The Demise of Organic Clicks: How Travel Marketers Can Redefine Success

Instead of walking the aisles to find what you need, AI serves the answer directly to you. It’s the digital equivalent of curbside pickup. You get what you came for faster, but you skip the browsing that used to encourage discovery. This is what’s become of the organic search-scape.

Zero-click searches have been growing, meaning travelers may get the information they need without ever landing on your site. According to studies conducted at the end of last year, well over half of Google searches now end without a single click, and your content may influence a traveler’s decision without ever receiving a landing page view.

For example, a traveler Googles “best things to do in Asheville” and gets a rich result, AI overview, knowledge panel and map pack all before your destination site ever receives an impression, let alone a click.

Perhaps in this case, the user is satisfied with the 5 things to do highlighted in Google’s AI Overview, and they move over to AI Mode or ChatGPT to receive quick, direct answers to their follow-up questions. Again, why spend time and effort seeking out answers on someone’s website when they can be shipped for free?

This shift in behavior started with search engines (like Google), but it’s not stopping there. Social platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Meta are now acting as search and AI engines, and even travel-specific apps and websites are moving in the same direction. Whether someone is asking ChatGPT for “things to do in Sedona” or searching in TikTok for “hidden gems in Boston,” the journey often stops before a website visit.

For marketers, this shift doesn’t have to mean defeat, but it definitely indicates a coming change. As we move toward a “zero-click future” and face declines in organic web traffic, we must reevaluate what counts as success.

Up until now, we’ve relied heavily on the volume of clicks and sessions from organic search to be the KPI’s that we report on month after month. While these metrics still hold their value farther down the funnel, less clicks in the organic search space mean that impressions begin to matter more than ever. Your destination can still be the answer source that influences and inspires travelers, even if analytics don’t show the click. The key is understanding how to position your brand and engage users in spaces where answers are generated instead of sought out.

In AI search, there are several key indicators that we should watch carefully. The most significant of these are appearances or mentions – such as those in AI summaries or Google’s AI Overviews. While tools that report on these mentions are still a bit underdeveloped, they are beginning to emerge and take a more standardized form. For example, SEMRush is rolling out a few options for users. Getting ahead of competitors and learning to use tools to optimize for AI mentions will be key to securing impressions early on.

Aside from just click-throughs to your site, there are further signals that could indicate impact from these impressions. Growth in branded search queries is a big one. This could signify rising awareness for your destination and further investigation in search or AI engines. Additionally, something more indirect like social engagement or mentions tied to a rise in organic search queries and positive sentiment could also imply an increase in awareness and AI mentions.

For example, let’s say Visit Gatlinburg optimized content for query: “best places to stay near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” They secured a mention in an AI Overview, and while website traffic from Google stayed relatively flat, branded searches for “hotels in Gatlinburg,” “cabins in Gatlinburg,” and “best places to stay in Gatlinburg” increased. Further, a rise in user-generated content tagged to hotel locations in Gatlinburg was noticed on Instagram, and perhaps hotels noted a seasonal bump in bookings and overnight stays.

This impact may feel less direct than a click-through to the Visit Gatlinburg website, but it is still very real when we approach our measurements differently.

Now you may be wondering, what are some tangible things I can do to secure my spot in AI overviews, summaries, snippets and the likes of these? We’ve noticed that a lot of successful mentions come down to content credibility and structure:

1. Structure content in ways that makes it easily digestible for generative AI engines. Examples include FAQ sections, top 10 lists, Q&A’s, etc. Keep answers direct and concise, but link to deeper content.
2. Consider ways to capture longer-form queries that are often suited to AI engines. For example, instead of typing “Detroit hotels,” into Google, a user is much more likely to ask AI something like “what are some of the best hotels in Detroit?” Cultivate your content to capture those longer-form prompts.
3. Implement Schema markup for events, attractions, etc. Structured data helps search engines and AI models better understand your content.
4. Build brand authority – AI wants to site accurate, reputable sources, so building your credibility is key. You can strengthen authority by earning mentions and backlinks from other trusted sites, and ensuring your site’s technical performance (speed, security, and accessibility) is solid.
5. Create concise and quotable page summaries. Include clear, one or two sentence summaries that capture the essence of a page in your intro paragraphs or page descriptions. This makes it easier for AI to reference your information accurately in search summaries.

If you are curious about what your site is appearing for, the actions you take now don’t have to be complex. Even a simple process like running a set of prompts, recording responses and looking at mentions, sentiment, and sited sources from competitors can yield insight that will help you shape your content strategies now.

Emma Herrle

Digital Marketing Strategist