Will websites become obsolete in just a few years? The digital transformation of visibility: Between demise and reorientation
Xpert pre-release
Language selection 📢
Published on: October 30, 2025 / Updated on: October 30, 2025 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Will websites become obsolete in just a few years? The digital transformation of visibility: Between demise and reorientation – Image: Xpert.Digital
Google's AI revolution: Why your favorite websites could soon disappear
The click apocalypse is here: How AI is draining the internet and what's coming next.
The digital landscape is undergoing a transformation of historic proportions, shaking the very foundations of the internet as we know it. The provocative assertion that websites could be obsolete in just a few years may sound exaggerated, but it points to an irreversible truth: the way we find, consume, and monetize information is being fundamentally restructured. At the heart of this revolution is artificial intelligence, most notably Google's "AI Overviews," which are transforming the search engine from a mere guide to the ultimate destination for information seeking.
The figures are alarming: So-called "zero-click searches," where users receive the answer directly on the Google page, are increasing dramatically. Publishers and companies are reporting massive drops in organic traffic of up to 70 percent. For countless content creators, online shops, and media companies whose business models are based on clicks and website visitors, this is more than just a technological innovation—it's an existential threat.
But the crisis in organic traffic is just one symptom of a larger shift. Product searches have long since moved to e-commerce giants like Amazon, and new AI competitors like ChatGPT are further fragmenting the search landscape. The crucial question, therefore, is no longer just how to rank number one on Google, but how to survive in an ecosystem where your own website is being reduced from a destination to a mere data source for AI systems. This text analyzes these profound shifts, reveals who the losers are in this new era, and shows which strategic adjustments to content, monetization, and brand presence will now determine digital survival.
Suitable for:
When the search engine becomes the last stop
The digital economy is facing a structural transformation whose scope is hardly less significant than that of the early internet era. The provocative claim that websites will disappear within two years lacks empirical support, but it points to a fundamental shift in the information ecosystem that goes far beyond mere technological gimmicks. What we are currently witnessing is not a revolution, but an evolution of value transfer in the digital realm, in which intermediaries are changing and the rules of the game are being rewritten.
The figures paint a nuanced picture: In March 2025, 27.2 percent of search queries in the US resulted in no clicks, compared to 24.4 percent the previous year. This seemingly moderate increase, however, masks a dramatic development for certain types of content. For news searches, the percentage has skyrocketed from 56 to almost 69 percent. These so-called zero-click searches are not merely a technical footnote, but mark the beginning of a fundamental paradigm shift in how information is consumed and monetized.
Since Google introduced its AI Overviews in May 2024 and rolled them out in German-speaking countries in March 2025, publishers have experienced significant declines in their organic reach. A comprehensive analysis of nineteen studies shows that the click-through rate has fallen by an average of 8.9 percent. Smaller and medium-sized websites in the travel, DIY, cooking, and lifestyle sectors have been particularly hard hit, experiencing traffic losses of up to 70 percent. This development is by no means a temporary anomaly, but rather reflects a structural realignment of the digital information economy.
The click-through rate (CTR) on organic search results is declining. In March 2025, 40.3 percent of Google users in the US clicked on an organic search result, a decrease from 44.2 percent the previous year. Similar trends are evident in the EU and the UK. When an AI Overview is displayed, the organic CTR drops from 1.41 percent to 0.64 percent year-over-year. For search ads, the CTR falls even further, from 21.27 percent to 9.87 percent. According to a study by Ahrefs, the average click-through rate for the top spot is 34.5 percent lower when an AI Overview is displayed. On desktop, the click-through rate drops by up to two-thirds when AI Overviews are presented.
These figures illustrate a fundamental shift in user behavior that goes far beyond a mere technical adjustment. Users receive their answers directly on the search results page, eliminating the need to click on further links. Pew Research analyzed 68,879 Google searches from 900 adult US citizens in March 2025 and found that an AI summary appeared in 18 percent of the searches. When an AI summary appeared, users clicked on a traditional result in only 8 percent of cases, compared to 15 percent without a summary. Links within the AI summary were clicked in only 1 percent of visits. Sessions were also more likely to end when a summary appeared, in 26 percent of cases compared to 16 percent without.
The economic implications of this development are profound. For many publishers, this represents an existential turning point, as mere visibility in search results no longer necessarily translates into visitor numbers. Content monetization, traditionally achieved through advertising revenue, is undergoing a fundamental realignment. In the second quarter of 2025, human website traffic decreased by 9.4 percent, while the ratio of AI visitors to human visitors quadrupled from 1 to 200 in the first quarter to 1 to 50 in the second quarter.
