MOVING FROM
GET THE CLICK TO
GET THE CITATION
WHY YOUR WEBSITE IS MORE VALUABLE THAN EVER
This Article Is Human Authored
By Jeff Payne
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For the past two decades, business owners have been locked in a relentless battle for clicks. We optimized titles, crafted meta descriptions, and fought for those coveted top positions in Google search results. The game was simple: get the click, get the traffic, get the business.
That game just changed.
Recent research reveals a stark reality: when people use AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, or Perplexity, the median number of clicks to external websites is zero. Not declining. Not reduced. Zero. You read that right ZE-RO.
Before you panic about your website becoming obsolete, here’s the counterintuitive truth: your website is more valuable now than it’s ever been. You just need to understand the new rules.
THE SHIFT FROM
CLICKS TO CITATIONS
Think of it this way: in traditional search, your website was like a storefront on a busy street. People walked by, saw your sign, and either came in or kept walking. Success meant getting them through the door.
In AI-powered search, your website is more like an expert witness in court. The AI reads your content, synthesizes it, and presents your expertise to users directly. Success now means being cited as the authoritative source — even if users never click through to your site.
A citation in this context means your business is mentioned, referenced, or recommended by AI tools when they answer user queries. It’s the AI saying, “Based on authoritative sources including [Your Business], here’s what you need to know.”
Why does this matter? Because according to recent usability studies, users are:
In other words, the battle for attention is now happening before the click, not after. And if you’re not being cited, you’re not even in the game.
I want to thank you personally for your leadership, insights and knowledge which allowed us the confidence to trust you as our fractional Chief Marketing Officer.
Because of you and your team our business has more than doubled over a relatively short period of time and so has my personal income.
I can’t tell you enough how grateful we are for what you have been able to accomplish for us and we want to continue to add to our marketing cost because our formula has been that
for every dollar we spend with you we are putting at least 5 back into our pocket AFTER we subtract what we spent.
That’s an amazing cost/benefit that I have never received before in any of our previous marketing endeavors. Feel free to use me as a reference.
I am happy to share our experience with anyone who is fortunate enough for you to take them on as a client.
Daniel C Goodwin
Provident 1031
Chief Investment Strategist
July 4, 2025
What Makes Content
Citation-Worthy?
So how do you become the source that AI tools cite? Based on research from Google and analysis of AI behavior patterns, there are several critical ingredients:
1. original, high-quality content
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2. BRAND MENTIONS AND CREDIBILITY SIGNALS
AI tools don’t just evaluate your content in isolation — they look at how the broader web talks about you:
This creates a credibility loop: the more you’re mentioned elsewhere, the more likely AI tools are to cite you.
3. EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Here’s where many businesses have a blind spot: AI tools can detect signals about your customer experience, and they factor this into citation decisions:
When AI tools evaluate whether to recommend your business, they’re looking at the complete picture of what it’s like to do business with you.
4. STRUCTURED INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
AI tools need to easily parse and understand your content:
The easier you make it for AI to understand what you offer and why you’re authoritative, the more likely you are to get cited.
5. STRATEGIC CONTENT POSITIONING
Based on recent research, AI tools match different site types to different user intents:
The blind spot: You can’t be everything to everyone. Focus on creating content that matches your site type and the intent where you naturally have authority.
How Search
Has Fundamentally Changed
Let’s be clear about what’s happening: we’re witnessing the biggest shift in how people find and evaluate businesses since Google’s launch in 1998.
Users are now discovering and researching businesses across multiple AI-powered platforms:
ChatGPT – Over 300 million weekly active users can now search, compare products, and even make purchases directly in the interface
Google AI Overviews – Seen by over 1.5 billion searchers monthly, appearing at the top of traditional search results
Google AI Mode – Currently used by ~1% of Google users, but Google’s CEO has explicitly stated this is “a proving ground for what the core search experience will look like in the future”
Perplexity – Purpose-built AI search engine growing rapidly among tech-savvy users
Microsoft Copilot – Integrated across Windows, Edge, and Office applications
Gemini – Google’s AI assistant spreading across Android devices and Google Workspace
The pattern is clear: AI-mediated search is becoming the default, not the alternative. And in this new paradigm:
Here’s the critical insight: users are forming opinions about your business, deciding whether to trust you, and determining if you’re the right solution — all without ever visiting your website.
