Want to find out how data-driven communications strategies, impactful earned media campaigns, and AI visibility audits could help boost the visibility of your business? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
In this article our Head of Digital, Julia Filsell-Chapman, explores the rise of LLMs, conversational answers and the (reported) death of the click and what it could mean for your business.
Search is changing. Fast. For years, brands have invested heavily in content strategies designed to drive website traffic. The formula was simple: answer customer questions, rank in search results, attract visitors and guide them through the funnel.
But AI is rewriting the rules. Today, customers increasingly turn to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews to answer questions instantly. Instead of clicking through multiple websites, users are being served conversational responses that deliver information immediately.
For businesses, this raises an important question: What happens when customers get the answer before they ever find you?
The term “zero-click” isn’t new, but its implications are becoming more significant with every advancement in AI-powered search. Google’s AI Overviews, alongside conversational AI platforms, are reducing the need for users to visit websites to gather information. The answer often appears directly within the search experience itself.
For organisations that rely on informational content to build awareness and attract potential customers, this can seem alarming. If users aren’t visiting your website, how do you generate leads, build trust and drive conversions?
The reality is more nuanced than many headlines suggest. While AI may reduce overall traffic volumes, it is also reshaping the quality of the visitors who do reach your website.
Research from Semrush suggests that visitors arriving via large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can convert at significantly higher rates than traditional search visitors. Why? Because much of the research phase has already happened.
By the time a prospect reaches your website, they may have already compared providers, evaluated options and answered many of their own questions through AI-assisted research. Instead of browsing, they’re arriving with stronger intent and a clearer understanding of what they need. In other words, traffic may decrease, but the value of each visit could increase.
The shift doesn’t stop at research. Emerging developments such as in-conversation shopping and AI agents are pushing the customer journey even further away from traditional websites. Soon, consumers may be able to complete purchases directly within conversational interfaces without ever visiting a brand’s digital storefront. At the same time, AI agents are beginning to take on tasks such as monitoring prices, comparing products and even making purchases on behalf of users based on predefined criteria.
This means businesses need to rethink where influence happens. It’s no longer enough to optimise for search engines alone. Brands must ensure they are visible wherever AI systems are gathering information and forming recommendations.
One of the most important misconceptions surrounding AI visibility is that strong SEO automatically guarantees strong AI visibility. It doesn’t.
While Google’s guidance suggests AI systems continue to value Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), studies increasingly show that citations within AI-generated answers don’t always mirror traditional search rankings.
Large language models draw information from a broad ecosystem of sources, including:
When someone asks ChatGPT to compare your organisation with a competitor, the answer is influenced by how your brand is described across this wider information landscape. That makes earned media and thought leadership more valuable than ever. If authoritative publications, industry experts and trusted sources are talking about your organisation, AI systems are more likely to encounter, reference and surface your brand during customer research journeys.
1. REVIEW YOUR EARNED MEDIA STRATEGY
Visibility within AI-generated answers often starts with visibility across trusted media sources. Evaluate where your organisation is being mentioned, how often competitors appear in relevant conversations and whether your current PR strategy supports authority-building in your sector.
2. AUDIT YOUR AI VISIBILITY
Don’t assume that strong rankings in Google automatically translate into strong performance within AI platforms. Test the questions your customers ask and evaluate which brands, experts and sources appear in AI-generated responses.
3. CREATE CONTENT AI CAN’T EASILY REPLICATE
Generic content has diminishing value. The content most likely to influence AI systems includes original research, expert opinion, proprietary insights and unique perspectives that can’t be found elsewhere. Focus on creating genuinely useful resources that answer nuanced customer questions.
4. REASSESS YOUR MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK
Traffic alone is no longer a sufficient success metric. Businesses should track:
The organisations that understand these signals early will gain a competitive advantage.
5. INVEST IN AUTHORITY
In an AI-driven discovery landscape, authority becomes a strategic asset. The brands that consistently publish expertise, secure credible media coverage and contribute meaningful insights will be the brands AI systems trust and recommend.
As AI becomes the default starting point for research and purchasing decisions, visibility is evolving from a search problem into a reputation problem. The organisations that adapt their content and communications strategies today will be the ones customers discover tomorrow. Because in a zero-click world, being found isn’t just about ranking. It’s about becoming part of the information ecosystem that shapes the answers in the first place.
At Speed, we’re helping organisations navigate this shift through data-driven communications strategies, impactful earned media campaigns, and AI visibility audits designed for the next generation of search. The businesses that get this right will be the ones that get found.
Want to find out how data-driven communications strategies, impactful earned media campaigns, and AI visibility audits could help boost the visibility of your business? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.