Q1 2025: AI and the Rise of “Zero‑Click” Search

In Q1, Google’s AI Overviews feature crossed a major threshold, reaching over 1.5 billion users monthly, embedding AI summaries directly into search and driving a surge in zero‑click results. For content creators and web developers, this marked a turning point: web content must now compete not just for rankings but for inclusion in AI-generated answers. The pressure to structure content in a way that AI systems can reliably parse has started reshaping SEO strategy — content quality, schema markup, and licensing control all become front‑and‑center for 2025.

In Q1, Google’s AI Overviews feature crossed a major threshold, reaching over 1.5 billion users monthly, embedding AI summaries directly into search and driving a surge in zero‑click results. For content creators and web developers, this marked a turning point: web content must now compete not just for rankings but for inclusion in AI-generated answers. The pressure to structure content in a way that AI systems can reliably parse has started reshaping SEO strategy — content quality, schema markup, and licensing control all become front‑and‑center for 2025.

What This Means for Your Clients

If your clients rely on organic traffic for leads or sales, this shift will directly impact their bottom line. Agencies need to help them adapt with structured content, FAQ sections, semantic markup, and licensing tools to stay visible in AI search experiences. Basebuild can help implement these technical SEO changes at the CMS and codebase level so your clients don’t get buried under AI summaries.

If you’re looking to learn more please feel free to reach out to Dave and say hi or check out our case studies for some examples of our work.

Reference: https://www.theverge.com/news/655930/google-q1-2025-earnings