Your website isn’t dying. It’s evolving from a discovery tool into a transaction and validation tool. It’s more important than ever!
WHAT THE DATA SHOWS
A comprehensive study of Google AI Mode in the travel industry (source: I want to credit Kevin Indig and Amanda Johnson for mentioning this resource in their Growth Memo blog, which I highly recommend reading.) provides clear evidence of this shift. The research tracked 42 users through over 300 real-world planning and booking scenarios, revealing:
Users spend dramatically more time planning in AI than transacting. Planning tasks averaged 104 seconds of engaged time within AI Mode, while booking tasks averaged just 38 seconds. Translation: users are doing their research, comparison, and decision-making inside AI environments, then clicking out only to complete the purchase.
“The more people trust the information they receive from your website, the more likely they are to use it. Your content strategies should focus on unique, direct, authoritative answers to difficult questions customers have about your products and services. This being said, if there is frustration
with the overall process of getting that information, prospects may try search again for another option.”
Trust in AI citations is remarkably high. Post-task trust ratings for AI-generated information averaged 4.3 out of 5. When your business is cited by AI tools, it inherits this trust—a massive conversion advantage.
Inline citations dominate all other elements. Users interact with inline text links far more than right-panel content, images, or other features. Being mentioned directly in the AI’s response text, with an inline link, is the prime real estate.
Direct providers are winning over intermediaries. In the study, operator-direct bookings accounted for 80% of traffic, while online travel agencies captured just 13%. This suggests that AI search advantages brands and direct sellers over aggregators and middlemen—a trend likely to impact many industries.
While this research focused on travel, the behavioral patterns apply across industries: users trust AI, make decisions within AI environments, and increasingly bypass traditional intermediaries.
This is one of the best written, most informative email newsletters I’ve ever read!
Thank you for sharing your expertise, and hope you’re doing well.
Beth Zimmerman
Founder, Executive Director
July 3, 2025
Strategies you must take to win
If you’re a business owner wondering “What do I actually do about this?”, here’s your action plan:
Strategy 1: Audit Your Citation Presence Now
You can’t optimize what you don’t measure. Start by understanding where you currently appear:
This baseline tells you where you stand and where you need to improve.
Strategy 2: Create citation-worthy content assets
Stop creating content for search engines. Start creating content that AI tools will want to cite:
Remember, AI tools cite sources that help them give better answers so — BE THAT SOURCE.
Strategy 3: OPTIMIZE FOR THE QUICK GLANCE
Research shows that when users do click through from AI tools, they’re making snap judgments:
Think of your landing pages as needing to convert visitors in 5 seconds or less. The AI did the heavy lifting of convincing them—don’t lose them with a poor on-site experience. Don’t forget — PERFECT THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE.
Strategy 4: Build Authority Systematically
Every mention elsewhere strengthens your citation potential.
Strategy 5: EMBRACE THE ATTRIBUTION MODEL
Here’s the hard truth: you won’t be able to track conversions the way you used to. Users will:
What to do:
Every mention elsewhere strengthens your citation potential.
Strategy 6: Match Content to your site type
Stop trying to rank for everything. Based on research, AI tools have clear preferences:
If you’re a brand/direct seller: Focus on product detail pages, specifications, availability, and transactional content
If you’re a review or comparison site: Double down on unbiased comparisons, testing methodology, and detailed evaluations
If you’re a publisher or expert: Create opinion content, educational resources, and perspective pieces
If you’re a marketplace: Emphasize selection, convenience, and competitive pricing
Understanding your lane helps you create content AI tools will cite for the right queries.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Yes, clicks are declining. But influence and revenue don’t have to follow.
The businesses that will thrive in the age of AI search are those that understand a fundamental truth: your website’s value isn’t in attracting visitors—it’s in being the authoritative source that shapes how AI tools present your industry to the world.
When users ask AI tools for recommendations in your space, will your business be cited? Will you be positioned as the trusted expert, or will your competitors own that space?
The choice is yours, but the window to establish yourself is now. AI tools are learning which sources to trust right now. The citation patterns being established today will compound over time.
Your website isn’t obsolete. It’s more important than ever—just for different reasons. Stop chasing clicks. Start earning citations.
Because in the AI-powered future of search, being mentioned is the new being found. And the businesses that master the art of citation will discover something remarkable: they don’t need as many clicks when they have the right influence.
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