The shift in product search and e-commerce disruption
The theory that those who primarily earn money through their content are particularly affected can be empirically substantiated, but requires a more nuanced examination. In fact, product search patterns shifted dramatically even before the AI era. According to an analysis by Jungle Scout, almost 60 percent of online shoppers start their product search directly on Amazon, not on Google. In Germany, this figure rises to 74 percent. This trend has intensified in recent years: while 65 percent began their search on Amazon in 2022, this percentage has steadily increased.
Amazon dominates e-commerce in Germany with a remarkable market share of 60 percent. In its first transparency report, the company recorded 60.39 million German users, which, given the 61.25 million internet users in Germany, means that 98.6 percent of German internet users visit Amazon's marketplace at least once a month. These figures illustrate that the shift in product searches from search engines to e-commerce portals is a structural transformation that has already taken place and is now gaining an additional dimension through AI-powered search.
For Google, this development presents a strategic challenge that threatens its core business. Sponsored links and shopping ads found alongside search results are being bypassed or at least reduced in effectiveness by chatbots and AI-generated summaries. Advertising accounts for roughly 80 percent of Google's total revenue. While AI will likely only slightly impact its position as the market leader in the search engine market, its main source of income is under considerable pressure.
Global e-commerce continues to boom. With $6.9 trillion in revenue and around 28 million online shops, the sector is projected to grow rapidly in 2025. Germany, with a market volume exceeding €100 billion, is one of the most important European markets. Online retail revenue in Germany is expected to rise to around €91 billion in 2025, an increase of 2.5 percent compared to 2024. It is particularly evident that online marketplaces remain the growth drivers. Their revenues are expected to increase by 4.7 percent in 2025 to around €44 billion, representing almost half of the total e-commerce volume.
This trend reflects changing consumer behavior. Buyers are increasingly turning to platforms like Amazon, eBay, Otto, or Kaufland for reasons of convenience, product selection, and trust in well-known brands. In the first quarter of 2025, online marketplaces recorded a 5.1 percent increase in revenue compared to the same period of the previous year. In contrast, the business of traditional online shops stagnated with growth of only 1.2 percent.
AI as a new competitor and the fragmented search landscape
With the advent of AI, a new competitor has emerged for e-commerce portals, shifting the balance of power once again. AI-powered search systems like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity are gaining increasing importance, but still lag far behind Google. According to a SparkToro survey, Google processes 14 billion search queries daily, while ChatGPT handles only 37.5 million, a ratio of 373 to one in Google's favor. Nevertheless, a clear trend is emerging: users are increasingly turning to ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity for certain queries.
The main reason lies in the efficiency of these systems. AI searches deliver direct, synthesized answers instead of a list of links. For complex questions or research, they offer a clear advantage: They aggregate information from various sources and present it in a coherent answer, all within a dialogue. Users can ask questions in natural language and receive context-sensitive answers. Instead of having to search through multiple websites, users get synthesized information instantly. Many AI systems can simultaneously write text, generate code, and analyze data.
Google responded to this development with the introduction of AI Mode, which has been rolled out gradually in the US since October 2024 and is expected to become more widely available in Europe from 2026. AI Mode is more than just an extension of the classic search results. It's a separate, interactive search mode that integrates directly into Google Search. The key difference: Classic search delivers a list of ten blue links, while AI Mode provides a concise, context-aware answer in natural language, curated from multiple sources.
The user interface strongly resembles a chatbot, allowing users to ask complex, conversational search queries and follow-up questions. The feature will be rolled out to all users across desktop, mobile, and Google apps in the coming weeks and will be found as an additional tab in the search bar next to "All" or "Images." Thanks to its multimodal capabilities, users can submit search queries using voice, camera, and text. The AI can analyze images, such as a product photo, to provide relevant purchase recommendations and deliver real-time results.
The biggest problem for website operators is the phenomenon of zero-click search. Because AI mode delivers a complete, summary answer directly on the search page, users often have no reason to click through to an external website. Studies from the US show that click-through rates on traditional organic search results drop significantly, sometimes by double-digit percentages. The sources cited in the AI answer, often the basis of the response, reportedly receive very low click-through rates.
Who survives: Strategic differentiation in the new ecosystem
The question of who survives and who perishes in this new ecosystem cannot be answered in general terms, but requires a differentiated analysis of the various business models and content strategies. The central thesis, that those who base their business model on current information will be successful, can be empirically supported and theoretically grounded.
