Zero-Click Searches: Google’s AI-Driven Search Evolution
Google’s core updates are more than just algorithm tweaks; they can reshape the digital landscape. The March 2024 update, one of Google’s largest ever, marked a significant turning point in search history. But whether it was a boon or a bane depends on who you ask.
Following this massive update, websites saw unprecedented changes in traffic, and Google claimed it was aimed at addressing spam and AI-generated content. However, publishers report legitimate sites seeing clicks evaporate, while others grapple with unpredictable volatility in their traffic.
The Rise of AI in Search
A year after the debut of Google’s AI Overviews, the company is taking a bolder step, introducing an enhanced chat-based answer service called “AI Mode.” Both technologies aim to keep users within Google properties longer and remix publisher content without always providing proper attribution.
Impact on Small Publishers
Smaller publishers appear to have borne the brunt of these changes. According to Jim Yu, CEO of enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge, the March 2024 update has crushed many publishers at the fringes.
Google’s Perspective on the Update
Google claims the update aimed to reduce unhelpful content by 40%, but users don’t seem to agree. Michael King, founder of SEO firm iPullRank, argues that we’re not speaking the same language as Google. “Google measures success through quantifiable metrics, while external observers rely on subjective experiences,” he says.
The AI-Generated Elephant in the Room
In 2025, it’s impossible to discuss Google’s changes to search without acknowledging the AI-generated elephant in the room. The launch of “AI Overviews” on Google.com marked a major expansion of AI in search.
The Impact of AI Overviews
- Google data shows that impressions have increased nearly 50% since AI Overviews launched, but opinions online are strongly negative.
- AI Overviews have impacted traffic differently across the web. Searches related to restaurants and financial services have been unaffected, while service content publishers have seen a corresponding drop in traffic due to AI-generated repackaging of their content.
- For B2B searches, 70% now have AI answers, reducing the need for click-throughs to other sites.
Google’s Push Toward Zero-Click Search
Google’s real goal is to keep you on Google or other Alphabet properties. Despite claims of increased search volume and complex query strings, the shift toward zero-click search has been a gradual one, beginning over a decade ago.
From Universal Search in 2007 to AI Mode in 2023, each change keeps users within Google’s ecosystem longer. This transformation from an indexer of information to an insular web portal built on scraping content from around the web has strained relationships with content creators and reduced click-throughs to websites.
Google competes with, rather than supports, the open web now. The company’s quest for zero-click search may harm the very content creators upon which its empire is built.