GEKKOSHOT recognised in Best Use of Search – Finance for campaign with The Mortgage Clinic, as its new AI and GEO-focused sister company GEKKO1 prepares to launch.

GEKKOSHOT, a Belfast-based digital marketing agency, has been officially named a finalist at the 2026 European Search Awards, one of the most competitive search and digital marketing awards programmes on the continent for its work with The Mortgage Clinic.

The campaign, titled Belfast’s Mortgage Network: Mastering Local Search at Scale, has been shortlisted in the Best Use of Search – Finance category, a category widely regarded as the most challenging in the awards, where local agencies compete directly with national banks and global fintech organisations.

Seven Years of Partnership, Continental Recognition

The shortlisting reflects more than seven years of sustained partnership between GEKKOSHOT and The Mortgage Clinic, built on long-term trust, ethical strategy, and a commitment to real results over short-term gains.

The evaluation involved a rigorous two-step audit process and a deep review of 15 months of strategy, assessing how the agency responded to a rapidly shifting search landscape, including the rise of AI-generated answers and the decline of traditional click-through behaviour.

Beyond Traditional SEO: A Dual-Track AI Strategy

What set this campaign apart was GEKKOSHOT’s dual-track approach: combining high-performance traditional organic search with a forward-looking focus on Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) the practice of ensuring a brand is cited, recommended, and trusted by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews.

This AI-native approach structuring content and data so that AI assistants recommend the client as a trusted authority is precisely the methodology that underpins GEKKO1, the agency’s newly launched AI and digital visibility division.

Introducing GEKKO1: The AI Division Behind the Strategy

GEKKO1 is the AI and GEO-focused sister company to GEKKOSHOT, created to meet the growing demand from businesses that want to be visible, recommended, and trusted in an era where AI is rapidly reshaping how people search for and discover services.

Where GEKKOSHOT continues to deliver web design, SEO, and traditional digital marketing, GEKKO1 specialises in AI visibility strategy, GEO, and intelligent automation helping businesses ensure they appear not just on page one of Google, but in the AI-generated answers that are increasingly the first thing a potential customer sees.

The European Search Awards shortlisting is, in many ways, the proof of concept for the GEKKO1 proposition: that a Belfast-based agency, using a smarter and more AI-ready strategy, can outperform even the largest marketing budgets on a continental stage.

“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 This Means for NI Businesses

As AI tools become the first stop for consumers researching products, services, and local providers, businesses that are not visible in AI-generated responses risk losing ground to competitors who are, regardless of how well they rank on Google.

Want to see how we apply this award-level GEO strategy to your industry? We’re hosting a series of 15-minute strategy catch-ups to discuss what’s working in AI search right now. No pitch, just a genuine look at the 2026 landscape.

Book a 15-minute chat with the team. 

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