{"id":44041,"date":"2026-05-18T17:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/?page_id=44041"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:09:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T02:09:47","slug":"it-tech-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/state-of-ai-search\/it-tech-services\/","title":{"rendered":"IT &amp; Tech Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"44041\" class=\"elementor elementor-44041\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa0636e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fa0636e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e18d4d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"e18d4d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html lang=\"en-AU\">\n<head>\n  <meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n  <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\">\n  <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Google's AI cites YouTube and Reddit more than any Australian IT firm. 2026 data from 6,509 SERPs on what AI Overviews mean for Australian IT companies.\">\n  <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\">\n  <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_AU\">\n  <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI Overviews in Australian IT & Tech Services (2026)\">\n  <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"52.5% of Australian IT searches trigger AI. YouTube and Reddit dominate citations. Here's what that means for IT companies.\">\n  <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\">\n\n  <link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\n  <link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\" crossorigin>\n  <link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Barlow+Condensed:wght@400;500;600;700;800&family=Inter+Tight:wght@400;500;600;700&display=swap\">\n\n  <style>\n\/* ============================================================\n * AI OVERVIEWS IN ACCOUNTING \u2014 INDUSTRY DEEP-DIVE\n * All styles scoped under `.dn-scope`. 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padding-right: 32px; }\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Descriptor (eyebrow) \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n\/* Descriptors use element-prefix selector so they win against\n * .dn-section p (which would otherwise bump them to 16px body size). *\/\n.dn-scope p.dn-descriptor,\n.dn-scope .dn-section p.dn-descriptor {\n  display: inline-flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 8px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 11px;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  letter-spacing: 0.18em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  margin: 0;\n  line-height: 1.4;\n  max-width: none;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-descriptor .dot { display: none; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Breadcrumb \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-breadcrumb {\n  padding-top: 80px;\n  padding-bottom: 24px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 13px;\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 8px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-breadcrumb a {\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  text-decoration: none;\n  transition: color 0.15s;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-breadcrumb a:hover { color: var(--dn-ink); }\n.dn-scope .dn-breadcrumb-sep { color: var(--dn-muted); opacity: 0.5; }\n.dn-scope .dn-breadcrumb-current { color: var(--dn-ink); font-weight: 600; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Hero (full-width above TOC layout) \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-page-hero {\n  padding-top: 32px;\n  padding-bottom: 48px;\n  max-width: 880px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-page-title {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(36px, 5vw, 60px);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  line-height: 1.02;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  margin: 20px 0 0;\n  text-wrap: balance;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-page-lede {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: clamp(17px, 1.6vw, 20px);\n  line-height: 1.5;\n  font-weight: 400;\n  color: rgba(0, 42, 69, 0.8);\n  margin: 24px 0 0;\n  max-width: 720px;\n  text-wrap: balance;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Page body layout \u2014 TOC sidebar + content \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-body-grid {\n  display: grid;\n  gap: 32px;\n  grid-template-columns: 1fr;\n  padding-bottom: 64px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-body-grid > * { min-width: 0; }\n@media (min-width: 1024px) {\n  .dn-scope .dn-body-grid {\n    grid-template-columns: 220px 1fr;\n    gap: 48px;\n  }\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 TOC sidebar (desktop sticky) \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-toc {\n  display: none;\n}\n@media (min-width: 1024px) {\n  .dn-scope .dn-toc {\n    display: block;\n    position: sticky;\n    top: 24px;\n    align-self: start;\n    max-height: calc(100vh - 48px);\n    overflow-y: auto;\n    padding-right: 8px;\n    padding-top: 100px;\n  }\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-toc-label {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 12px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  letter-spacing: 0.22em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  margin: 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-toc-list {\n  margin-top: 16px;\n  display: flex;\n  flex-direction: column;\n  gap: 4px;\n  border-left: 1px solid var(--dn-rule);\n  padding-left: 14px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-toc-item {\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: baseline;\n  gap: 8px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 14px;\n  line-height: 1.35;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  font-weight: 500;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  padding: 8px 0;\n  transition: color 0.15s, opacity 0.15s;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-toc-item-n {\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  font-size: 11px;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  flex-shrink: 0;\n  width: 18px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-toc-item:hover { color: var(--dn-ink); 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}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Main content column \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-content {\n  max-width: 760px;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Generic section \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-section {\n  padding-top: 56px;\n  padding-bottom: 16px;\n  scroll-margin-top: 24px;\n  border-top: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-section:first-of-type { border-top: none; padding-top: 8px; }\n@media (min-width: 1024px) {\n  .dn-scope .dn-section:first-of-type { padding-top: 80px; }\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-section-h {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(26px, 3.2vw, 38px);\n  font-weight: 700;\n  line-height: 1.05;\n  letter-spacing: -0.015em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  margin: 14px 0 24px;\n  text-wrap: balance;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-section p {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 16px;\n  line-height: 1.65;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  margin: 16px 0 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-section p strong { color: var(--dn-ink); font-weight: 700; }\n.dn-scope .dn-section ul { margin: 16px 0 0; }\n.dn-scope .dn-section ul li {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 16px;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  padding-left: 18px;\n  position: relative;\n  margin-top: 10px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-section ul li::before {\n  content: \"\";\n  position: absolute;\n  left: 0;\n  top: 0.65em;\n  width: 6px;\n  height: 6px;\n  background: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  border-radius: 1px;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 1: HERO STAT CARD \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-stat-card {\n  margin-top: 28px;\n  background: linear-gradient(180deg, #FFFFFF 0%, var(--dn-paper) 100%);\n  border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule);\n  border-radius: 24px 0 24px 0;\n  padding: 32px 28px;\n  position: relative;\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n@media (min-width: 640px) {\n  .dn-scope .dn-stat-card { padding: 44px 36px; 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}\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-stat-card-meta > div {\n  display: flex;\n  flex-direction: column;\n  gap: 4px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-meta-label {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 10px;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  letter-spacing: 0.16em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-meta-value {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(20px, 2vw, 26px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  letter-spacing: -0.01em;\n  line-height: 1;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Shared data-widget container \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-data-block {\n  margin-top: 24px;\n  padding: 24px;\n  background: #FFFFFF;\n  border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 16px;\n}\n@media (min-width: 640px) {\n  .dn-scope .dn-data-block { padding: 28px; }\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 2: intent breakdown \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-block { margin-top: 24px; padding: 24px; background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft); border-radius: 16px; }\n@media (min-width: 640px) { .dn-scope .dn-intent-block { padding: 28px; } }\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-legend {\n  display: flex;\n  flex-wrap: wrap;\n  gap: 10px 18px;\n  margin-bottom: 20px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-legend-item {\n  display: inline-flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 6px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 12px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-swatch {\n  display: inline-block;\n  width: 11px;\n  height: 11px;\n  border-radius: 2px;\n  flex-shrink: 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-rows {\n  display: grid;\n  gap: 16px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-row {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: minmax(80px, auto) 1fr minmax(56px, auto);\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 14px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 13px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-name {\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  font-size: 13px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-bar-wrap {\n  height: 12px;\n  background: var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 6px;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  min-width: 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-bar-fill {\n  display: block;\n  height: 100%;\n  border-radius: 6px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-pct {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(20px, 2.4vw, 26px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  text-align: right;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n  line-height: 1;\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-intent-n {\n  display: none;\n  font-size: 11px;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  letter-spacing: 0.02em;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 3: Mobile vs Desktop \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-md-block { margin-top: 24px; padding: 24px; background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft); border-radius: 16px; display: grid; gap: 18px; }\n@media (min-width: 640px) { .dn-scope .dn-md-block { padding: 28px; } }\n.dn-scope .dn-md-row {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: minmax(70px, auto) 1fr minmax(64px, auto);\n  gap: 14px;\n  align-items: center;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-md-label {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 13px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  letter-spacing: 0.02em;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-md-bar-wrap {\n  height: 14px;\n  background: var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 7px;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  min-width: 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-md-bar-fill {\n  display: block;\n  height: 100%;\n  border-radius: 7px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-md-pct {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(22px, 2.6vw, 28px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  text-align: right;\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n  line-height: 1;\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 4: domain table \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table {\n  margin-top: 24px;\n  background: #FFFFFF;\n  border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 16px;\n  overflow: hidden;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table table { width: 100%; }\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table thead th {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 10px;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  letter-spacing: 0.16em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  padding: 16px 16px 10px;\n  text-align: left;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table thead th.num { text-align: right; }\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table tbody td {\n  padding: 12px 16px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 14px;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft) !important;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table tbody tr:last-child td { border-bottom: none !important; }\n.dn-scope .dn-domain-table tbody td.num {\n  text-align: right;\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 5: local intent block \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-local-block { margin-top: 24px; padding: 24px; background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft); border-radius: 16px; }\n@media (min-width: 640px) { .dn-scope .dn-local-block { padding: 28px; } }\n.dn-scope .dn-local-row {\n  display: flex;\n  justify-content: space-between;\n  align-items: baseline;\n  gap: 16px;\n  padding: 14px 0;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-local-row:last-of-type { border-bottom: none; }\n.dn-scope .dn-local-label {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 14px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-local-pct {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(28px, 3.5vw, 36px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n  line-height: 1;\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-local-gap {\n  margin-top: 18px;\n  padding: 14px 18px;\n  background: var(--dn-paper);\n  border-radius: 8px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(18px, 2.2vw, 24px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  letter-spacing: -0.01em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  line-height: 1.15;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 6: page-type block \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-block { margin-top: 24px; padding: 24px; background: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft); border-radius: 16px; display: grid; gap: 14px; }\n@media (min-width: 640px) { .dn-scope .dn-pagetype-block { padding: 28px; gap: 16px; } }\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-row {\n  display: grid;\n  grid-template-columns: minmax(96px, auto) 1fr minmax(56px, auto);\n  gap: 14px;\n  align-items: center;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-label {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 13px;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-bar-wrap {\n  height: 12px;\n  background: var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 6px;\n  overflow: hidden;\n  min-width: 0;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-bar-fill {\n  display: block;\n  height: 100%;\n  border-radius: 6px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-pagetype-pct {\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: clamp(20px, 2.2vw, 26px);\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  text-align: right;\n  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n  line-height: 1;\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 7: actions list \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-actions {\n  margin-top: 24px;\n  counter-reset: action;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-actions li {\n  counter-increment: action;\n  position: relative;\n  padding: 20px 22px 20px 64px;\n  margin-top: 12px;\n  background: #FFFFFF;\n  border: 1px solid var(--dn-rule-soft);\n  border-radius: 12px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 15px;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-actions li::before {\n  content: counter(action);\n  position: absolute;\n  left: 22px;\n  top: 18px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-display);\n  font-size: 32px;\n  font-weight: 800;\n  color: var(--dn-yellow-dark);\n  line-height: 1;\n  width: 30px;\n  text-align: center;\n  background: none;\n  border-radius: 0;\n  letter-spacing: -0.02em;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Page CTA \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-page-cta {\n  padding-top: 64px;\n  padding-bottom: 64px;\n  margin-top: 24px;\n  border-top: 1px solid var(--dn-rule);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-page-cta-buttons {\n  margin-top: 24px;\n  display: flex;\n  gap: 12px;\n  flex-wrap: wrap;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-cta-btn {\n  display: inline-flex;\n  align-items: center;\n  gap: 8px;\n  padding: 14px 24px;\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 14px;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  border-radius: 16px;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  transition: opacity 0.15s, transform 0.15s;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-cta-btn--primary {\n  background: var(--dn-ink);\n  color: var(--dn-paper);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-cta-btn--outline {\n  background: transparent;\n  color: var(--dn-ink);\n  border: 1px solid var(--dn-ink);\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-cta-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; }\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Arrow icon (CSS mask, inherits currentColor) \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-arrow-icon {\n  display: inline-block;\n  width: 1em;\n  height: 0.7em;\n  vertical-align: middle;\n  margin: 0 0.1em;\n  background-color: currentColor;\n  -webkit-mask: url('https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/arrow.svg') no-repeat center \/ contain;\n  mask: url('https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/arrow.svg') no-repeat center \/ contain;\n  flex-shrink: 0;\n}\n\n\/* \u2500\u2500\u2500 Footer \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 *\/\n.dn-scope .dn-footer {\n  background: var(--dn-paper-warm);\n  padding: 32px 0;\n  margin-top: 48px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-footer p {\n  font-family: var(--dn-ui);\n  font-size: 12px;\n  line-height: 1.55;\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  margin: 0;\n  max-width: 880px;\n}\n.dn-scope .dn-footer a {\n  color: var(--dn-muted);\n  text-decoration: underline;\n}\n\n<\/style>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"dn-scope\">\n\n  <nav class=\"container dn-breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/state-of-ai-search\/\">The State of AI Search<\/a>\n    <span class=\"dn-breadcrumb-sep\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u203a<\/span>\n    <span class=\"dn-breadcrumb-current\">IT &amp; Tech Services<\/span>\n  <\/nav>\n\n  <header class=\"container dn-page-hero\">\n    <p class=\"dn-descriptor\">\n      <span class=\"dot\"><\/span>\n      DNHQ Research \u00b7 Industry deep-dive \u00b7 May 2026\n    <\/p>\n    <h1 class=\"dn-page-title\">Where AI Overviews now send Australian IT customers<\/h1>\n      <p class=\"dn-page-lede\">\n      If you run an Australian IT or managed services firm, Google's AI is\n      citing YouTube tutorials and Reddit threads instead of your website\n      on more than half of customer searches. The pattern is unique enough\n      that the answer isn't \"write more blog content\". It's something\n      else entirely. For tech and IT firms, it reshapes how\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/b2b-seo\/\">B2B SEO<\/a>\n      and <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/saas-seo\/\">SaaS SEO<\/a>\n      need to work.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <div class=\"container dn-body-grid\">\n\n    <nav class=\"dn-toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\">\n      <p class=\"dn-toc-label\">On this page<\/p>\n      <ol class=\"dn-toc-list\">\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#headline\" data-toc=\"headline\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">01<\/span>The headline number<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#intent\" data-toc=\"intent\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">02<\/span>The intent breakdown<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#mobile\" data-toc=\"mobile\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">03<\/span>Mobile vs desktop<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#citations\" data-toc=\"citations\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">04<\/span>Citation leaderboard<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#local\" data-toc=\"local\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">05<\/span>Local intent<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#pagetype\" data-toc=\"pagetype\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">06<\/span>Page-type safety map<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#actions\" data-toc=\"actions\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">07<\/span>What to do about it<\/a><\/li>\n        <li><a class=\"dn-toc-item\" href=\"#cta\" data-toc=\"cta\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">08<\/span>Read the full study<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ol>\n    <\/nav>\n\n    <div>\n      <button type=\"button\" class=\"dn-toc-mobile-btn\" id=\"toc-mobile-btn\">\n        <span>Jump to section<\/span>\n        <span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u25be<\/span>\n      <\/button>\n\n      <div class=\"dn-content\">\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 1: Headline \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"headline\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>01 \u00b7 The headline number<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Australian IT search is among the most AI-exposed in the country<\/h2>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-stat-card\">\n            <div class=\"dn-stat-card-main\">\n              <p class=\"dn-stat-card-value\">52.5%<\/p>\n              <p class=\"dn-stat-card-label\">of IT &amp; tech services SERPs return an AI Overview<\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-stat-card-meta\">\n              <div><span class=\"dn-meta-label\">National average<\/span><span class=\"dn-meta-value\">37.8%<\/span><\/div>\n              <div><span class=\"dn-meta-label\">Industry rank<\/span><span class=\"dn-meta-value\">3 of 18<\/span><\/div>\n              <div><span class=\"dn-meta-label\">95% CI<\/span><span class=\"dn-meta-value\">51.3 \u2013 53.7%<\/span><\/div>\n              <div><span class=\"dn-meta-label\">Sample<\/span><span class=\"dn-meta-value\">6,509 SERPs<\/span><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            IT and tech services landed in a near-three-way tie with\n            E-commerce for second place in our overall rankings, with\n            52.5% of commercial searches returning a Google AI Overview.\n            That puts the industry 14.7 percentage points above the\n            national average, and inside the same high-exposure bracket\n            as Accounting and Australian online retail.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            But the more interesting story isn't the headline number.\n            It's <em>who<\/em> the AI is citing instead of your firm.\n            Across every Australian industry we tested, the dominant\n            sources were government domains, regulators, retailers, or\n            authority publishers. For IT, the dominant sources are\n            YouTube and Reddit, with Google's own properties not far\n            behind. The structural picture for Australian IT firms is\n            different from every other vertical in the study.