AI Search FAQ: Common Questions About AI Overviews and Zero-Click

Reading time: ~6 minutes

Quick answers to the most common questions about AI search, zero-click behavior, and AI visibility.

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General AI Search Questions

What is a “zero-click” search?

A zero-click search is when a user searches for something and gets their answer directly on the results page without clicking any external website.

Example:

User searches “symptoms of flu.”

Google shows an AI Overview with a bulleted list of symptoms.

User gets the information they need and leaves.

No website gets a click.

Studies show around 58-60% of Google searches are now zero-click.

What are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews (formerly called Search Generative Experience or SGE) are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google’s search results.

They synthesize information from multiple sources and present a comprehensive answer.

On mobile, AI Overviews often fill the entire first screen, pushing traditional organic results below the fold.

How often do AI Overviews appear?

It varies by query type and dataset.

Multiple studies show:

• Around 13-20% of all searches trigger AI Overviews
• Up to 50-60% of informational queries trigger them (depending on how “informational” is defined)
• Lower rates for transactional queries like “buy X” or “book Y”

The percentage has been growing steadily throughout 2024-2025.

Does “zero-click” mean my business gets zero traffic?

Not necessarily.

Zero-click means the user doesn’t click your website.

But they might:

• Call you directly from a Map Pack
• Click directions in Google Maps
• See your brand name in the AI answer (brand awareness)

For local businesses, many conversions now happen entirely within Google Business Profile cards or AI summaries.

The phone still rings. Website traffic just isn’t the metric that matters anymore.

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Platform-Specific Questions

What’s the difference between Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT?

Google AI Overviews:

• Appear at the top of Google search results
• Synthesize from the top-ranking pages for that query
• Integrated into traditional search experience
• Free for all users

ChatGPT (SearchGPT):

• Separate interface and chatbot
• Uses real-time web browsing plus pre-trained knowledge
• More conversational queries
• Citations from across the open web, not just top 10 results

Both can recommend your business. They use different data sources and algorithms.

How does Perplexity AI work for local searches?

Perplexity pulls local data directly from Yelp via API integration.

When you ask Perplexity for restaurant or service recommendations, it:

• Reads Yelp reviews
• Pulls Yelp photos
• Shows Yelp ratings and pricing
• Displays this in rich “media cards”

If your Yelp profile is weak or empty, you’re invisible on Perplexity.

Can I submit my business to ChatGPT or Gemini?

No.

There is no submission process for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, or any other AI system.

AI models discover businesses organically through:

• Web crawling
• Public data (Google Business Profile, Yelp, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Training on existing web content

Anyone claiming they can “submit your site to AI” or “get you listed in ChatGPT” is lying.

What user agent do AI crawlers use?

Different AI systems use different crawlers:

AI System	User Agent
ChatGPT / OpenAI	GPTBot
Claude / Anthropic	ClaudeBot
Google (AI Overviews)	Googlebot (same as regular search)
Perplexity	PerplexityBot
Microsoft Copilot	Bingbot

You can control these via robots.txt, but blocking them makes you invisible in those AI systems.

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Traffic and CTR Questions

My organic traffic dropped 30% but my rankings are the same. Why?

You’re experiencing the “Great Decoupling” of visibility from traffic.

Your pages still rank well. But AI Overviews now sit above them and answer the question directly.

Users get what they need from the AI summary without clicking your site.

What to check:

1. Open Google Search Console
2. Filter for queries where you rank in positions 1-3
3. Compare CTR from June 2024 to now
4. You’ll likely see CTR dropped significantly for informational queries

This is structural, not a penalty. The interface changed.

How much does CTR drop when AI Overviews appear?

One large study tracking millions of queries found:

Organic CTR:

• June 2024: ~1.76%
• September 2025: ~0.61%
• Drop: approximately 61%

Paid CTR:

• June 2024: ~19.7%
• September 2025: ~6.34%
• Drop: approximately 68%

These numbers are for queries where AI Overviews do appear.

Queries without AI Overviews saw smaller declines (around 20-40%).

Is being cited in the AI Overview better than ranking #1?

Being cited in the AI Overview and ranking #1 is best.

The same study found that brands cited in AI Overviews earn about 35% more organic clicks than brands that rank in the results below but are not cited.

Being cited is a badge of authority that increases click-through even when total traffic is lower.

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Optimization Questions

What’s the difference between SEO, AEO, and GEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Gets you into the top 10 organic results. Tactics: backlinks, keywords, technical site health, content quality.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Makes your content easy to extract for direct answers and snippets. Tactics: 40-60 word answers after question headings, FAQ schema, inverted pyramid style.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Convinces AI systems to cite you when they synthesize answers. Tactics: expert quotes, statistics, citations, readability, consensus across platforms.

You need all three. SEO gets you read. AEO makes you easy to extract. GEO makes you the chosen source.

Does schema markup help with AI visibility?

Yes, but indirectly.

Schema doesn’t guarantee inclusion in AI answers.

But it removes ambiguity. It tells the AI exactly what your business does, where you are, when you’re open, and what you offer.

