The new Google AI Answers are making it more difficult than ever to get clicks on your dealership website pages. What can you do about it?

Google’s new AI summaries are answering questions right on the search page, which means fewer people are clicking through to dealer websites. We’ll show you what’s happening to your traffic and the smart moves you can make – like better FAQ pages, detailed spec sheets, customer reviews, and keeping your Google Business Profile clean, to stay visible when customers are shopping for cars.

What happened to your clicks?

When online users need information regarding vehicles you sell at your dealership, one way that you know your pages are being seen is through the number of clicks on your links that send users to your landing pages. Unfortunately, Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) have gotten more dynamic and advanced, providing users with answers to questions that don’t require clicking on your pages. The AI Answers section makes it even more difficult for you to gain clicks. This means you need to transition your strategies to account for zero-click searches and focus on authority in your market.

Capitalize on the zero-click market

In order to maintain a strong online presence without losing your mind, you’ll need to stop focusing on the clicks received on landing pages and begin to understand how to drive sales through zero-click search features. These features have begun to dominate SERPs, ensuring you have extra opportunities to become part of the solution. This means you need to understand how to capture attention through specific features of the search engine pages. Some of these are:

• Featured Snippets – These are summaries of webpage content that appear above the regular search results
• Knowledge Panels – Informational boxes for businesses, people, or entities
• Direct Answers – Simple responses to questions
• People Also Ask (PAA) – Related questions users might have
• Local Packs – Information about businesses near the user’s location
• AI Overviews – In-depth summaries generated by AI-powered models

These features are designed to improve visibility while answering queries and questions from online users, improving the user experience. Unfortunately, this leaves you with a gap in your clicks, which means you might see less traffic than before going to your web pages.

How can you overcome these zero-click challenges?

In order to maintain online engagement, you have to become part of the solution when it comes to Google AI Answers. This means becoming a source of useful information that should appear at the top of SERPs. Here are some key strategies to help your dealership marketing team make that happen.

Optimize Featured Snippets

The featured snippets are some of the most visible elements of SERPs, making it extremely important that you optimize for them. This means:

• Create concise answers – You only have 160 characters, keep your answers short and to the point
• Use structured content – Include bullet points, lists, and tables
• Focus on long-tail keywords – longer phrases that include “how to” or “best way to” will become featured snippets
• Optimize Q&A formats – answer the questions and mimic how they are asked
• Use trigger words – words like “how, why, best, tips, cost, guide” are great for snippets

On-Page SEO Still Matters

Although you’re working to be part of the Google AI Answers and focus on zero-click strategies, what will users find when they click on your links? What does Google see on your pages when properly sorting your content? Here are some great ways to improve on-page SEO:

• Use Header tags -H1, H2, and H3 tags build structure in your content
• Meta Titles and Descriptions – Ensure they are keyword-rich and compelling
• Mobile Optimization – Most zero-click searches occur on mobile devices. Ensure fast loading and use a responsive design
• Core Web Vitals – Optimize for fast load speeds, interactive use, and visual appeal

Local Visibility Matters

Most professional services require some form of local visibility, which you need to dominate, especially as a car dealership. Here’s how to do this:

• Google Business Profile – Keep it updated and optimized. Ensure it has accurate details, images, and hours of operation
• NAP Consistency — Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone Number are identical across all platforms and appear in the same font and order
• Location-Specific Content – Create content highlighting local areas and concerns

Embrace AI Searches

The Google AI Answers area needs to include answers from your website in order to give you the added boost you need in a zero-click world. This means you’ve got to adapt to AI searches by using:

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) -create content that aligns with AI algorithms
• Structured Data – Use schema markup to improve AI understanding of your content
• Comprehensive Content – Ensure your site is considered an authoritative source of information
• Monitor AI Platforms – Stay current on AI-driven searches to create content that users expect to find

Content Is Key

The term “content is king” is still true, and it’s the key to ensuring AI searches find your content and utilize it as part of the SERP results. This means you need strategies that focus on:

• High-Quality Content – Address user pain points and answer questions directly; FAQs are great
• User Intent Alignment – Create content for different stages of the journey through your website; in this case, the car buying journey
• Thought Leadership – Publish industry case studies, guides, and whitepapers to build authority in your market

How will you create content to embrace zero-click searches and Google AI Answers that leave your content without clicks, but can provide you with added visibility?