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 2: Intent \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"intent\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>02 \u00b7 The intent breakdown<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Informational queries dominate the danger zone<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            We split every IT and tech services query into one of four\n            intents (informational, commercial, transactional,\n            navigational) and measured each separately. Where e-commerce\n            queries skewed heavily commercial, IT skews heavily\n            informational, and the trigger rate follows.\n          <\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-intent-block\">\n            <div class=\"dn-intent-legend\">\n              <span class=\"dn-intent-legend-item\"><span class=\"dn-intent-swatch\" style=\"background:#6985BA\"><\/span>Informational<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-intent-legend-item\"><span class=\"dn-intent-swatch\" style=\"background:#87D259\"><\/span>Transactional<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-intent-legend-item\"><span class=\"dn-intent-swatch\" style=\"background:#F5C238\"><\/span>Commercial<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-intent-legend-item\"><span class=\"dn-intent-swatch\" style=\"background:#B89DFF\"><\/span>Navigational<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"dn-intent-rows\">\n              <div class=\"dn-intent-row\">\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-name\">Informational<\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-intent-bar-fill\" style=\"width:89.3%;background:#6985BA\"><\/span><\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-pct\">71.4%<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n              <div class=\"dn-intent-row\">\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-name\">Transactional<\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-intent-bar-fill\" style=\"width:60.4%;background:#87D259\"><\/span><\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-pct\">48.3%<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n              <div class=\"dn-intent-row\">\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-name\">Commercial<\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-intent-bar-fill\" style=\"width:51.3%;background:#F5C238\"><\/span><\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-pct\">41.0%<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n              <div class=\"dn-intent-row\">\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-name\">Navigational<\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-intent-bar-fill\" style=\"width:38.5%;background:#B89DFF\"><\/span><\/span>\n                <span class=\"dn-intent-pct\">30.8%<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            <strong>Informational intent at 71.4%<\/strong> is the danger\n            zone. \"How to set up Office 365 MFA\", \"what is a VPN\", \"fix\n            iPhone won't update\". These are the explainer queries that drive most\n            IT-firm blog traffic. Google's AI returns an answer for more\n            than seven in ten of them.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Transactional intent at 48.3%<\/strong> sits notably\n            high (the dataset baseline is 34.6%). The pattern looks like\n            E-commerce: Australian IT transactional queries usually\n            carry a definitional component. \"How much does managed IT\n            cost\", \"is Office 365 worth it\". These read as buying\n            questions but Google treats them as explainers.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Commercial intent<\/strong> is moderate at 41.0%. Pure\n            commercial comparison queries (\"best MSP Brisbane\", \"managed\n            IT vs break-fix\") still get an AI Overview around 4 in 10\n            times.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Navigational queries<\/strong> sit at 30.8%, the\n            highest navigational rate in any vertical we tested.\n            Australian IT users navigate constantly: \"Microsoft 365\n            admin\", \"Okta login\", \"Atlassian status\". A lot of those\n            navigational queries get an AI summary alongside the link.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 3: Mobile vs desktop \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"mobile\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>03 \u00b7 Mobile vs desktop<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Mobile is +3.5pp more AI-exposed than desktop<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            We split the dataset by device. IT and tech services follow\n            the dominant pattern across our study: mobile AIO exposure\n            sits above desktop. The gap is moderate (not as extreme as\n            the +7pp gaps in Accounting and Legal), but it's directionally\n            consistent with most service verticals.\n          <\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-md-block\">\n            <div class=\"dn-md-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-md-label\">Mobile<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-md-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-md-bar-fill\" style=\"width:88.8%;background:#6985BA\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-md-pct\">53.3%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-md-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-md-label\">Desktop<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-md-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-md-bar-fill\" style=\"width:83.0%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.45)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-md-pct\">49.8%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            The +3.5pp mobile gap is unsurprising given the query\n            patterns. Quick troubleshooting questions (\"why is my wifi\n            slow\", \"iPhone won't charge\") happen on the device that's\n            broken, which is almost always mobile.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Practical implication:<\/strong> if your IT firm's AIO\n            audits are running on desktop, you're understating real\n            exposure by ~3.5pp. Smaller than the +7pp gap for\n            accounting, but still meaningful enough to matter when you're\n            briefing a client on the scale of the threat.