Controlled tests show pages with robust LocalBusiness and FAQPage schema are more likely to be cited in AI Overviews.

What content tactics improve AI visibility?

According to the Princeton GEO study:

What works:

• Adding expert quotes with attribution: +41%
• Including specific statistics and data: +30%
• Adding inline citations to sources: +30%
• Improving readability and flow: +22%
• Using domain-specific terminology: +21%
• Simplifying language (for general audiences): +15%

What hurts:

• Keyword stuffing: -9%

Should I still write blog content if it won’t get traffic?

Yes, but change your expectations.

Old purpose: Drive traffic directly.

New purpose: Establish entity authority so AI systems cite you for transactional queries.

Being cited as an expert on “why AC blows warm air” increases the likelihood that AI recommends you for “emergency AC repair near me.”

The ROI is now algorithmic authority, not direct clicks.

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Measurement Questions

How do I measure AI visibility?

Manual method:

Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini questions your customers would ask.

Examples:

• “Best [your category] in [your city]”
• “Who offers [your service] near me?”
• “[Your category] with [key attribute]”

Track:

• Are you mentioned?
• How often?
• What position?
• What do they say about you?

Automated method:

Use Surmado Signal ($25).

Signal tests 7 platforms with 50+ persona-based queries and gives you:

• Presence Rate (0-100%)
• Authority Score (0-100%)
• Platform breakdown
• Ghost Influence (competitors mentioned instead of you)

What metrics matter more than rankings now?

New metrics for AI era:

1. AI Citation Frequency How often are you named in AI-generated answers for relevant queries?

2. Share of Voice in AI What percentage of AI recommendations in your category mention you vs competitors?

3. Zero-Click Visibility Impressions in Google Search Console where users see your brand even if they don’t click.

4. GBP Direct Actions Calls, direction requests, and bookings from Google Business Profile cards.

5. Review Sentiment and Keywords Percentage of reviews mentioning your key differentiators (AI reads review text, not just stars).

How often should I test AI visibility?

Minimum: Quarterly

Recommended: Monthly if you’re actively optimizing content or changing your business

Frequency for agencies managing multiple clients: Monthly for each client

Use Surmado Signal to automate this. One report is $25 (1 credit).

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Local Business Questions

Do “near me” searches still work?

Yes. “Near me” searches still overwhelmingly show Map Packs and Google Business Profile cards.

AI Overviews rarely trigger for pure proximity queries like “coffee shop near me” or “emergency plumber near me.”

Where AI impacts local is for discovery queries like “best coffee shop with outdoor seating” or “plumber with transparent pricing.”

What’s more important: my website or Google Business Profile?

For local businesses in 2025: Google Business Profile is more important.

Most conversions now happen entirely within the GBP card:

• User sees business in Map Pack or AI answer
• Taps the listing
• Sees photos, reviews, hours
• Calls directly or gets directions

Website is still important for:

• Verification and trust
• Detailed service information
• SEO authority that feeds AI systems

But GBP is where the conversion actually happens.

If I fix my Yelp profile, will Perplexity start recommending me?

Probably, but give it 2-4 weeks.

Perplexity recrawls data frequently, but changes take time to propagate.

After fixing your Yelp profile:

1. Wait 2-4 weeks
2. Test Perplexity with queries like “best [your category] in [your city]”
3. See if you appear and what Perplexity says about you

Or run Surmado Signal before and after to measure the change.

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Surmado-Specific Questions

What does Surmado Signal actually test?

Surmado Signal tests how 7 AI platforms talk about your business.

Platforms:

• Google AI Overviews
• ChatGPT / SearchGPT
• Perplexity
• Claude
• Gemini
• Grok (xAI)
• DeepSeek

Method:

We write 50+ queries based on 5 buyer personas.

We ask each AI system questions your real customers would ask.

We analyze the responses to see:

• Do they mention you?
• How often?
• What do they say?
• Do they recommend competitors instead?

Output:

You get a report showing:

• Presence Rate (0-100%)
• Authority Score (0-100%)
• Platform-by-platform breakdown
• What AI systems say about you
• Where competitors are winning

Cost: $25 (1 credit). Report runs in about 15-30 minutes.

What’s the difference between Surmado Signal and Scan?

Surmado Signal ($25) tests AI visibility.

• What do AI systems say about you?
• Do they recommend you or competitors?
• How confident are they in recommending you?

Surmado Scan ($25) tests technical SEO health.

• Schema markup issues
• Core Web Vitals problems
• Crawlability and indexability
• Mobile performance
• Heading structure

Use both:

Scan fixes technical blockers that prevent AI from reading you.

Signal measures what AI actually says about you after those fixes.

Can Surmado get me “listed” in ChatGPT or Gemini?

No.

Surmado does not sell placements or submissions to any AI system.

We test how AI systems already talk about your business.

We give you a plan to improve based on what we find.

We cannot force or guarantee any specific AI response.

Anyone promising “guaranteed AI placement” is running a scam.

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Next steps:

• AI Overviews and Zero-Click Search (Full Guide)
• Answer Engine Optimization Guide
• Local AI Search Survival Guide
• Test your AI visibility with Signal