Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 20.01.2026 
Atlas Digital has been named a finalist in two categories at the APAC Search Awards 2026, reflecting the tech-focused digital marketing agency’s expertise across both paid and AI search.
Founded in New Zealand in 2019, Atlas Digital works exclusively with software and technology companies, a singular focus that shaped both of the shortlisted campaigns.
Best Use of Search – B2B (PPC): Qwilr
The first campaign tackled one of B2B marketing’s most persistent challenges: scaling qualified leads without watching cost per acquisition spiral out of control.
Qwilr, an Australian B2B SaaS company selling proposal software across five international markets, had reached a plateau with their Google Ads performance.
Lead volume looked healthy, but the proportion of qualified leads that matched their ideal customer profile had stagnated. While increasing spend led to more form submissions from prospects, improvement in actual pipeline was slow.
The problem lay in Google’s algorithm optimising for the wrong outcome. Every signup looked identical, so the budget naturally flowed towards leads that were the easiest to capture, not necessarily the ones most likely to become real customers.
Atlas Digital’s solution involved aligning Qwilr’s PPC strategy with genuine business outcomes, not just form submissions.
The Atlas team connected Qwilr’s predictive lead scoring model in HubSpot directly to Google Ads, so when a lead passed a specific qualification threshold, it was automatically imported as a high-value conversion event. By shifting campaigns from maximising conversion count to maximising conversion value, Google’s algorithm learned to prioritise the best-qualified leads.
The results: Qwilr’s qualified leads increased by 67%, with only an 8% increase in cost per lead.
Best Use of AI in Search: Sharesies
Atlas Digital’s second shortlisted campaign addressed an emerging challenge that few brands have solved: what happens when AI platforms spread misinformation about your products?
Sharesies, a New Zealand investment platform, was seeing rapid growth in traffic from ChatGPT, with sessions increasing by over 1,200% in twelve months. But during an initial audit, the Atlas team found that ChatGPT was providing false information to users about Sharesies’ KiwiSaver funds.
For a regulated financial product, this wasn’t just a brand problem, but a compliance risk.
Commercial AI sentiment analysis tools couldn’t help, as they lacked the ability to trace misinformation back to its source. So Atlas developed an in-house approach, using AI agents to diagnose where false claims were originating and strategically inform repair.
The methodology captured ChatGPT’s source citations and traced misinformation backwards with precision. The team identified patterns across both controllable sources (help centre articles, app user guides) and external publishers. Sharesies implemented internal corrections within four weeks, and Atlas initiated publisher outreach with URL-specific correction requests.
The misinformation was corrected, so where ChatGPT previously stated incorrect fund numbers, it now provides accurate information. Engagement rates on AI platform traffic increased to over 50%, with around 4,000 monthly brand exposures now delivering accurate information.
The project highlighted the fact that GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is not just SEO with a new name. Companies can’t optimise for AI search without knowing what AI platforms are saying about them or where the information is coming from.
A Proud Moment for Atlas
Atlas Digital Founder & CEO Ryan McMillan says both campaigns required the team to work at the cutting edge of what is currently possible in search marketing.
“The Qwilr project pushed value-based bidding into territory that most B2B advertisers haven’t explored, and the Sharesies work tackled AI misinformation, a problem most brands don’t even know they have yet. Being recognised for that work by the APAC Search Awards is a proud moment for our team,” he says.
“These nominations validate the approach we’ve been building at Atlas: that deep specialisation in a single sector allows you to solve problems that generalist agencies simply can’t.”
About Atlas Digital
Atlas Digital is the primary digital growth partner for many of New Zealand and Australia’s leading tech companies, having helped generate over $100 million in pipeline for the sector. Approximately 90% of campaigns run internationally, assisting ANZ tech companies to scale into markets like the US, the UK and Europe.