Websites that primarily provide static information, created once and rarely updated, are losing relevance dramatically. This content can be indexed once by AI systems and then output in a synthesized form, eliminating the need to revisit the original source. Encyclopedic content, general how-to guides, and standard information fall into this category. The decline in traffic is most drastic here, as the added value of a website visit for the user is minimal.
The situation is different with content based on timeliness and novelty. Product innovations, current events, breaking news, exclusive first-hand information, and time-critical analyses possess an intrinsic value that goes beyond mere information dissemination. Here, a website can leverage a first-mover advantage that cannot be easily replicated through AI synthesis. The first-mover advantage describes the competitive advantage a company can gain by being the first to enter a new market or launch an innovative product. In the context of AI-powered search, this means that websites that continuously provide new, exclusive information can establish a dominant position before competitors or AI systems aggregate the information.
Linking current events with one's own product range and services is the crucial lever. A B2B company that regularly reports on new developments in its industry, introduces new product features, and publishes market analyses creates a continuous incentive for website visits. This strategy is based on the concept of real-time marketing, which describes marketing campaigns based on current events, trends, or customer behavior and implemented as quickly as possible. The goal is to send relevant content to the right audience at the right time to foster engagement and, ideally, generate viral effects.
A practical example: An industrial robot manufacturer that continuously reports on new applications, publishes case studies, and comments on current developments will continue to generate organic traffic. Users come not only for the information itself, but also for the specific, contextualized expertise and the connection to concrete product solutions. This type of content cannot be easily replaced by AI systems because it incorporates original knowledge, experience, and a specific perspective.
Authenticity and authority are crucial. Google evaluates content according to the EEAT criteria: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Especially in a world saturated with AI-generated content, authenticity is gaining importance. Search engines are increasingly recognizing whether content comes from genuine experts and whether it offers an original contribution. Websites with strong brand signals and a presence across various platforms are more resistant to Google updates. A substantial digital footprint signals to Google that a website is a relevant brand.
Diversifying traffic sources is essential in this context. Relying solely on organic traffic is risky. Alternative channels such as social media, YouTube, newsletters, podcasts, and partnerships must be systematically developed. Adobe reports a tenfold increase in AI-driven recommendations in the US between July 2024 and February 2025, indicating significant downstream value from assistant clicks. The answers provided by the assistants redirect intent-driven traffic from blue links to referrals from LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, leading to qualified visits to PDPs, guides, and comparisons, which are then converted into sales and leads.
Suitable for:
🎯🎯🎯 Benefit from Xpert.Digital's extensive, five-fold expertise in a comprehensive service package | BD, R&D, XR, PR & Digital Visibility Optimization
Benefit from Xpert.Digital's extensive, fivefold expertise in a comprehensive service package | R&D, XR, PR & Digital Visibility Optimization - Image: Xpert.Digital
Xpert.Digital has in-depth knowledge of various industries. This allows us to develop tailor-made strategies that are tailored precisely to the requirements and challenges of your specific market segment. By continually analyzing market trends and following industry developments, we can act with foresight and offer innovative solutions. Through the combination of experience and knowledge, we generate added value and give our customers a decisive competitive advantage.
More about it here:
Why human expertise is becoming currency in the era of generative AI
The reorganization of content monetization and alternative business models
Content monetization is undergoing a fundamental realignment. The classic model of generating traffic via Google and monetizing it through display advertising or Google Ads is losing its effectiveness. For publishers who rely on advertising revenue, this poses an existential threat. At the same time, however, new opportunities and business models are emerging.
The reliance on Google Ads and similar ad networks is steadily decreasing. Many publishers are already looking for alternatives to diversify their revenue streams. Alternative ad networks like Mediavine, Setupad, Ezoic, or Adsterra often offer higher rates or better terms than AdSense. These networks specialize in contextual advertising and tailor their ad solutions to the needs of publishers. Some networks even employ dedicated account managers who conduct website audits and determine the best solution for a specific publisher's needs.
Furthermore, direct marketing, subscriptions and paywalls, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and membership programs are gaining prominence. Affiliate marketing continues to demonstrate in 2025 and beyond how digital collaboration, platform dynamics, and technological innovation can be combined to create a future-proof ecosystem. Affiliate marketing in Europe is projected to reach a market volume of approximately USD 5.55 billion in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of 6.5 percent. The German market is expected to achieve a growth rate of 6.7 percent. According to the survey, 68 percent of advertisers anticipate revenue growth in 2025, and 45 percent already achieved increased revenue in 2024.
