What's shifting right now
Search engines are evolving into answer systems. Users get summaries, lists, comparisons – often without going through multiple websites.
Traditional Search
AI Search
This changes the practice:
- Classic SEO remains important.
- Additionally, it becomes important how well your content is captured, classified, and reproduced by AI systems.
"Google Zero" (Zero-Click) – briefly explained
"Zero-Click" describes the trend where search queries are increasingly answered without users clicking on external results.
This is no reason to panic, but a good reason to rethink websites: A website must not only be found – it must also function as a source.
What the data shows
The development over recent years:
The Zero-Click Evolution
Out of 1,000 Google Searches
2024
Already a Gamble
2025
Even Worse
2025 + GEO
The Solution
The development shows: SEO was already a gamble in 2024 (56% No-Click). With AI Overviews it becomes even harder (69% No-Click). But: With GEO optimization you stay visible – not through clicks, but through citations in AI answers. And those convert 25x better than traditional clicks.
-61 % organic click-through rate
for search results with AI Overviews
Study & Methodology
Seer Interactive (September 2024): Analysis of keywords with active AI Overviews.
- Organic CTR: from 1.76 % → 0.61 %
- Paid CTR: -68 % (from 19.7 % → 6.34 %)
Source: Seer Interactive, Search Engine Land
8 % vs. 15 % click rate
with vs. without AI summary
Study & Methodology
Pew Research (July 2024): Study with 10,000+ Google users shows – AI summaries significantly reduce clicks.
Source: Pew Research Center
56 % → 69 % Zero-Click
after AI summary rollout
Study & Methodology
News Publishers (2024): Measurable traffic drops due to AI Overviews. Traffic losses for top rankings up to ~79 %.
Sources: NY Post, The Guardian
Consequence: The homepage becomes the Executive Summary
Many websites are built traditionally: Homepage shows overview and teasers, subpages deliver details. Makes sense for humans – often not optimal for answer systems.
Classic
Welcome + Teaser
(no details)
Details hidden here
Contact data here
→ AI sees: teaser only
AI-native
Key Facts: Who / What / How
Services + Contact
All essentials upfront
= Executive Summary
Deep dive (optional)
→ AI sees: all essentials
That's why I work with this principle:
- Homepage = Executive Summary
- The homepage contains the core statements in clear form: Who you are, what you offer, for whom, how collaboration works, how to reach you.
- Subpages = Details
- Subpages remain important – for depth, examples, references, legal information, specialized topics.
Generative UI: AI Builds Interfaces
With Gemini 3 (November 2025), Google generates complete user interfaces on-the-fly: calculators, simulations, interactive maps – directly in the browser, no app required.
This is the next step after Zero-Click: Not just answers instead of links, but interfaces instead of websites.
What this means for your website:
- AI needs structured source data to generate interfaces
- The clearer your website is structured, the more reliably it becomes the foundation
- Contradictory or hidden information gets ignored or misinterpreted
Sources: Google Research, Gemini 3 Announcement
What "AI-native Web Architecture" means in practice
It's not about "making everything new." Very often it's more of a structural refactoring than a design relaunch.
Three Levers
- 1. Structure and Semantics
- Clear headings, unambiguous terms, clean information hierarchy. Fewer duplications, fewer contradictions.
- 2. Machine Readability
- Structured data like Schema.org and JSON-LD enable AI systems to accurately capture your content and correctly cite it in generated responses. Consistent information (services, locations, responsibilities, contact), clear entities (person/organization/offerings).
- 3. Technical Robustness
- Fast loading times, stable display without unnecessary complexity, no essential content that is only "loaded" via JavaScript.
Terms that cleanly separate this
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
- Optimization of content and structure so that answer systems correctly understand and cite content. Scientifically proven: +37-40% visibility. (Aggarwal et al., 2024)
- AVO (Agent Visibility Optimization)
- The practical target metric: How well your website is discoverable, citable, and usable for AI agents.
In short: GEO is the approach. AVO is the result.
Side effect that almost always pays off: Accessibility
What helps machines usually helps humans too:
- clear structure
- better readability
- more robust usability
- less "UI noise"
And: Accessibility is not just quality, but in many cases also regulatory relevant. Orientation to EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA. (IFDB, Svaerm)
Who I am
Jan-Erik Andersen. Web designer, web developer, and founder of Andersen Webworks.
Andersen Webworks is a studio for web design and web development with a focus on WordPress, WooCommerce, and AI-native Web Architecture. Since 2010. Germany-wide remote.
Who this is for
Companies that want to secure visibility long-term (also in AI responses).
Agencies/Teams that want a second opinion or senior consulting for structure, semantics, and AI readiness.
Collaboration (a clear process)
- Situation assessment: What can currently be reliably extracted from your website?
- Architecture design: Which information must be directly and consistently available?
- Implementation: Structure, texts, semantic HTML, and structured data are revised.
- Validation: Iterative refinement based on real tests / queries.
No exaggerated promises, no show – just solid work that lasts long-term.