How Digital Presence builds websites for the future of AI search

Simon Mullinger

The way people search online is changing fast. It’s no longer just about ranking in Google’s “10 blue links.” Increasingly, users are asking AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and even Google’s AI Overviews for answers.

For small business owners, this shift raises an important question: will your website still be found in an AI-first search world?

At Digital Presence, we build websites not just for today, but for the future of search. Thanks to the Duda platform we use, your site is already ahead of the curve — with built-in tools like llms.txt that make your content AI-friendly by default.

What is AI search (and why it matters to your business)?

AI search is different from traditional search engines. Instead of simply showing a list of websites, AI tools:

Read and understand content across the web.
Summarise answers in conversational language.
Pull details from multiple sources at once.

That means your customers may never click on a Google link at all — they’ll get an answer directly from an AI assistant.

For businesses, this creates both a risk and an opportunity:

Risk: If your site isn’t optimised for AI, you may disappear from customer conversations.
Opportunity: If your site is AI-friendly, you could be the source that these tools reference.

Google search results for web design agencies, with descriptions and image thumbnails.

Meet llms.txt: a new standard for AI-friendly websites

Duda recently introduced llms.txt, a behind-the-scenes file that acts as a guide for AI systems.

Think of it as:

robots.txt for search engines → tells Google what to crawl.
llms.txt for AI models → tells AI tools what your site is about.

Every time we build and publish a site for you, Duda automatically generates llms.txt. It includes:

A clean list of live URLs (blogs, service pages, products).
Meta descriptions and titles for each page.
Excludes draft and no-index pages.

The result? When AI tools read your site, they’re more likely to:

Show accurate information about your business.
Link to your real content.
Represent your brand professionally.

Why this gives your business an edge

Most websites today don’t have llms.txt. That means your Digital Presence site has a built-in competitive advantage.

In practical terms, this means:

If someone asks ChatGPT “Who are the best web designers in Christchurch?”, your site has a better chance of being referenced.

If a local searches “best café in Rolleston”, and your café uses a Duda-built site, AI tools have a clear roadmap of your content to draw from.

If a user looks for “affordable carpet cleaning in Kaiapoi”, your service page is easier for AI to parse and recommend.

People interacting with phones and an AI robot, surrounded by chat bubbles, on a gradient background.

Beyond AI: the fundamentals still matter

While llms.txt is a big leap forward, it’s not a magic bullet. Search visibility still relies on the fundamentals:

Speed and performance

Fast-loading sites keep users engaged.
Core Web Vitals are still key ranking factors.

Design and usability

A site that looks great and is easy to use keeps visitors on the page.
User-friendly design signals quality to both Google and AI.

SEO best practices

Strong content, relevant keywords, and on-page SEO remain essential.
Local SEO is critical for Christchurch and Canterbury businesses.

Mobile-first experience

Most searches (human and AI) start on mobile. Your site must look perfect on every device.

Trust and authority

Regular updates, customer testimonials, and accurate business details all reinforce EEAT — signals Google and AI rely on.

How Digital Presence builds AI-ready websites

At Digital Presence, every website we deliver includes:

No upfront cost: Get started without risk.

Built-in SEO: On-page optimisation, clean structure, and keyword-friendly content.

AI optimisation: llms.txt auto-generated with every publish.

Ongoing support: 15 minutes of editing time each month included.

User-first design: Clean, modern, and mobile-friendly sites.

We combine Duda’s technology with local SEO expertise to create websites that don’t just look good today but are built to thrive in the AI-driven search landscape.

Practical steps for businesses in Christchurch and Canterbury

If you’re a small business owner wondering how to prepare, here are simple steps you can take:

Check your site for llms.txt

Go to your website URL and add /llms.txt to the end.
If you see a clean map of your site, you’re AI-ready.

Keep your content fresh

Blog posts, service updates, and news items help AI tools understand your relevance.

Optimise your Google Business Profile

AI often pulls from GBP listings. Keep your hours, reviews, and services up to date.

Focus on clarity

Write in plain English. AI tools prefer clear, structured content over jargon.

Work with experts

Partner with web designers (like us) who understand SEO and AI trends.

The future of search is hybrid

It’s unlikely that AI will completely replace Google search. Instead, customers will use a mix of AI assistants, traditional search, and local platforms to find businesses.

That’s why your website needs to be:

Search engine optimised.

AI search optimised.

User experience optimised.

At Digital Presence, we make sure you’re covered on all fronts.

Search is evolving — and your business can’t afford to be left behind. With AI tools shaping the way people discover information, having an AI-optimised website is no longer optional.

By building on Duda, Digital Presence ensures your site includes llms.txt, a powerful new tool that makes your business easier for AI to understand and recommend. Combined with speed, design, SEO, and local expertise, our websites are built to bring you customers today and keep you visible in the future.

Ready for a website that works in both Google and AI search? Book a free chat with Digital Presence today.

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Four diverse people looking at laptop, discussing. Woman points. Indoors.

Speed vs design: how to balance UX and performance for better rankings

by Fay Roe • 1 October 2025

Businesses in Christchurch and across New Zealand face a crucial question when it comes to their websites: should you prioritise speed or design? You want the site to be a masterpiece in terms of technical brilliance to appease the search engines, but you also want a stunning website visitors are happy to use to part with their hard-earned dollars. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the digital landscape – if you don’t deliver the best website design, your competitor will. The speed vs design debate has long divided website developers and digital marketers alike. Yet, this doesn’t need to be an either-or decision. For your website to rank well on search engines and convert visitors into loyal customers, you need to achieve the perfect balance of performance and user experience (UX). At Digital Presence, we’ve seen firsthand how the most successful websites are those that harmonise visual appeal with technical optimisation. When speed and design complement each other, the result is a site that not only looks world-class but also drives measurable business growth. Why speed matters more than ever Research consistently shows slow websites cost businesses money. A single second of delay can reduce conversions by up to 7%. With mobile users expecting pages to load in under three seconds, sluggish performance leads to abandoned sessions, abandoned carts, lost sales, and wasted Google Ads marketing spend . Performance is no longer a ‘nice-to-have.’ Google has made Core Web Vitals, measures of loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability, direct ranking factors. This means a website design that looks stunning but performs poorly may never reach the first page of search results. For companies investing in Google Ads Christchurch campaigns, poor performance also undermines ROI, as visitors click away before the page even loads. In other words, fast websites don’t just improve user satisfaction; they directly impact your bottom line and your ability to compete in Christchurch SEO rankings .

Line graph showing data points for click-through rates. The average position of 30.6 is indicated by the red arrow.

Why your Google Search Console numbers may have dropped – and what it really means for small businesses

by Simon Mullinger • 30 September 2025

If you’ve logged into Google Search Console recently and noticed your impressions and clicks have dropped, you’re not alone. Many small business owners across New Zealand (and worldwide) are scratching their heads at reports that suddenly look worse, even when their business hasn’t changed. The reason? A change Google made in mid-September 2025 to how search results are delivered — specifically the removal of the old &num=100 parameter. In this guide, we’ll explain what that means in plain English, how it impacts your reports, and most importantly, what small businesses should actually do about it. What is Google Search Console? (quick refresher) For small business owners, Google Search Console (GSC) is like a window into how people find your website on Google. It shows: How many times your site appeared in search (impressions) How many clicks you got from those searches What keywords people used Average position of your site in search results It’s a valuable tool — but it’s also technical, and sometimes the numbers change for reasons that have nothing to do with your actual business performance.