Five Things You Were Too Afraid to Ask About Zero-Click Search
Plus a round up from the world of Digital Marketing this week
You might have heard that Search is changing (no, really).
The rise of AI overviews and more information-rich search engine result pages (SERPs) means that people are getting the answers they need without leaving Google. Combine this with the increasing use of Generative AI engines, and suddenly you have a potentially major drop off in organic website traffic.
With all that’s been going on, here are five things you might have been too afraid to ask.
1. What exactly is “zero-click search”?
Zero-click search is when a user gets the answer they want directly on the search results page. No click-through, no website visit. Just a quick scroll and you’re done.
AI Overviews are making this even more common, but featured snippets, knowledge panels, and maps have been prepping us for years.
2. Is this actually that different to what we’ve been seeing for the last few years? Is it new?
Not really. Google’s been edging towards this since the “featured snippet” era (those extracts you sometimes got from top-ranking websites, such as the answer to how high Mount Everest is). The difference now is scale: AI Overviews put entire summaries, comparisons, and recommendations directly in front of the user. For publishers, that means a much steeper drop in traffic.
3. What does this mean for websites and businesses reliant on ad revenue?
If your revenue relies heavily on ad impressions or clicks, it’s a problem. Fewer clicks = fewer eyeballs on your site = shrinking CPMs.
Publishers, already creaking with limited ad revenue and many with low paywall takeups, will need to rethink business models - either by offering experiences that AI can’t easily replicate (such as those being worked on in the travel industry, where there are trends toward personalised itinerary tools), or by diversifying revenue streams beyond banner ads.
4. Can brands do anything about it?
Yes, but it requires a shift in mindset. Ranking first is no longer enough. You need to give people a reason to visit. This might include:
Interactive tools and calculators (mortgage/loan calculators, for example)
Gated content worth trading an email for
Adding brand value and building trust in a way that can’t just be summarised in a two line AI answer (think Patagonia, Monzo, IKEA - brands that have super-strong identities and comms)
5. What about SEO - is it dead?
Nope. The fundamentals haven’t changed: content still needs to be useful, relevant, and written with the customer in mind. The difference is that “being useful” now means more than answering a single query. It’s about creating depth and value that encourages the next click, not just the first impression. As an aside here, I enjoyed this article this week encouraging people to stop using GEO as an alternative term.
I hate listicles, what’s the TL;DR?
Zero-click search isn’t the end of SEO - but it is the end of lazy SEO. If your content strategy is built purely on keywords and traffic volume, it’s time to rethink. Businesses that focus on why someone should still visit their site will win in the long run (it’s almost like SEO practitioners have been encouraging this for the last decade).
What else has happened in digital marketing this week?
Meta reportedly allowed unauthorised celebrity AI-powered chatbots on its services, and they apparently flirted with users.
Meta will soon enable advertisers to exclude certain terms from AI-generated copy. It’s wild to me that this hasn’t happened sooner.
TikTok has added voice notes, photos and video sharing to DMs. Previously users could only use text, GIFs and stickers.
If you found this interesting, I would hugely appreciate it if you shared with your friends and colleagues.
If you’re feeling particularly generous and enjoyed this edition, I won’t stop you from buying me a coffee. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week 🫶