimise your content so that these AI models can capture it. This ensures your business is consistently displayed when the conversation is relevant.

With big changes come opportunities, and Kiwi businesses are well-positioned to target an international audience with Artificial Intelligence. AI reach is global, and businesses can also reach users from all around the world if they appear on AI tools.

While the primary focus of local businesses has been on ranking only in New Zealand for some time, AI tools were built overseas and pull data from global sources. This means that business growth is more possible for companies in tourism, exports, and e-commerce.

Even local businesses, such as accountants and lawyers, have the opportunity to scale their operations internationally.

So, how does Net Branding help you increase your visibility in AI Overviews and tools? Through tried and tested methods based on decades of IT experience.

No one likes reading paragraphs of words without structure, including AI.

Just like traditional SEO practices, AI models will prioritise your content if its information is clear and well-structured. This means:

• Labelling all headings with the appropriate H1 to H6 tags.
• Add FAQ blocks to your pages
• Format content into bullet points where possible
• Adding summaries of your blogs and articles.

At Net Branding, we’ll help you write content that’s specific to AI requirements, including FAQ blocks, appropriate headings, and summaries.

Think of the last time you made a decision – did you go to a person with the knowledge and experience to point you in the right direction? The answer is probably yes.

AI models are based on human action. Trusted content with a high authority score is likely to appear at the top of AI answers. Consider if your website or brand is being mentioned in the following credible sites:

• Reputable industry blogs (business associations, professional networks)
• Local news sites (NZ Herald, Stuff, RNZ)
• Directories (Google Business Profile, Yellow, TradeMe Services)

We’ve been implementing white-hat backlink strategies for our clients for years, which is a similar approach used for ranking in AI. This helps companies grow by getting them mentioned in reputable online sources.

Content alone is not enough to rank on AI. Your website should also make the following technical improvements to ensure that AI is able to crawl your website pages:

• Add schema markups to your site
• Keeping your Google Business Profile up to date.

Ideally, you’ll want your profile as neat as possible when customers search for you. Here’s an example of how Net Branding organises our Google Business Profile to stay visible for customers.

AI for small business marketing is still at its early adoption stage, and Kiwi businesses can highly benefit from using AI in their marketing. Being early now means getting recognised by AI without much competition.

AI is an opportunity, but things are moving fast. Larger companies with bigger budgets have already utilised AI to win more customers, and now it’s the perfect opportunity for smaller businesses to follow. It won’t be long before many small businesses saturate the AI market.

Net Branding has focused on incorporating AI into our work for a few years now. Our founder is a trained and certified AI expert and has consistently advocated for embracing all technologies as they evolve.

Our unique approach to AI? Utilising its best aspects while ensuring it brings actual value for our clients. This means leveraging its cost-saving abilities, using it ethically, and putting original thought behind it rather than following it blindly.

While we recognise that AI has had a profound positive impact on multiple industries in New Zealand, we also believe in using it in a meaningful way. With a deep understanding of IT backed by marketing experience and sound thought, we utilise AI to help our clients achieve tangible results and make informed decisions.

Here’s a simple checklist to help you get started on increasing your website’s visibility on AI search models:

• Clear headings from H1 to H6
• Content listed in bullet points where necessary
• FAQ section added
• Website has Shema markup
• Google Business Profile updated
• The website is mentioned in reputable news or industry sites

Artificial Intelligence is certainly making waves in the digital marketing industry, but it must be used with a proper strategy. We use it to support ideas, to improve our marketing decisions, and reduce marketing costs for our clients. That way, you’ll get the best of AI while upholding your brand’s personality.

If you’re looking to use AI in a way that will bring you actual results, contact Cathy Mellett today from Net Branding.