Zero Click Is Coming...And What We Can Do About It

Zero click is someone going through search and then finding the answers there and then, but not clicking on your website.

How does that happen?

When the solution has already been found by AI, Gemini for Google search.

Above is from the first page in Google in which we asked "what is an ebook".

Gemini comes first and the section of interest is also highlighted. The result also beats Wiki. Sure the links where the answer was found is on the right and within Gemini's answer. But are you going to go further? Maybe, but probably through Gemini first.

It is also interesting to see that the first page doesn't show how many pages has those search terms.

This is zero click

Regardless of your keyword density, links back etc your content might not get read. Sure it might get citated, but you don't get the click. You also:

• Don't get the traffic
• You don't get the affiliate revenue
• You don't get the Adsense money

Now to come clean. We do get citated by AI and it does give us some traffic, but the future might be different if this is a continual issue.

Remember, Googles initial issue was how to sort out the web. First it was linking- how many backlinks- a vote if you will of the website content. Now? Why search everywhere where you can find the answer straight away.

But. Zero click also has an issue for Google.

Googles Ad revenue for the first quarter of 2025 was $66.9 Billion...a huge number. But, what happens if people don't click on those ads because they aren't going to the pages that are generating those revenues?

We asked Gemini, what would be Googles answer. How would they overcome this issue?

• "Integrating Ads within AI-Powered Responses: Google is already experimenting with placing ads within AI Overviews. These ads are designed to be contextually relevant to the AI-generated information. The effectiveness and user acceptance of these new ad formats will be crucial.
• Focusing on Conversational Commerce: If AI facilitates more direct interactions, Google could focus on enabling transactions directly within the search experience. This could involve "shoppable" AI responses or integrations with e-commerce platforms, allowing Google to earn revenue through commissions or other models.
• Emphasis on Visual and Multimedia Search: AI can enhance visual and voice search capabilities. Google could leverage these formats to display more engaging and interactive advertisements that are less reliant on traditional website clicks.
• Strengthening Brand Visibility in AI Answers: Google might prioritize showing information from authoritative brands in its AI responses. This could incentivize businesses to invest in building brand authority and creating high-quality content to be featured, potentially leading to new forms of sponsored placements or enhanced brand listings within AI results.
• Leveraging First-Party Data for Ad Targeting: As third-party cookies become less prevalent, Google's vast amounts of first-party data (search history, user activity across its services) become even more valuable for precise ad targeting within AI-powered search. This could maintain ad relevance and effectiveness even with fewer clicks.
• Developing New Ad Formats for AI Interfaces: Google might create entirely new ad formats specifically designed for conversational AI or other AI-driven search experiences. These could be less intrusive and more integrated into the natural flow of the AI interaction.
• Driving Engagement Through AI Features: By offering highly useful and engaging AI features, Google might keep users within its ecosystem for longer, even if they don't click on traditional website links immediately. This sustained engagement could create more opportunities for ad exposure in different parts of the user journey.
• Focusing on "Zero-Click Searches": While seemingly counterintuitive, Google might adapt to a world where more searches result in direct answers on the SERP (so-called "zero-click searches"). They could still monetize these by displaying brand information, local business details, and other non-traditional ad formats prominently within the AI-generated content."

So, as a content website or eProduct provider, what can we do?

The idea is to start and structure your websites so that you are not answering simple questions which can easily be handled by AI. In time, AI is going to deeper, but the start of the chat should be deeper for you.

1. Offer Unique Value and Insights: Go beyond simply answering basic questions. Provide unique perspectives, in-depth analysis, case studies, and original research that encourage users to explore your website further.
2. Build a Community: Foster a sense of community through comments, forums, or social media integration. Engaged users are more likely to return to your website directly. 
3. Encourage Exploration with Internal Linking: Strategically link to other relevant content within your website to keep users engaged and explore related topics.

Google is trying to keep the traffic within its own ecosystem. And you might need to do the same. Either this is with larger third party websites or through your own time and effort. Building a community with Q&A, newsletters, social interaction is likely to keep your visitors on your site and funnel them to your site when new content is released.

Diversify. And...

Like with most things- especially now with zero click, diversification is wise. Affiliate marketing, selling digital products and sponsored content are always a go-to collection of sellables.

Why?

Because, as previously mentioned companies go where the traffic is. That is Googles issue. It is trying to be everything.

Companies pay MrBeast millions to be sponsored with him.

Where am I going to find the best soccer (football) tips from if I like Ronaldo? Probably Ronaldos website/ Youtube channel. If I were a soccer company, where do you think I will want my ad spend to go to? Probably Ronaldos website/ Youtube channel. As long as Ronaldo can keep the interest of the 70+M Youtube subscribers he has then cultivating brand deals will be simple. (For us I would have spun off everything that was other than soccer/ specific Ronaldo to different channels)

If you have the audience, nurture that audience and allow that audience to interact and grow with you. Then you start to become insulated to any changes that Google can throw at you.

This has always been the case with being online.

Amazon knew this at the very start. That is why it is successful- not because it sold books and now sells everything else. It is successful because it kept the audience. If you want to buy something, you buy through Amazon. You might find that product within Google search but you usually buy through Amazon. Amazon even used Google against itself. It buys keywords for Google Adwords and funnels that traffic to the product. More than likely you won't search through Google again for another product.

Most websites though use Google as a traffic tap. Better keyword rankings, better placement. Sure are all cool. But that is not the issue you must be thinking of. It should be- how do I convert this traffic into my website traffic and how do I keep it?

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