The Zero-Click Shift: What It Means for Your Brand

The rise of the “zero-click” environment has fundamentally shifted the digital marketing landscape, challenging brands to rethink their strategies across search, social media, and their own websites. As search engines and social platforms work to keep users engaged on their own properties, we must adapt to this new reality — gone are the days of relying solely on driving website traffic as the primary measure of success. How can brands adapt? Our Senior Director of Content Marketing, Tom Horgen, sheds a little light on this subject and how brands can successfully navigate this zero-click era. 

High level, what is the zero-click environment and what is its impact on SEO?

Search engines have been changing over the past few years. Instead of directing users to websites, Google is attempting to keep people on their site through things like the AI Overview. Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as search engines, and these platforms are doing everything they can to keep them there. Unsurprisingly, this shift has all led to a decline in website traffic and diminished the importance of traditional SEO. 

What strategies can brands employ to make their websites more engaging and useful for consumers in the zero-click landscape?

While we all have to realize that the digital landscape is changing dramatically, brands should not abandon their websites. Rather, they should create an ecosystem where multiple channels are woven together more efficiently. Consumer utility and frictionless purchasing should be priorities — websites should provide utility and solve consumer problems, rather than simply drive traffic or purchase. Functional tools that make the consumer’s life easier, like downloadable shopping lists and recipes, as well as bold and engaging visual elements, storytelling, and interactivity will help brands enhance their overall website experience, maintain relevancy and build affinity with consumers.

Similarly, what social media strategies can brands employ to be successful in this environment?

It can be underemphasized that brands need to be ruthless in terms of their platform strategy. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, we need to recognize that consumer behavior varies on different platforms like TikTok and Instagram. For example, TikTok’s ability to act as a search engine is far ahead of Instagram’s. And again, brands should focus on utility and problem-solving to provide value to consumers — leverage the search and discovery capabilities of platforms like TikTok to position themselves as go-to resources, integrating shopping and purchase functionalities directly within the social platforms to create a frictionless experience, and ensuring that each platform complements their website experience. It’s also important for brands to embrace and prioritize short-form video content that resonates with each platform’s audience. This might mean leveraging influencers and user-generated content to build brand authenticity and trust. It’s all about making sure the social presence feels genuine and relatable to consumers.

Do you have an example of a brand who is executing these strategies in an effective way?

One of my favorite brands is Nguyen Coffee Supply, a Vietnamese coffee company based in Brooklyn. They have completely adapted to the zero-click environment on social media in a couple of key ways. First, they’ve mastered the use of authentic short-form video — people talk directly to you in a way that’s very relatable. They also utilize the shop functions pretty expertly without making you feel like they’re pushing product on you. And their website shop looks more refined and beautiful than others. In terms of presenting their products, they take special care in ways that some brands don’t.

In addition, I think there’s much to learn from China’s agility and ability in creating more integrated experiences across digital touchpoints, rather than siloed channels, and how rapidly consumers have embraced new behaviors. For example, China uses “everything apps” or “super apps” that integrate multiple functions and services into a single platform offering a seamless user experience. Also, tools like live shopping experiences give consumers the ability to engage with brands and make purchases in real-time. I think we could benefit from integrating our social commerce capabilities into our platforms and strategies more aggressively, making sure they provide immediate utility and convenience.

How can brands effectively measure success in the zero-click environment?

The most forward-looking social media metrics are the ones that we have to pay attention to. While these metrics are nothing new, it’s about how we weave them together to better understand the changing consumer journey. Table stakes for any social marketer are: impressions, engagement rate per reach, shares, and saves, etc. But how do they connect? The number of sheer eyeballs on a brand is one thing, but we want to understand if a brand’s social content is building genuine affinity with consumers, and then determine if those consumers are moving into the coveted phase of brand advocacy. Social sentiment metrics are also super important because they offer insight into how consumers are reacting to brand messaging and storytelling without the traditional click-throughs.

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