Artificial intelligence remains the top topic: 69 percent of affiliates and 68 percent of advertisers see AI as a key driver of innovation. The use of AI tools ranges from content creation and personalization to predictive analytics. According to 61 percent of advertisers and 60 percent of affiliates, companies that invest in AI can secure decisive competitive advantages.
Another strategic approach is to focus on direct-to-consumer models and email marketing. Building your own subscriber base, which is regularly supplied with valuable content, reduces dependence on search engines. Newsletters containing current information, exclusive analyses, and product news create a direct channel to users. While this strategy requires considerable effort to build and maintain, it offers a stable and controllable source of traffic and revenue in the long term.
Investment in video content and social commerce is also gaining importance. The viral potential of TikTok and similar platforms offers significant opportunities even in 2025. Shoppable posts on TikTok allow followers to purchase offers directly from videos. TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and live streams offer new formats that can reach a broad target audience. The global market volume of social commerce is expected to grow to approximately US$1.23 trillion by 2025. In Germany, this sales channel is also gaining importance, particularly among younger target groups who increasingly shop via social networks.
Suitable for:
The importance of brand presence in AI systems
A key challenge, and simultaneously an opportunity, lies in brand presence within AI systems themselves. When AI systems become the primary source of information, a new playing field emerges. Classic SEO KPIs such as rankings or visibility indices lose their significance. Share of voice within AI systems becomes a strategic early indicator of brand strength. Content strategy must be more closely integrated with platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, or industry-specific forums, where LLMs acquire their knowledge.
The most frequently cited sources in AI summaries are Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit. Longer, question-like queries triggered summaries far more often. Companies need to understand how their content is interpreted and cited by AI systems. Optimizing for these systems is known as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) or Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO). Diversifying search strategies beyond Google is becoming essential.
Tools like SE Ranking's AI Mode Tracker make it possible to track brand presence in AI Mode, compare it to competitors, and identify which pages are mentioned most frequently. Brands need to recognize every mention of their brand or link to their website in Google AI Mode, gain insights into their presence in important search queries, even if their page isn't directly linked, find out which of their pages are most frequently cited in AI responses, and use these insights to strategically expand high-performing content.
Comparing your online presence with competitors is essential. It's crucial to monitor how frequently competitors are mentioned in Google's AI Mode, analyze the distribution of AI visibility by category, topic, and subtopic, and identify which content is used most often. The number of brand mentions and links to your own domain in AI Mode responses must be tracked. Changes in the number of links in AI Mode texts and trends in average position over time should be observed. The average position of links to your own brand in AI Mode responses and the traffic potential for your domain must be analyzed.
The long-term structural shifts and strategic implications
The long-term structural shifts in the digital ecosystem are profound and irreversible. The traditional role of websites as the primary source of information is increasingly being challenged. Websites are evolving from standalone destinations into data sources for AI systems. This development is similar in scope to the shift from brick-and-mortar retail to e-commerce, only it is happening in a much shorter timeframe.
Market consolidation will intensify. Smaller publishers without a specific unique selling proposition will come under increasing pressure. The ability to continuously produce new, exclusive, and high-quality content will become the decisive differentiator. Large platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, or specialized forums are gaining importance because they continuously deliver current, user-generated content that utilizes AI systems for its answers.
The integration of advertising into AI-generated responses is still in its early stages. Google is testing initial approaches in the US with integrated ads in AI-generated interviews. Perplexity already offers Sponsored Questions, a format that completely reimagines search engine advertising. For advertisers, this fragmentation means greater complexity in planning, optimization, and budgeting. At the same time, it opens up new opportunities to reach users earlier in the buying decision process.
Data sovereignty and control over one's own content are becoming strategic resources. Websites that block their content from AI systems risk becoming invisible. Websites that fully expose their content risk having its value extracted without compensation. Balancing discoverability with preserving value is one of the key challenges. In the second quarter of 2025, 13.26 percent of requests from AI bots ignored the instructions in websites' robots.txt files, a fourfold increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. This trend demonstrates that technical protection mechanisms are becoming increasingly ineffective.
Paradoxically, the role of human expertise and authority is becoming more important. In a world where AI-generated content is becoming ubiquitous, the value of authentic, human-created content that offers experience, perspective, and context is increasing. The ability to explain complex relationships, provide original analyses, and express a clear opinion cannot be replaced by AI. Websites that prioritize this human dimension will have a sustainable competitive advantage.
Suitable for:
Practical recommendations for companies and publishers
The developments described above lead to concrete strategic recommendations. First: Focus on timeliness and exclusivity. Companies should radically realign their content strategy towards continuous new production. Product innovations, market updates, trend analyses, and case studies must be published regularly. An editorial calendar that systematically identifies and addresses relevant topics is essential.