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 4: Citations \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"citations\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>04 \u00b7 The citation leaderboard<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">YouTube and Reddit dominate IT citations<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            This is where Australian IT looks different from every other\n            vertical we measured. For Accounting, ATO.gov.au led the\n            field. For E-commerce, Google's own properties. For IT, the\n            #1 and #2 cited sources are YouTube and Reddit, with Google\n            in third. User-generated tutorial video and forum content\n            are the structural sources Google's AI draws from.\n          <\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-domain-table\">\n            <table>\n              <thead>\n                <tr><th>#<\/th><th>Domain<\/th><th class=\"num\">Citations<\/th><th class=\"num\">Share<\/th><\/tr>\n              <\/thead>\n              <tbody>\n                <tr><td>1<\/td><td><strong>youtube.com<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"num\">1,816<\/td><td class=\"num\">6.1%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>2<\/td><td><strong>reddit.com<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"num\">1,579<\/td><td class=\"num\">5.3%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>3<\/td><td>google.com<\/td><td class=\"num\">1,093<\/td><td class=\"num\">3.7%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>4<\/td><td>au.indeed.com<\/td><td class=\"num\">636<\/td><td class=\"num\">2.1%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>5<\/td><td>seek.com.au<\/td><td class=\"num\">533<\/td><td class=\"num\">1.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>6<\/td><td>au.seek.com<\/td><td class=\"num\">437<\/td><td class=\"num\">1.5%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>7<\/td><td>thepcdoctor.com.au<\/td><td class=\"num\">417<\/td><td class=\"num\">1.4%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>8<\/td><td>cleverfiles.com<\/td><td class=\"num\">361<\/td><td class=\"num\">1.2%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>9<\/td><td>geeks2u.com.au<\/td><td class=\"num\">340<\/td><td class=\"num\">1.1%<\/td><\/tr>\n                <tr><td>10<\/td><td>payam.com.au<\/td><td class=\"num\">255<\/td><td class=\"num\">0.9%<\/td><\/tr>\n              <\/tbody>\n            <\/table>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            <strong>YouTube alone accounts for 1,816 citations<\/strong>,\n            6.1% of every AIO citation in our IT sample. Add Reddit's\n            1,579 (5.3%) and these two user-generated platforms account\n            for more than 11% of all citations on Australian IT queries.\n            That's higher than any other vertical's top-two-source\n            concentration outside Accounting (where the ATO alone\n            accounted for 20%).\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>The implication is direct.<\/strong> The classic SEO\n            response to AIO exposure (\"publish more authoritative blog\n            content\") doesn't fit IT in 2026. Your competition for the\n            AI's attention isn't other Australian IT firms with stronger\n            domain authority. It's a senior sysadmin posting a fix to\n            r\/sysadmin and a five-minute walkthrough on YouTube. Those\n            channels were already winning IT informational search before\n            AIO. AIO just made them the primary source.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            The Australian IT firms that do appear in the top 20\n            (thepcdoctor.com.au, geeks2u.com.au, payam.com.au) share a\n            pattern: long-running brand presence, location-specific\n            service pages, and category-narrow content. Niche\n            authority, not broad reach, gets cited.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Wider context:<\/strong> only 42.3% of all AIO\n            citations on IT queries are Australian domains. Below the\n            dataset average (54.9%) and one of the lowest AU-share\n            verticals in the study. IT content competes globally.\n            Google's AI reaches for international YouTube creators,\n            Stack Overflow, Reddit threads, and US-based tutorials in a\n            way it doesn't for Accounting or Real Estate.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 5: Local intent \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"local\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>05 \u00b7 Local intent<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Service-area pages are the safest surface in IT<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            This is the strongest insulation effect we measured. Across\n            every other industry, local-intent queries trigger less AIO\n            than general queries (gaps run 10 to 17 percentage points).\n            For IT, the gap is more than double the average.\n          <\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-local-block\">\n            <div class=\"dn-local-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-local-label\">General queries<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-local-pct\">57.3%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-local-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-local-label\">\"Near me\" \/ suburb queries<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-local-pct\">21.3%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-local-gap\">\u221236.0pp drop when location intent is added<\/div>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            Add \"near me\", a suburb, or a city qualifier to an IT query\n            and the trigger rate collapses from 57.3% to 21.3%. A\n            <strong>36 percentage-point drop.<\/strong> Among the largest\n            insulation effects in the entire 18-industry dataset, behind\n            only Real Estate (-37.5pp).\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Why:<\/strong> when an Australian customer searches\n            \"IT support Brisbane CBD\" or \"managed services Newcastle\",\n            Google's AI knows the customer wants a list of providers,\n            not a definition of managed IT. So it steps back and lets\n            the organic results breathe.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Translation for your firm:<\/strong> the service-area\n            and city-targeting pages most IT companies have built over\n            the last decade are still doing their job. \"Managed IT\n            services [city]\", \"IT support [suburb]\", \"computer repair\n            [region]\" pages trigger AIO at less than half the rate of\n            your blog content. They're the cleanest surface left in the\n            vertical.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 6: Page-type \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"pagetype\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>06 \u00b7 Page-type safety map<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Blog content triggers AI; homepage doesn't<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            We measured AIO trigger rate by what kind of page ranks #1 in\n            the IT SERP. The pattern echoes what we saw in Accounting:\n            extreme spread, with blog content at the high end and\n            homepages at the low end.\n          <\/p>\n\n          <div class=\"dn-pagetype-block\">\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">Blog \/ content<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:82.7%;background:#6985BA\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">82.7%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">Product pages<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:63.9%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.7)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">63.9%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">Other \/ mixed<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:60.0%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.6)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">60.0%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">Location pages<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:50.0%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.55)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">50.0%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">FAQ<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:33.0%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.45)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">33.0%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"dn-pagetype-row\">\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-label\">Homepage<\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-wrap\"><span class=\"dn-pagetype-bar-fill\" style=\"width:25.4%;background:rgba(105,133,186,0.35)\"><\/span><\/span>\n              <span class=\"dn-pagetype-pct\">25.4%<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n\n          <p>\n            When an IT blog post ranks #1 for a query, AIO appears\n            <strong>82.7% of the time.<\/strong> When a homepage ranks #1,\n            it's just 25.4%. The 57.3-point spread is one of the widest\n            in our entire dataset, narrower only than Accounting (56.6pp).\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>What's interesting for IT specifically:<\/strong>\n            product pages trigger AIO at 63.9%, higher than location\n            pages at 50.0%. Product-comparison searches (\"SonicWall vs\n            Fortinet\", \"Office 365 vs Google Workspace\") fall into the\n            same AI-eats-the-explainer pattern as informational\n            content.\n          <\/p>\n          <p>\n            <strong>Our view:<\/strong> the page-type safety map for IT is\n            almost perfectly aligned with the local-intent finding. The\n            pages that target location-qualified queries (service\n            pages, city pages) are safe. The pages that target\n            informational, product-comparison, or how-to queries\n            (blogs, product overviews, FAQs at 33%) are exposed.\n          <\/p>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 Section 7: Actions \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"actions\" class=\"dn-section\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>07 \u00b7 What to do about it<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Five actions we'd take if we ran an Australian IT firm<\/h2>\n\n          <ol class=\"dn-actions\">\n            <li>\n              <strong>Build a YouTube presence. Not optional.<\/strong>\n              YouTube is the single largest source Google's AI cites\n              for Australian IT queries (1,816 citations, 6.1% of all).\n              Five-minute walkthroughs, common-fix tutorials,\n              product-setup videos. The investment that closes the gap\n              isn't another 2,000-word blog post. It's a video\n              well-titled and consistently published. We rank this as\n              the single highest-leverage marketing investment for an\n              Australian IT firm in 2026.\n            <\/li>\n            <li>\n              <strong>Get on Reddit. Strategically.<\/strong> 1,579 IT\n              citations point to Reddit threads, our #2 source.\n              r\/sysadmin, r\/AusFinance for cost questions, r\/techsupport,\n              category-specific subs (r\/Office365, r\/networking,\n              r\/cybersecurity_AU). One senior engineer with a verified\n              account answering questions for an hour a week. Highest\n              cost-to-citation ratio in the industry.\n            <\/li>\n            <li>\n              <strong>Double down on service-area pages.<\/strong>\n              Location-qualified queries trigger AIO at 21.3% vs 57.3%\n              for general queries. That's a 36-point safety margin.\n              \"Managed IT [city]\", \"IT support [suburb]\", \"cybersecurity\n              services [region]\" pages remain among the cleanest SEO\n              surfaces left in the vertical. If you've been\n              deprioritising them, reverse that decision.\n            <\/li>\n            <li>\n              <strong>Stop competing with global YouTube on\n              how-to content.<\/strong> Informational queries trigger\n              AIO 71.4% of the time, and the AI is reaching for global\n              YouTubers, Stack Overflow, and US sites. Australian blog\n              content rarely makes the citation list. Reframe your\n              content investment: deep, opinionated commentary on\n              Australian compliance angles (ASD Essential 8, Privacy Act,\n              NDB notifications), comparative content with original\n              testing data, or workflow content tied to local tools.