--- title: "Bell vs Smith: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Bell or Smith more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the MTB helmet brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bell-helmets-vs-smith-optics" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Bell vs Smith: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Bell or Smith more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the MTB helmet brands set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Bell and Smith - **Competitive set**: MTB helmet brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Bell Share of Search**: 21.1% - **Smith Share of Search**: 1.3% ## Is Bell or Smith more popular in search? - In September 2026, Bell had more branded searches than Smith among MTB helmet brands in New Zealand. Bell had about 790 branded searches, while Smith had 50. Bell made up 21.1% of all MTB helmet brand searches we track, and Smith accounted for 1.3%. - Bell was ahead of Smith in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bell’s share of searches among MTB helmet brands in New Zealand moved from 25.5% to 21.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 830 to 790. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smith’s share of searches among MTB helmet brands in New Zealand moved from 2.1% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 70 to 50. ## Top MTB helmet brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Bell appeared in all three answers. Smith was mentioned in one out of three: in one of the three ChatGPT answers. Bell was listed before Smith in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fox Racing | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | POC | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Giro | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Bell | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Smith | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about MTB helmet brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which MTB helmet brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Giro, 2. Fox Racing, 3. Bell, 4. POC - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best MTB helmet brands in New Zealand?": 1. Fox Racing, 2. POC, 3. Giro, 4. Bell, 5. Smith - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best MTB helmet brand in New Zealand for trail safety?": 1. POC, 2. Fox Racing, 3. Bell, 4. Giro Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand MTB helmet brands in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Smith in New Zealand fell 28.6% over 12 measured months, from 70 to 50 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Bell estimated searches | Bell Share of Search | Bell rank | Smith estimated searches | Smith Share of Search | Smith rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 830 | 25.5% | 3 | 70 | 2.1% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 860 | 20.6% | 3 | 70 | 1.7% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 860 | 21.7% | 3 | 70 | 1.8% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 830 | 23.4% | 3 | 70 | 2% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 1K | 28.6% | 2 | 90 | 2.5% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 1.1K | 29.1% | 2 | 50 | 1.3% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 830 | 23.4% | 3 | 50 | 1.4% | 5 | | May 2026 | 830 | 21.9% | 3 | 50 | 1.3% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 810 | 24.2% | 2 | 40 | 1.2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 810 | 22.3% | 3 | 50 | 1.4% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 790 | 20.8% | 3 | 40 | 1.1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 790 | 21.1% | 3 | 50 | 1.3% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bell’s and Smith’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Bell**: Measured on the search terms “bell cycling helmet” and “bell helmet”, summed into one figure. - **Smith**: Measured on the search term “smith mtb helmet”. - [Bell profile](/demand/nz/brands/bell-helmets) - [Smith profile](/demand/nz/brands/smith-optics) - [All MTB helmet brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-mtb-helmet-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 5 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Bell or Smith more popular in search? In September 2026, Bell had more branded searches than Smith among MTB helmet brands in New Zealand. Bell had about 790 branded searches, while Smith had 50. Bell made up 21.1% of all MTB helmet brand searches we track, and Smith accounted for 1.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Bell vs Smith: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bell-helmets-vs-smith-optics This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bell-helmets-vs-smith-optics. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.