By Stuart Kerr, Technology Correspondent
Published: 11/08/2025
Last Updated: 11/08/2025
Contact: [email protected] | Twitter: @LiveAIWire
Author Bio: About Stuart Kerr
In the evolving AI-dominated digital ecosystem, publishers are grappling with a stark new reality: a growing percentage of searches now end without a single click. Known as "zero-click" searches, these results deliver AI-generated summaries directly on the search results page, leaving content creators bypassed and traffic dwindling.
According to a recent SparkToro study, only 374 out of 1000 Google searches in the EU result in a user clicking through to a website. In the U.S., it’s just 360. This shift has fundamentally changed the traffic landscape for media outlets, especially as Google’s AI Mode and similar features surface machine-generated content before organic links.
What’s most concerning is how this affects visibility. Traditional top-ranking sites are losing their edge as AI answers take center stage. A deeper look into synthetic empathy reveals that AI doesn’t just summarise content—it mimics engagement, reducing the user’s need to visit the original publisher. The consequences are profound: traffic declines of over 50% have been recorded across major outlets, and smaller publishers are being pushed to the periphery.
Some publishers, like The Guardian and Business Insider, report monthly traffic dips exceeding 60%. Even long-standing institutions such as The New York Times have seen steady declines. Industry watchdogs warn that if left unchecked, AI-generated SERP features could effectively monopolise visibility—particularly when search engines are also AI providers.
Search Engine Land reports that the rate of zero-click searches continues to climb, with a correlated dip in organic click-through rates. Meanwhile, firms like Bain & Company confirm that consumers now expect results without ever leaving Google’s ecosystem. Their report, "Goodbye Clicks, Hello AI", outlines how search intent has shifted—and with it, the role of the publisher.
The question then becomes: what can publishers do to survive?
Firstly, content must evolve. Articles need to be structured for AI readability—clear, schema-marked layouts with succinct summaries and bullet-point value props. But surface-level compliance isn’t enough. As the AI exodus expands across industries, human content must lean into depth, nuance, and storytelling—elements current AI still struggles to replicate.
Secondly, diversification is vital. Publishers should invest in owned channels like email newsletters, subscriptions, and even branded apps. These create direct engagement pipelines that bypass algorithmic suppression. Emerging strategies also include licensing content to AI platforms and negotiating visibility placements—though this remains an uphill battle.
Thirdly, advocacy matters. Policy conversations in both the EU and U.S. are beginning to explore the monopolistic behaviours of AI-enhanced search. Several media organisations are pushing for compensation mechanisms when their content is used to train or generate AI summaries.
A technical paper from arXiv supports this shift, showing how click-through rates drop sharply when rich AI snippets are used in search. In this context, traffic loss isn’t accidental—it’s structural.
In the zero-click era, survival is possible—but it demands adaptation. Publishers must pivot to smarter formats, deepen their content quality, broaden distribution channels, and engage in the fight for fairer visibility. The web may no longer reward the loudest, but it might still reward the most trusted, human, and persistent voices.
About the Author
Stuart Kerr is the Technology Correspondent for LiveAIWire. He writes about artificial intelligence, ethics, and how technology is reshaping everyday life. Read more