Belfast digital marketing agency GEKKOSHOT has secured a place on the shortlist at the
2026 European Search Awards, widely regarded as one of the continent’s toughest
competitions in search and digital marketing. The recognition lands as the agency formally
brings its new AI and Generative Engine Optimisation arm, GEKKO1, to market.
The shortlisted entry Belfast’s Mortgage Network: Mastering Local Search at Scale draws on
the agency’s long-running work with The Mortgage Clinic and sits in the Best Use of Search – Finance category. Finance is considered the most demanding category in the programme,
pitching independent agencies directly against national high-street banks and global fintech
names.
A Partnership Seven Years in the Making
The entry reflects more than seven years of collaboration between GEKKOSHOT and The
Mortgage Clinic, rooted in long-term trust, ethical practice, and a focus on durable results
over quick wins.
Judging involved a two-stage audit and a comprehensive review of 15 months of strategic
work, with particular weight placed on how the campaign adapted to a fast-moving search
environment reshaped by the rise of AI-generated answers and the decline of traditional
click-through behaviour.
Traditional SEO Meets Generative Engine Optimisation
What set the entry apart was a dual-track strategy: strong organic search performance
paired with a deliberate focus on Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) the emerging
discipline of making sure a brand is cited, recommended, and trusted by AI platforms
including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews.
This AI-first methodology, structuring content and data so that AI assistants surface the client
as a credible authority, is exactly what sits at the core of GEKKO1.
GEKKO1: Now Live
GEKKO1 is the newly operational AI and GEO division of GEKKOSHOT, built in response to
growing demand from businesses that want to be visible, recommended, and trusted as AI
reshapes how people search for and discover services.
GEKKOSHOT continues to deliver web design, SEO, and traditional digital marketing.
GEKKO1 focuses specifically on AI visibility strategy, GEO, and intelligent automation
helping businesses appear not just on page one of Google, but in the AI-generated answers
that are increasingly the first thing a potential customer ever sees.
The European Search Awards shortlist is, in effect, the proof of concept for what GEKKO1
offers: evidence that a Belfast agency, using a smarter, AI-ready strategy, can stand
alongside some of the largest marketing budgets in Europe.
“This nomination is the result of years of dedication, a brilliant long-term client
relationship, and a genuine commitment to staying ahead of how search is evolving.
The strategy that earned this shortlist making our client the authority that AI tools
recommend, not just the website that ranks is exactly what GEKKO1 was built to
deliver for businesses across Northern Ireland and beyond.” – Warren Giffin, Managing Director, GEKKOSHOT & GEKKO1
What It Means for Northern Ireland Businesses
As AI tools increasingly become the starting point for consumers researching products,
services, and local providers, businesses that are absent from AI-generated responses risk
ceding ground to competitors who are not, regardless of how strongly they rank in
conventional Google results.
Interested in how this award-shortlisted GEO approach applies in your sector? GEKKO1 is
running a series of 15-minute strategy catch-ups covering what is actually working in AI
search right now. No pitch, just a clear read on the 2026 landscape.