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We Spent 90 Days Fixing Our Own AI Visibility

tineke@bloomtransitions.co (Tineke Madgwick) — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:10:59 GMT

Here Are The Numbers

90 days ago we published the most uncomfortable post we have ever written. We are a digital agency that sells Answer Engine Optimisation. We help clients get cited in AI-generated answers. And when we asked ChatGPT about ourselves, it thought we might be a youth charity in San Francisco. This is a long one, so buckle up.

Our brand visibility in AI search was 0.21%. Our share of voice against competitors was 1%. Concentrate (who we hold in the highest regard) had 58%. We ranked for 8 keywords in Google, and every one of them included our own name.

We said we would fix it in public and share every number; good, bad and ugly. So here we go...

AEO Month Two: Surprises and Data Proof

tineke@bloomtransitions.co (Tineke Madgwick) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 22:13:32 GMT

Our Three-Source Picture

We started this experiment in May 2026, ranking for 8 keywords. All of them were our own brand name. Every commercial keyword (the ones that actually bring in clients) showed a dash in our SEMrush position tracker. Not ranking at all.

BLOOM's HubSpot Approach Was Born on a Lake

lucy@bloomtransitions.co (Lucy Strack) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:30:08 GMT

Same Thing, Different Week.

I see it all the time: a business with HubSpot, a team using it, and almost nothing to show for it. Not because HubSpot is the problem, but because the foundation was never built properly. Teams are often trained on where to click and never on why the system is structured the way it is.

Quick Guide: The 6 Best HubSpot Agencies for SMBs in New Zealand

tineke@bloomtransitions.co (Tineke Madgwick) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:12:27 GMT

Choosing a HubSpot partner isn't about picking the flashiest name on a directory. For SMBs in New Zealand, the stakes are different. You need an agency that understands your resource constraints, speaks your language, and won't disappear after the initial setup.

The Best Answers Start With Better Questions

lucy@bloomtransitions.co (Lucy Strack) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:12:27 GMT

I always assumed the value of being a HubSpot partner was the obvious stuff: the certifications, the beta access, the directory listing, the dedicated channel manager... Turns out some of the best value is access to each other.

Each month I spend an hour on a call with people I'd normally call "competitors". We compare notes, share what's working, admit what's not, and occasionally lose ten minutes to debrief the previous night's FIFA game.

The call is with a HubSpot Partner User Group (or PUG, which is a better acronym than most). Initially, I didn't expect much. However, it has quietly become one of the most valuable hours in my calendar.

The group discovery started with what AI has done to the pace of learning.

AI Has Changed How Fast We Need To Learn

Our industry has always moved quickly, but AI flipped it on its head. Every week there's a new model (or feature, pricing update, agent, etc...) that's apparently going to change everything. By the time you've properly explored one, three more have landed.

It doesn't matter whether you're a HubSpot partner, marketer, consultant or business owner. Nobody can keep up on their own anymore. Which is exactly why peer groups matter more than they ever have.

The Smartest Thing HubSpot Did? Leave the Room

HubSpot initiated the groups, but they don't attend. That one decision created something surprisingly rare: trust.

Not because we spend our time complaining about HubSpot. We absolutely don't. It just means that nobody is defending a product or selling a roadmap. We're a room full of partners having honest conversations about running businesses, serving clients, and navigating an industry that changes almost daily.

Sometimes you don't need the answer. You just want to know if everyone else is experiencing the same things.

AEO Month One: From 0.21% to 8.51%

tineke@bloomtransitions.co (Tineke Madgwick) — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 01:34:08 GMT

What Actually Worked? (The Outcomes Will Surprise You.)

The Race to Mediocracy. What Happens When AI Does Our Thinking For Us?

tineke@bloomtransitions.co (Tineke Madgwick) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

AI was used to help think through this article.

You're Probably Wasting Free HubSpot Credits

lucy@bloomtransitions.co (Lucy Strack) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:03:04 GMT

And They're Included In Your Subscription

Honestly… most businesses don’t even realise they exist.

Including many of our own clients. Shame on us.

HubSpot has quietly built AI-powered tools directly into the platform, and depending on your subscription tier, you’re already receiving monthly credits to use them.

The problem?

Most teams either:

Don’t know where to find them
Don’t understand what they do, or
Assume they’ll accidentally rack up a giant bill if they touch anything AI-related

Which (to be fair) you absolutely can if you don’t put limits and monitoring in place.

So instead… the credits reset every month and disappear unused.

Let’s fix that.

Our AEO Game Plan (And the Results We Didn't Expect This Fast)

Tineke Madgwick — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:40:03 GMT

We'll start with a confession that has nothing to do with AI.

Our first post about AI visibility got removed by LinkedIn's AI content bot. The irony is not lost on us. They reviewed it, reinstated it, and apologised. We're choosing to take that as a sign we're saying something worth reading.

What Is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) & Why Do NZ Businesses Need It?

Tineke Madgwick — Wed, 27 May 2026 07:58:43 GMT

We'll be upfront about something: we asked ChatGPT about our own agency recently. It thought we might be a nonprofit in San Francisco.