Part of AI consulting

Smarter site search for government services

I help organisations decide what AI should do in their site search, write it down so it can be built or bought, and check that the answers hold up. Most of this work has been for New Zealand government websites, which millions of people rely on for accurate guidance.

ChatGPT answering how much the government puts into KiwiSaver: up to $260.72 a year, with how it works and a table of amounts, citing Inland Revenue
People now expect an answer, not a list of links. ChatGPT on KiwiSaver, citing Inland Revenue (October 2026).

People often search in whole questions and everyday words, spelling mistakes included. The questions in my AI Overviews check were written that way too. Classic keyword search often hands them thousands of results instead. AI can close that gap, but "add AI to search" can mean very different things, with very different costs and risks.

Questions I help answer

A web manager asks

“People type whole questions into our search and get thousands of results. Can AI fix that?”

What I check
What people actually search for, and which of the five kinds of AI search below would help.
What you get
A recommendation with the cost and risk of each option. Often better matching and titles do most of the work.

A digital lead asks

“Should we put an AI answer above our search results?”

What I check
How often a summary would be right, and what a wrong one would cost the people relying on it.
What you get
Requirements for AI-assisted search, including what it shouldn't answer.

A project lead asks

“Which search platform should we choose?”

What I check
Each platform on your content and real search questions, vendor-neutral.
What you get
Scored results and a recommendation you can take to procurement.

Five ways to add AI to search

These are options, not steps on a ladder. Many sites get most of the benefit from the first one, and better titles, synonyms and content can matter as much as any AI.

  1. Find the right pages by matching on meaning as well as keywords, so "deposit" finds bond pages. The AI doesn't write anything.
  2. Summarise the top pages in a short overview above the results.
  3. Answer the question directly, with every sentence linked to its source so it can be checked.
  4. Take follow-up questions without starting again.
  5. Let the conversation work something out or open a form.

Where I've done it

  • Put together MBIE's findability roadmap, which includes search, and long-term recommendations for modern, AI-assisted search across MBIE's websites
  • Researched how search works across the websites, and wrote requirements for modern search, including AI-assisted search
  • Was part of a team that compared AI and enterprise search platforms, and reviewed how comparable platforms are used across the Australian and New Zealand public sector
  • Briefed leadership and channel teams on the direction for AI-assisted search

Findability and AI search at MBIE

Need this for your agency? See AI project consulting for AI search requirements and platform evaluation, or the findability audit to see how your site does today.

Common questions

What is AI search?

Site search that uses a language model somewhere in the process: to match on meaning as well as keywords, to summarise the top results, to write a direct answer that cites its sources, to hold a conversation, or to start a task. Each step adds value and risk, so it's worth choosing deliberately.

Should a government website add AI answers to its search?

Often, but not first. Better matching and a short summary of the top results help most people with little risk. Cited answers come next, once the content is accurate and well structured and the answers have been tested with real questions.

How do you choose an AI search platform?

Start from the questions people really ask and the content you have, then compare platforms on those, vendor-neutral.