Secondly: Building brand authority and EEAT (Effective Effectiveness). Investing in original, high-quality content that demonstrates genuine expertise is the only sustainable long-term strategy. Guest posts on relevant platforms, participation in industry discussions, and building a personal brand as an author all strengthen this authority.
Thirdly: Diversifying traffic sources. Systematically building a social media presence, newsletter subscribers, podcast listeners, and community members reduces dependence on search engines. Cross-channel strategies that intelligently link different touchpoints maximize reach.
Fourth: Optimization for AI systems. Structuring content, using clear language, answering specific questions, and providing comprehensive information increase the likelihood of being cited in AI responses. Using structured data and schema markup makes it easier for AI systems to interpret the information.
Fifth: Reorienting monetization. Alternative revenue models such as subscriptions, memberships, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and direct marketing should be systematically tested and expanded. Combining different revenue streams creates stability.
Sixth: Integrating AI into your own content production. AI tools can support you in finding topics, researching keywords, creating content, and optimizing it. Intelligently using AI for routine tasks frees up resources for strategic and creative work. However, human control and the original added value must always be maintained.
Seventh: Continuous analysis and adaptation. Developments in AI and search are happening rapidly. Regular monitoring of your own performance in AI systems, observation of competitors, and rapid strategy adjustments are essential. Agility and the ability to learn are becoming crucial competitive advantages.
The provocative claim that websites will cease to exist in two years is not empirically supported. Websites will not disappear, but their role will fundamentally change. They will transform from primary information destinations to one of many data sources in a complex information ecosystem. The winners of this transformation will be those who recognize early on that static content is losing value, while dynamic, current, and exclusive content is gaining in importance. They will be those who base their business models not on maximizing page views, but on building sustainable relationships with their target audience. And they will be those who understand that in a world of AI-generated synthesis, the human perspective, expertise, and authenticity will become the scarcest and most valuable assets.
Your global marketing and business development partner
☑️ Our business language is English or German
☑️ NEW: Correspondence in your national language!
Konrad Wolfenstein
I would be happy to serve you and my team as a personal advisor.
You can contact me by filling out the contact form or simply call me on +49 89 89 674 804 (Munich) . My email address is: wolfenstein ∂ xpert.digital
I'm looking forward to our joint project.
☑️ SME support in strategy, consulting, planning and implementation
☑️ Creation or realignment of the digital strategy and digitalization
☑️ Expansion and optimization of international sales processes
☑️ Global & Digital B2B trading platforms
☑️ Pioneer Business Development / Marketing / PR / Trade Fairs
Our EU and Germany expertise in business development, sales and marketing
Our EU and Germany expertise in business development, sales and marketing - Image: Xpert.Digital
Industry focus: B2B, digitalization (from AI to XR), mechanical engineering, logistics, renewable energies and industry
More about it here:
A topic hub with insights and expertise:
- Knowledge platform on the global and regional economy, innovation and industry-specific trends
- Collection of analyses, impulses and background information from our focus areas
- A place for expertise and information on current developments in business and technology
- Topic hub for companies that want to learn about markets, digitalization and industry innovations
B2B support and SaaS for SEO and GEO (AI search) combined: The all-in-one solution for B2B companies
B2B support and SaaS for SEO and GEO (AI search) combined: The all-in-one solution for B2B companies - Image: Xpert.Digital
AI search changes everything: How this SaaS solution is revolutionizing your B2B rankings forever.
The digital landscape for B2B companies is undergoing rapid change. Driven by artificial intelligence, the rules of online visibility are being rewritten. It has always been a challenge for companies to not only be visible in the digital masses, but also to be relevant to the right decision-makers. Traditional SEO strategies and local presence management (geomarketing) are complex, time-consuming, and often a battle against constantly changing algorithms and intense competition.
But what if there were a solution that not only simplifies this process, but makes it smarter, more predictive, and far more effective? This is where the combination of specialized B2B support with a powerful SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, specifically designed for the needs of SEO and GEO in the age of AI search, comes into play.
This new generation of tools no longer relies solely on manual keyword analysis and backlink strategies. Instead, it leverages artificial intelligence to more precisely understand search intent, automatically optimize local ranking factors, and conduct real-time competitive analysis. The result is a proactive, data-driven strategy that gives B2B companies a decisive advantage: They are not only found, but perceived as the authoritative authority in their niche and location.
Here's the symbiosis of B2B support and AI-powered SaaS technology that is transforming SEO and GEO marketing and how your company can benefit from it to grow sustainably in the digital space.
More about it here:
