NZ businesses are being told they need Google Ads, SEO, and now GEO to grow. The problem is that most advice treats these channels as competing options, when in reality they solve different problems at different stages of growth.
This page breaks down what each channel actually does, where it works best in the NZ market, and how to decide which one should lead your strategy.
Google Ads is the fastest way to generate demand from people who are already searching with intent. In NZ, where search volumes are smaller and competition varies by region, this immediacy matters.
Google Ads works best when:
The downside is cost. Google Ads stops the moment spend stops, and poorly structured campaigns waste budget fast. Without proper tracking and ongoing optimisation, it becomes expensive noise.
Best for:
Service businesses, trades, clinics, professional services, and eCommerce brands that need consistent enquiries or sales now.
SEO focuses on long-term visibility rather than immediate demand. In NZ, SEO can be extremely effective for businesses willing to invest time into content, technical structure, and authority.
SEO works best when:
The trade-off is speed. SEO does not generate instant leads, and poorly targeted content can attract traffic that never converts.
Best for:
Established businesses, brands investing in long-term growth, and companies with multiple services or locations.
GEO focuses on how your brand appears and is referenced inside AI-generated answers. This includes systems like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and other generative search experiences.
Unlike SEO, GEO is not about rankings. It is about whether your business is understood, trusted, and recommended when users ask AI questions like:
GEO works best when:
GEO does not replace SEO or Google Ads. It amplifies the brands that already communicate clearly.
Best for:
Professional services, agencies, high-ticket offerings, and businesses where decision-making happens before the click.
Google Ads
SEO
GEO
Each channel solves a different problem. Treating them as interchangeable is where most strategies fall apart.
For most NZ businesses, leads come from combining these channels, not choosing one.
A typical high-performing setup looks like this:
Businesses that rely on only one channel usually hit a ceiling. Those that align all three tend to see stronger lead quality and more consistent growth.
Use this as a simple decision guide.
Start with Google Ads if:
Start with SEO if:
Add GEO when:
In practice, most growing NZ businesses benefit from running Google Ads while building SEO and GEO in parallel.
The biggest mistake is chasing channels instead of outcomes.
Google Ads is blamed when tracking is wrong.
SEO is blamed when expectations are unrealistic.
GEO is dismissed because it is misunderstood.
The real issue is usually strategy, not the channel.
We don’t treat these channels as separate silos. Each one feeds the others.
This integrated approach is what allows campaigns to scale without wasting spend or relying on guesswork.
If you’re not sure which channel should lead your strategy, we can review your current setup and give you a clear recommendation based on your goals, budget, and market.
We help NZ businesses choose the right mix of Google Ads, SEO, and GEO; based on what will deliver results now, and what will compound over time.
