Beyond the Click: Why AI Agents, Not Just Zero-Click Search, Demand a New Playbook

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We’re starting to hear marketers are concerned over zero-click search — the growing trend where users get answers from Google's AI Overviews or featured snippets without clicking through to a brand's website. And a recent industry article offered paid media tactics as the solution: shift budgets into new channels like TikTok, Reddit, or Performance Max to "plug the gap" left by organic traffic declines. I feel that is only half the story — and it misses a much bigger shift already underway: the rise of AI Agents.

While zero-click results on Google reduce CTRs, AI Agents like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are bypassing search engines entirely. Users are no longer "searching" — they're asking, and in most cases, brands are invisible in the response unless their content is structured, cited, and understood by LLMs.

So what should smart marketers do now?

🚫 Don't Just Throw More Paid Media at the Problem

This might sound disingenuous coming from a paid digital media agency owner, but buying more digital ads won't fix the underlying issue. In fact, over-investing in emerging channels without a cohesive creative and measurement strategy leads to fragmentation and inefficiency.

✅ Do This Instead:

1. Optimize for Generative and Agent-Based Search

Structure your website’s content with clear answers, expert tone, and schema markup so it's accessible to both Google's AI Overviews and LLMs powering AI Agents. Think of it as composing the brass section of your marketing symphony - bold and attention-grabbing for both human and machine audiences.

2. Use PPC to Inform, Not Just Replace, SEO

Paid media can surface high-intent queries and messaging insights to strengthen organic content. Think of it as fuel for smarter content strategy, not a crutch for lost traffic. This creates a virtuous cycle where paid insights drive organic improvements.

3. Invest in Owned Media and Machine-Friendly Knowledge Hubs

Build and structure your own digital properties (e.g., help centers, glossaries, FAQs) in ways that AI Agents can crawl and cite. Control your narrative in a world where fewer users visit your site directly. For middle-market brands, this represents a significant opportunity to compete on quality of information rather than just advertising budget.

4. Bridge the Gap With Content Designed for Machines

This may be the most important point to consider.  Your content should now serve two audiences: humans and LLMs. A human-readable blog post isn't the same as a machine-ingestible source. Structure accordingly. The brands that master this dual-audience approach will gain a significant competitive edge.

The Bottom Line

Zero-click search is just the canary in the coal mine. The real disruption is coming from AI Agents, which are fast becoming the interface between consumers and knowledge. Marketers who focus solely on paid channel expansion risk solving yesterday's problem. The future belongs to brands that architect for visibility within LLMs, not just the SERP.

For middle-market brands especially, this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. While the digital landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, the fundamentals haven't changed: being discoverable where your audience is looking for answers is still paramount. The difference now is that your audience might be asking AI Agents instead of typing into a search box. 

What's your take on AI Agents and their impact on your digital marketing strategy? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Sean Sweeney

Founder and CEO, First Position Digital