Search once led users from a results page to a chosen site. That path is fading. In 2024, roughly 60 per cent of Google searches in the United States and 59 per cent in the European Union ended without any click, up from 26 per cent two years earlier. The answer now sits at the top of the page, written by an artificial-intelligence model that stitched facts from many sources. People read the summary, feel satisfied, and close the tab.
What powers the shift
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) rolled out in mid-2024. It places a coloured “AI Overview” above organic links, offering a concise response plus a handful of small citations. Microsoft did something similar when it folded GPT-4 into Bing at the start of 2023. The new interface, often called Copilot, replies in chat form and flags sources in brackets. OpenAI’s ChatGPT drew more than ten million queries every day by late 2024, out-drawing Bing itself at times. Perplexity AI, a stand-alone search tool that embeds citations in every reply, reached about fifteen million monthly users that same year.
These engines have trained users to expect an instant answer. A Bain & Company survey showed four in five consumers rely on zero-click results for at least 40 per cent of their searches. The habit is strongest with informational and how-to queries. Industry research found around 80 per cent of keywords that trigger Google’s AI Overview involve broad questions such as “what is gluten intolerance” or “how to polish silver”.
Traffic at risk
Marketers now watch a slow bleed in site visits. Bain & Company also estimate that AI answers have removed 15 to 25 per cent of organic traffic in affected sectors. Health, home improvement, and education pages feel the pinch first, since those queries are easy to summarise. Even when a site keeps its number-one ranking, the click-through rate drops: the link sits below the fold, under a thick layer of boxes and chat panes.
The problem extends beyond raw numbers. A small footnote citation seldom conveys a brand’s voice, design, or offer. When the visit never starts, analytics platforms record nothing, leaving a gap in conversion data. One study also noted that 54 per cent of search users now browse more results than they did five years ago, yet many stay within Google’s own features. Engagement rises—but on someone else’s real estate.
Introducing Generative Engine Optimisation
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is a response to this change. Search-engine optimisation still pursues rank; GEO pursues mention. The goal is to become one of the sources selected, quoted, and linked in an AI summary, keeping the brand visible even when the user never leaves the results page.
How GEO earns citations
Clear structure helps machines lift the right lines. Content written in short paragraphs, with headings that mirror spoken questions, is easier for a model to parse. Adding FAQ, HowTo, or Product schema gives extra context. Fresh statistics matter as well; AI systems favour up-to-date numbers, so an article that quotes 2025 housing prices stands a better chance than one left untouched since 2022. Trust signals count: named authors, reference lists, and visible update dates align with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
Expertise beyond the home domain strengthens authority. Answers posted on Reddit, Quora, or industry forums often get indexed and may surface in AI summaries. Third-party mentions in news outlets or academic papers work the same way. Consistency is important: if facts differ between site, social profile, and directory listing, a model may skip the source rather than decide which version is correct.
Here’s a streamlined list of core actions that you can follow:
- Write in direct Q&A form.
- Mark up pages with schema.
- Refresh key data quarterly.
- Show author credentials.
- Secure mentions in reputable publications.
- Check AI answers for accuracy monthly.
That single checklist covers structure, substance, and monitoring without drowning the reader in bullets.
Tracking success
Traditional metrics, such as clicks and sessions, only capture part of the story. New indicators help fill the gap. A rise in branded impressions, with flat clicks, often signals that Google is quoting the site. Some rank-tracking tools now log when a URL feeds an AI Overview. Marketers can tag off-site links with UTM parameters to spot rare visits from chat interfaces. A simple feedback prompt—“How did you hear about us?”—should add “AI answer” to its options, because that response appears more often each quarter.
Preparing for what comes next
Google’s upcoming Gemini upgrade, already in limited testing, is expected to widen the reach of AI summaries. Bing, meanwhile, is weaving Copilot deeper into Windows and Edge, letting users ask the chat from any screen.
These moves favour brands that feed clean, structured data. Product catalogues, live stock counts, and pricing APIs should be ready for third-party use, since future answer boxes may link straight to checkout. Firms that supply official datasets—think nutrition labels or warranty terms—can reduce the risk of models quoting outdated or incorrect information.
Three-month action plan
Choose five revenue-critical questions that match the business niche. Review how Google SGE and Bing Copilot answer them today. Rewrite or expand the matching pages using the GEO principles above, then resubmit them through Search Console. In parallel, provide helpful answers on two relevant community sites each fortnight, and flag any AI summaries that misquote company data. After twelve weeks, compare branded impressions, citation frequency, and lead volume with the baseline. Repeat with the next set of questions.
Final thought
Zero-click behaviour may trim traffic, yet well-structured, reliable content still feeds the answers users read first. GEO keeps a brand’s name in that prize position. By writing clearly, citing fresh facts, and watching how AI tools quote those facts, businesses can stay visible even when the click disappears. The search game has not ended; it has moved to a new field, and the rules now favour sources that speak both to humans and to the machines that summarise the web.
