WTF is ‘Google Zero’?

By Seb Joseph • July 14, 2025 •

Ivy Liu

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There was a time when landing on the first page of Google meant you were in business. Traffic followed, strategies scaled, and entire models were built on the back of those clicks.

That foundation is cracking. The era of “Google Zero” — industry shorthand for a world where Google keeps users inside its own walls — is here. At the center of it: AI Overviews. Years of SEO strategy are now colliding with a system dishes to answer, not refer. The result: for many publishers traffic is slowing — and in some cases falling off entirely.

Here’s where things stand.

What does ‘Google Zero’ mean?

Coined by The Verge’s Nilay Patel in 2024, the term refers to the moment when Google stops functioning as a gateway to the web and fully acknowledges being an answer engine. The shift is being driven by AI Overviews — Google’s generative summaries that appear before traditional results. They offer just enough context to satisfy a query without sending the user anywhere. The more accurate and prominent these responses get, the fewer clicks make it out. For publishers that means fewer referrals — and in some cases, none at all.

Haven’t we seen this before? Algorithm updates come and go, traffic fluctuates.

Yes. Publishers have long lived through Google’s algorithm whiplash. But “Google Zero” isn’t just another tweak. It’s a structural reset. SEO, once a dependable growth engine, now looks more like a legacy channel. What used to be a highway for referral traffic, is starting to feel like a cul-de-sac.

That feels like an overstatement.

Does it? The numbers suggest otherwise. Since the rollout of AI Overviews a year ago, the percentage of zero-click news-related queries has jumped from 56% to nearly 70%, according to SimilarWeb. The fallout is already visible. Business Insider, which recently laid off 21% of its staff, has seen organic search traffic drop by 55%, according to The Wall Street Journal. Naturally, ad dollars are shifting in response. eMarketer predicts that by 2029%, U.S. advertisers will shift over $25 billion — around 14% of total search budgets — into AI-powered search. CMOs see where this is going.

What does Google have to say?

The company’s official line is that AI Overviews improve the user experience: faster answers, less friction, more utility. At launch, Google’s vp of search Liz Reid said the product would drive “valuable traffic to publishers”. A year later, those words offer little comfort to the companies watching their referral traffic numbers fall off a cliff.

“The era of Google Zero isn’t a maybe, it’s a momentum shift. If Google can answer your question, complete your task, and close your tab all in one shot, the open web gets squeezed,” said Nina Goli, head of digital strategy at modular agency Modern Citizens. “Publishers lose traffic. Brands lose attribution. And marketers lose context.”

Why does it matter?

Aside from the obvious? This isn’t just a problem for publishers. It’s a bigger issue for anyone who relies on organic traffic. If Google, which still accounts for 86% of search activity in the U.S., behaves more like a destination than a referral source, then it undermines a central pillar of both digital publishing and e-commerce strategies: owning your own organic presence.

For publishers it threatens a key traffic source that fuels ad impressions, subscriptions and affiliate sales. For marketers, especially those leaning on content marketing, it means clawing for dwindling visibility or shifting spend to paid placements just to stay in the game.

Who’s most at risk — and who might benefit?

Generalist publishers are getting hit hardest. Broad search-optimized content is most susceptible to being swallowed by AI Overviews. By contrast, niche or expertise-driven sites may still earn visibility due to their perceived authority.

On the brand side, companies with strong first-party data and direct-to-consumer strategies are better insulated. It’s the ones in the middle, who built scale on search without deep audience relationships, that are most exposed.

Are there legal or regulatory implications?

Yes, and they’re starting to materialize. A new antitrust complaint filed in the European Union alleges that AI Overviews further entrench Google’s dominance at the expense of independent publishers.

Is there any way to adapt?

Sort of. Some publishers are focusing on branded content, newsletters, and direct audience relationships. Others are rethinking content strategies to prioritize authority and niche expertise — pathways that might still drive traffic. But none of it fully replaces the volume and value of search-driven traffic.

At the same time, some marketers are moving toward paid media and influencer campaigns to offset visibility loss in search results. Others are investing more into platforms like YouTube and TikTok where discovery still has legs.

Adaptation is possible but it comes with cost, fragmentation and uncertainty.

So is this the new normal?

Barring a major shift — user behavior, regulatory intervention or an unlikely competitive shakeup — yes. For now, publishers and marketers are left playing defense in a game that’s already moved on.

“One thing seems certain – as ‘answer engines’ replace ‘search engines’ brands will have to think more broadly about how they show up online and what objectives they set and measure,” said Chris Pearce, md of search and social agency Greenpark. “The role of digital PR and relationships with publishers will become critical as many LLM’s now retrieve brand content from the most trusted outlets. Get your brand talked about, not just indexed.”

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