How to navigate a 0 click search world
Is this really the death of the click?
In short, no.
…Maybe.
Who actually knows? In 2024, Search Engine Land reported that 59.7% of European and 58.5% of American Google searches ended with zero clicks, a statistic which probably started alarm bells ringing in many search marketer’s heads. AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity and the likes of Google AI overviews are answering search queries directly, eliminating the need for users to click through to a website for answers. Whilst it’s no secret that search is changing and has been for a while, the future is still uncertain, and presents a multitude of challenges for brands and agencies alike.
According to Bain, 80% of consumers rely on zero-click results in at least 40% of their searches, reducing organic traffic by 15–25%, and as of October 2025, Exploding Topics reports that ChatGPT has around 700-800 million weekly users – more than 45% of which are under the age of 25. This age group are not only the highest users, but also represent the future high-earners and buyers that brands are consistently trying to relate to and target. This means a new approach for marketers could be elemental should they wish to keep the attention of this demographic and beyond.
But what does this mean for SEO, are traditional strategies losing their impact?
Whilst the above statistics might sound really scary and daunting, they also don’t paint the full picture. Search Engine Land reported that ChatGPT users were sending around 66 million search prompts per day. Huge, right? Well, it’s still nothing in comparison to Google’s whopping 16.4 billion searches per day, 210 times more than ChatGPT.
Google still dominates over 90% of the search market, according to Brightedge, with AI tools accounting for just 1% of this share of web referrals.
This would suggest that, whilst AI is clearly becoming an increasingly important part of the marketing picture, it’s not time to hang up your SEO boots yet. Brightedge’s article states that “the smartest marketers are winning by combining AI readiness with proven SEO strategies”. It’s clear that AI tool users are generally using them for research, to ask questions and gain information about a specific topic – much like Google, but with results that offer more in-depth answers, often from multiple sources and without the need to traipse through multiple links.
In some ways, this is great for marketers, as it’s creating new touch points for brands to get themselves in front of their audience. Authority is a key driver for AI search, driven by brand mentions and a strong media presence, as well as strong social media engagement and content on user-forums (Reddit was claimed as the most cited domain in AI-generated answers in August this year, according to Profound, and as a result is a key platform for brands to engage with). By continuing to deliver best SEO practices and also optimising for AI search, you can put your brand in the best position possible.
So, AI search is more of a top-of-funnel discovery tool, not a transactional channel, right?
Ah, well. In September 2025, OpenAI launched their “Instant Checkout” feature, which allows users to buy products recommended to them directly inside ChatGPT, via Etsy integrations and soon Shopify, without navigating to the product website. Though not technically AI search-related, the success of TikTok shop is a likely identifier of the probable success of AI integrated checkouts, with 58% of TikTok users using TikTok Shop to buy things (approximately 870 million people). Consumers don’t want to just search via AI anymore, they want to delegate, and Agentic Commerce (where AI tools act as both personal shoppers and checkout terminals) is the next big step in this direction.
So much so in fact, that PayPal predicts by 2030, 20% to 30% of its customers will start their shopping through AI agents and tools. A study by Cognizant & Oxford Economics also found that 75% of consumers already turn to AI for shopping because of frustration with traditional online checkouts, with 22% citing time-savings as the main usage driver. Though TikTok shop launched two years ago now, it started a trend of frictionless, emotionally driven shopping, which tools like ChatGPT are now aiming to emulate, but with a higher focus on trust and convenience. Consumers are seeking quick and easy solutions to not only their shopping needs, but their overall experience online, and brands are scrambling to meet these needs (last minute anniversary gift buyers, rejoice).
For brands and marketers, this again highlights the need to not silo your marketing efforts – continue to implement good SEO practices whilst also optimising for AI and paying particular focus to on-site content, which should be created not just with human readers in mind but AI crawlers too, if you want to be featured in these increasingly important AI search results.
But why is this all happening, do we really need another AI tool? Aren’t we just becoming a bit lazy?
Well, it’s science. Psychologist Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, performed studies which found that people now spend on average just 47 seconds focusing on a screen before their attention is lost. This is a considerable decrease from Mark’s earlier research in 2004, which found the average focused screen time was around two-and-half minutes, which in 2012 had dropped again to 75 seconds. She notes that “The constant influx of information and notifications can contribute to this reduced capacity for sustained focus.” With our attention spans slowly disappearing, so begins the fight to feed us information as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Our preference for cognitive ease, described as “the mental experience of processing information with little effort, which makes it feel familiar, understandable and safe”, also plays a big part in this increased uptake for AI search. Psychologists note that humans naturally prefer the easy route, such as taking the answer Google feeds us in AI overviews, instead of scouring an entire page for the info we need. We’ve then conditioned our brains to expect this information fast, and a habit is formed where we take the immediate answer given to us, unlike before, when we may have trawled through several different web pages to research what we needed.
This is particularly worrying for young people, whose brains are more susceptible to longer-term effects from these behaviours. An article in The Week from late 2024 talked about how “TikTok’s endless scroll trains young minds for constant stimulation, harming focus on slower tasks”, and how social media is resulting in them finding it harder “to participate in activities that don’t offer instant gratification”. Could this be why AI search tools like ChatGPT are most popular amongst the younger demographics?
Another interesting study in Germany in late 2024 looked at university student’s use of LLMs (Large language models) versus traditional search engines for information gathering during learning. The study indicated that those students using LLMs showed decreased cognitive load (meaning the research required less effort), however, their reasoning and argumentation in final results were lower-quality compared to those who used traditional search engines, suggesting LLMs limited the students’ ability to promote deeper engagement with the research materials. Are AI tools affecting our ability to think for ourselves and form our own arguments?
There’s certainly a darker side to AI, one which thrives on humanity’s addictive nature through social media reward mechanisms and dopamine loops, and by presenting users only with content that aligns with their beliefs, limiting their ability to think critically.
So, basically, we’re screwed?
Whilst it’s easy to see the zero-click era as a threat, it’s actually an opportunity for marketers to rethink what visibility really means. Clicks may be reducing, but consumer curiosity isn’t, and the brands that learn to meet users where they’re searching will win the attention that matters most.
Marketers who want to succeed in this new landscape should consider a few things:
- Optimise for both humans and machines. SEO isn’t dying, it’s just evolving. Continue best practices but make sure your content can be interpreted by AI systems too.
- Build brand authority beyond your own site. LLMs draw heavily from trusted publications, news sources and community discussions. This makes PR and digital reputation more vital than ever. Earning citations from respected media outlets, high-quality backlinks and having an active presence on platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn could help your brand appear in AI-generated answers, even if users never reach your website.
- Diversify your content formats. AI tools increasingly prioritise video, imagery and interactive content. Rich, authoritative media not only improves human engagement but also enhances AI discoverability.
- Embrace attention intelligence. Recognise that users are seeking ease, clarity and trust. Design experiences (whether on your website, social media, or AI integrations) that deliver information fast, clearly and with emotional relevance.
Search isn’t going anywhere, it’s changing shape. As we lean on AI to simplify decision making, the most successful brands and marketers will be those who combine technical precision, emotional intelligence and creative adaptability.
The future of search marketing isn’t all about chasing clicks, it’s about earning presence.