\n              Not generic \"how to set up X\" guides.\n            <\/li>\n            <li>\n              <strong>Lean on brand demand and direct traffic.<\/strong>\n              The only intent class with sub-50% AIO exposure is\n              navigational. Brand campaigns, account-based outreach,\n              email lists, and referral programmes generate the only\n              query types where your firm's site still gets a clean\n              first impression. AIO is rewiring discovery; brand demand\n              is your moat.\n            <\/li>\n          <\/ol>\n        <\/section>\n\n        <!-- \u2500\u2500\u2500 CTA \u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500 -->\n        <section id=\"cta\" class=\"dn-page-cta\">\n          <p class=\"dn-descriptor\"><span class=\"dot\"><\/span>What's next<\/p>\n          <h2 class=\"dn-section-h\">Want the full picture?<\/h2>\n          <p>\n            This page draws from the complete <em>State of AI Search for\n            Australian SMEs, 2026<\/em>: 116,918 SERPs across 18 industries,\n            6 cities, and 19 numbered findings. Read the full study, or\n            get a free 10-keyword AIO audit on your firm's specific\n            search terms.\n          <\/p>\n          <div class=\"dn-page-cta-buttons\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/state-of-ai-search\/\" class=\"dn-cta-btn dn-cta-btn--primary\">\n              Read the full study <span class=\"dn-arrow-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n            <\/a>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/aio-audit\/\" class=\"dn-cta-btn dn-cta-btn--outline\">\n              Get a free AIO audit <span class=\"dn-arrow-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/section>\n\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"dn-toc-overlay\" id=\"toc-overlay\" role=\"dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\">\n    <button type=\"button\" class=\"dn-toc-overlay-close\" id=\"toc-overlay-close\">Close \u2715<\/button>\n    <a href=\"#headline\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">01<\/span>The headline number<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#intent\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">02<\/span>The intent breakdown<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#mobile\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">03<\/span>Mobile vs desktop<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#citations\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">04<\/span>Citation leaderboard<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#local\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">05<\/span>Local intent<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#pagetype\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">06<\/span>Page-type safety map<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#actions\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">07<\/span>What to do about it<\/a>\n    <a href=\"#cta\"><span class=\"dn-toc-item-n\">08<\/span>Read the full study<\/a>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <footer class=\"dn-footer\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <p>\n        \u00a9 2026 DNHQ. All rights reserved.\n        <em>The State of AI Search for Australian SMEs, 2026<\/em>\n        and its underlying dataset are the proprietary intellectual property\n        of DNHQ Pty Ltd. Brief quotation permitted with attribution;\n        reproduction or redistribution without prior written consent\n        prohibited. Press &amp; licensing:\n        <a href=\"mailto:research@dnhq.com.au\">research@dnhq.com.au<\/a>.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/footer>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  var btn = document.getElementById('toc-mobile-btn');\n  var overlay = document.getElementById('toc-overlay');\n  var close = document.getElementById('toc-overlay-close');\n  if (btn && overlay) {\n    btn.addEventListener('click', function(){ overlay.setAttribute('data-open',''); document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden'; });\n  }\n  if (close && overlay) {\n    close.addEventListener('click', function(){ overlay.removeAttribute('data-open'); document.body.style.overflow = ''; });\n  }\n  if (overlay) {\n    overlay.querySelectorAll('a').forEach(function(a){\n      a.addEventListener('click', function(){ overlay.removeAttribute('data-open'); document.body.style.overflow = ''; });\n    });\n  }\n  var sections = document.querySelectorAll('section[id]');\n  if (sections.length && 'IntersectionObserver' in window) {\n    var obs = new IntersectionObserver(function(entries){\n      var visible = entries.filter(function(e){ return e.isIntersecting; });\n      if (!visible.length) return;\n      visible.sort(function(a,b){ return a.boundingClientRect.top - b.boundingClientRect.top; });\n      var id = visible[0].target.getAttribute('id');\n      document.querySelectorAll('.dn-toc-item.active').forEach(function(el){ el.classList.remove('active'); });\n      var link = document.querySelector('[data-toc=\"' + id + '\"]');\n      if (link) link.classList.add('active');\n    }, { rootMargin: '-20% 0px -60% 0px', threshold: 0 });\n    sections.forEach(function(s){ obs.observe(s); });\n  }\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/body>\n<\/html>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State of AI Search \u203a IT &amp; Tech Services DNHQ Research \u00b7 Industry deep-dive \u00b7 May 2026 Where AI Overviews now send Australian IT customers If you run an Australian IT or managed services firm, Google&#8217;s AI is citing YouTube tutorials and Reddit threads instead of your website on more than half of customer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44540,"parent":43979,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-44041","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44041"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44718,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/44041\/revisions\/44718"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalnomadshq.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}