Clicks Were So Last Year 

I love making my parents feel old by saying that I’ve only ever known google. What do you mean you went to the library to do research? The internet has always been ubiquitous in my life.

For as long as we have known websites have been the final destination. We type in a query and click our way through links to then reach a final website destination. Over the years with improved SEO and technology usually what we were looking for could be specific and a click away. It wasn’t long ago that you’d Google something and click through to find a website. These days, many queries are answered right on the search page.  This is the rise of zero-click search where users see a snippet or AI-generated answer at the top of the results and never actually leave the page . Suddenly, SEO is different, it’s no longer just about getting clicks, but about being that one answer snippet. Now, websites are just data sources feeding AI. 

Think about it, Google’s new AI summaries will answer questions directly. Traditional SEO tactics (meta tags, back linking, and keywords) help, but the real goal is being part of these AI answers. The effect is dramatic. Analysts estimate over half of Google searches might now end with no click (Mortensen) . So if a reader instantly gets an answer, they’ll ignore everything else including  your carefully written title and description.

Increasingly in this world, loyalty and brand matter even more. So double down on brand-building because having  strong brand equity can still attract eyeballs even when answers come from AI. Brand equity lives in the minds of customers. It’s intangible and difficult for competitors to replicate, and creates a durable moat around your business (Xu).

So how do marketers play this game and get a seat at the table? How do they get their information to be a part of the AI answers? All of this leads to a new SEO strategy which is to optimize for AI. Expect to write concise answers, organize content with clear headers and schema markup, and offer real extras so people still click through. Remember that search engines today fetch and summarize info for you. Our mission as content creators is to be the best source chosen.

The Rise of Tech Fluency as a Core Skill

This is the point that made me want to write this blog.

A couple years ago, students were putting “Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel” on their resume. Now these are just expected. This shift shows that the definition of “tech skills” is changing. Today the bar is higher. Employers want candidates that understand this new technology. This is important beyond just marketing.

School being slow to adapt to the real world, is nothing new, but its starting to become so apparent and frustrating to me. Nobody reads, nobody stays up to date.

Today, these essential skills look different. AI literacy is at the top. Employers want people who are comfortable using tools like ChatGPT. If you’re in marketing, the new SEO is generative engine optimization (GEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and artificial intelligence optimization (AIO). But traditional SEO tools like schema markup, bullet lists, and logical site structure help AI systems find and interpret your content and are still useful. This is basically “SEO for the AI era.” Data awareness is also important. Knowing how to work with data analytics and predictive tools like Power BI and Tableau is crucial. Today’s marketing depends on data-driven insights, so understanding how AI filters and uses that data matters.  Last but not least, the ethics behind AI. As AI plays a bigger role, awareness of bias, privacy, and responsible use becomes critical along with being conscious of the energy AI consumes. Every company has different policies, and since the rules are still being written, it’s essential to stay up to date with regulations.

Tech fluency today means adaptability and curiosity. It is going to become key to understand beyond just using the application but also to have a general understanding of how they work if you want to stand out. Staying relevant means asking questions.

Why are IT and AI at the Front of Business Strategy?

For example Ric Lewis the Senior Vice President of Infrastructure said on a podcast recently, 

“The IT industry, I think it’s the golden age. And what I mean by that is, for 20 years of that career, IT is kind of in the back office…IT is at the forefront of all business revolutions. This is front and center, this changes everything about all businesses, not just technology businesses.” 

Marketing today is not what it used to be even a few months ago. Digital marketing revolves around paid search, seo analysts, and campaigns, but this is changing as incidental damage of Ai. AI is shifting how businesses work and changing how we interact with one of the main functions of their phone, search.

Ric Lewis of IBM wasn’t joking about a “golden age”, tech really is driving growth now. For

For example, AI-driven personalization is already a game-changer. Businesses using AI-tailored content see much higher retention and revenue,  one source reports a possible ~15% boost . We’re talking personalized recommendations and ads that fit each customer like a glove. I mean take a look at Pinterest.

At the same time, humans still crave human judgment. DATA is the shiny new toy. Elizabeth Preis, former CMO of Anthropologie and now the Chief Marketing and Customer Officer of Victoria’s Secret & Co reminds us that creativity and critical thinking are “irreplaceable” . AI can optimize tactics, but the vision comes from us. She highlighted the importance of having data make decisions but to also use intuition and creativity in every aspect because that touches our human side. 

So IT and AI aren’t sidelines anymore. They’re front and centerIn a way, we really are in a golden age of tech, where opportunities come to those who adapt and those who stay curious.

At this point, I’ll admit I’m still just a student connecting the dots, its easy to sit back and point fingers, but i dont have a space to talk about this stuff (so im making one). 

Lewis, R. Smart Talks with IBM. 2024. IBM.com

Mortensen, R. “Over Half of Google Searches End Without a Click.” Search Engine Journal, 2024, searchengineland.com/google-search-zero-click-study-2024-443869

Xu, Y. “Building Brand Equity in the Age of AI.” Harvard Business Review, 2023, hbr.org/insight-center/the-age-of-ai

Blake Morgan. “How Anthropologie Balances Customer Data and Creativity.” Blake Morgan Podcast, 22 Feb. 2022, blakemichellemorgan.com/podcast/how-anthropologie-balances-customer-data-and-creativity/