Zero-click search and what it means for your content strategy
You’ve very likely noticed how much more helpful Google has been over the last few months. Any query, from ‘which is the best CMS for SEO’ to ‘why does my baby shake her head like Stevie Wonder’ (yes, I’ve actually Googled that) is now met with a convenient little summary at the top of the search results giving you likely a pretty damn good answer to the question.
You remember Google’s zero moments of truth, where we did all of our purchase research before reaching out to the salesperson at the dealership or Apple store? This is zero click search, where we get all of that research done without having to leave Google’s sphere.
It’s quick, it is easy, and more often than not, it provides a pretty solid answer to your question. But while it’s seemingly great for users, it is a little scary if your business depends on organic search traffic. Why?
The rise of zero-click search
It’s called zero-click search, because Google is now using AI to pull from the top ranked pages (which they have already judged as highly relevant) to provide a neat little summary. Answer gained, people are no longer clicking. In fact, chances are they have no idea from which page or company the helpful information has been provided.
This means businesses that invest in writing high-quality content may still be providing value, but with no guarantee that users will ever click through to their site.
The implications of this shift are starkly significant. Your content might be supplying the answer, but users may not associate it with your brand. Fewer clicks mean fewer opportunities for engagement and conversion. Even if your page is ranking highly, it may not be generating the traffic it once did.
The bigger picture: AI and search
While Google is not the only AI-powered search horse in town, it remains the dominant player. Other platforms, such as ChatGPT, are seeing increased usage, but they are still dwarfed by Google’s scale. Its usage is still well below Google 5.2 billion searches
Even if all of ChatGPT’s estimated one billion messages per day were search-related (which they’re not), its share of the search market would still be less than one per cent. Research from Datos shows that 99% of users who experiment with generative AI still rely on traditional search engines alongside these tools.
For businesses focused on search visibility, this means that Google’s AI Overview (AIO) is where the real impact is happening.
Analysis from Seer Interactive, based on 10,000 search terms, shows that AIOis already having a significant impact on click-through rates for both organic and paid search results. If your business relies on search traffic, this trend is impossible to ignore.
How to adapt your content strategy for AI search
So, what should you be doing with your content? Firstly, don't panic! While this feels like a massive shift, it’s a regular aspect of Google’s algorithm that you need to regularly review your content strategy in relation to changes.
You may have seen reports that inbound marketing giant HubSpot has lost 80 per cent of its organic traffic in the past year. While Google’s Core Update and Spam Update have played a role—penalising HubSpot for issues like link spam and lower relevance—zero-click search has undoubtedly contributed.
Former HubSpot employees have noted that ongoing content optimisation remains essential. The same applies here.
Start by reviewing content and ensuring it is highly relevant, and quality rich. It’s also becoming more critical to create content that goes deeper rather than broader. AI can efficiently handle basic, surface-level queries, which means that detailed, highly valuable content is now even more important. Focusing on long-tail keywords, in-depth analysis, case studies, and unique insights will differentiate human-created content from AI-generated summaries.
Clear, well-structured content still wins, both in terms of featured spots in AIO but also for non-AIO queries, where Seer is seeing that click through rates are actually increasing. AI summaries will reduce click-through rates, but optimising for featured snippets by structuring content clearly helps visibility.
Optimising for featured snippets and AIO placements is still worthwhile. Google continues to prioritise high-ranking, well-structured content. Formatting content clearly with subheadings, structured lists, and concise answers increases the chances of being featured.
Visual and interactive content is becoming more important than ever. AIO cannot yet effectively summarise videos, infographics, or interactive elements, making them valuable assets for engaging audiences beyond AI-generated search summaries. Businesses should invest in video content with clear transcripts, compelling infographics, and tools such as interactive reports or calculators that encourage user engagement.
Look for search opportunities that AIO has not yet dominated. Not all search queries trigger an AIO. By monitoring search trends and identifying alternative phrasings of high-value queries, businesses can target areas where AI is not automatically generating a response. Google Search Console can be a valuable tool for identifying where overviews are appearing and where they are not.
Redouble your brand-building efforts. With AIO search results not showing up for branded search, people looking for you by name is the kind of three-pointer goal of which every marketer dreams.
Finally, diversifying traffic sources is essential. Relying solely on organic search traffic is becoming increasingly risky. As part of your brand building, focus on growing your owned audiences through email lists, strengthening brand recognition through community engagement, and strategically using paid advertising when necessary.
The future of search: adapt or lose visibility
AI-driven search is here to stay, but that does not mean businesses cannot continue to thrive. The brands that will succeed in this new landscape are those that focus on creating compelling, human-centred content, leveraging formats that AI cannot easily summarise, and prioritising engagement over passive traffic.
The question is not whether AI will change search—it already has. The real question is whether businesses are prepared to change with it.
