Is SEO dead? The Zero-Click paradox

We already addressed this question in January in our article “From Generative Search to Operators“.

We concluded that, for the hotel industry, the challenge no longer lies so much in visibility as in the ability

to offer a truly unique experience.

But in a rapidly changing world, where are we today?

Part 1: Let’s start from the beginning

Generative search, which directly provides an AI-generated answer to a query, automatically leads to a decrease in the number of clicks compared to traditional search. Traffic to websites, particularly those of hotels, therefore tends to gradually decrease.

But does this automatically mean a drop in sales? No it most certainly does not..let us examine why.

Part 2: Which strategies

A. Brand strategy

Your hotel—or hotels—are brands. And if they aren’t already, it’s high time to think about a clear, coherent, and understandable brand strategy.

As a hotelier, your brand is your best tool to ensure you preserve your independence and create lasting value. Establishments which inspire loyalty share one thing in common: a strong identity. They are less dependent on revenue management logic, they attract a clientele who are engaged and who don’t just come by chance, a clientele who come back willingly and who talk about you.

Ask yourself a simple question: “Why do your guests book with you?”

If you don’t have the answer, ask them. Based on their feedback, write a unique description for each of your hotels. Unique in the strongest sense of the word: it needs to be impossible for another establishment to copy.

This exercise may not be easy, but it definitely will be enlightening. You may discover that there are certain things that truly set you apart from the competition, or that a good number of your guests have in fact come to you just by chance.

It’s therefore essential to adopt a strong point of view, aimed at a clearly identified niche. Each hotel has its own unique characteristics—location, atmosphere, services—which will appeal to a specific segment of the market only: your ideal customers.

B. Content strategy. Put your data to work for your guests

Once your reputation has been strengthened by a coherent brand strategy, it’s time to concretely meet your guests’ expectations. To do this, you have an often underestimated asset: the data that characterises your hotel(s).

Today, this data can be scattered, it is sometimes poorly structured, and often locked away in the minds of your employees.

Step 1: Centralise your data. This involves identifying all useful information which each hotel has in abundance: USB ports in rooms, views from each room, gluten-free options at breakfast, etc. Not sure where to start? Good news: Q-Data was designed for this. It already allows you to collate over 3100 hotel-specific data points.

Step 2: Enhance this data on your own media. Share this information on your website, brochures, and other channels:

• Add optimised FAQs (Q-SEO) to highlight answers to key questions. 
• Stick to short, clear paragraphs.
• Use lists or bullet points.
• Answer specific questions directly.
• Use simple, accessible language.

Step 3: Share this data beyond your ecosystem. Don’t limit yourself to your internal channels. Distribute your data to:

• OTAs (Booking, Expedia), social networks (Facebook), travel agencies, etc.
• Personal assistants and AI, thanks to MCP and A2A protocols, which give them direct access to your reliable and structured information.

To learn more, see the article: “From Generative Search to Operators“.

C. Advertising strategy. From click logic to visibility logic

Historically, SEO strategies were designed to generate clicks. Now, they must be combined with an AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) strategy whose primary objective is visibility, not just traffic.

Why talk about visibility (measured in CPM) rather than clicks (CPC), even if it’s less trackable? Because today, a hotel must no longer simply be found, it must be chosen.

Two prerequisites: the LLMS.txt file and submission to IndexNow.

Start by integrating an LLMS.txt file into the root of your site. This file determines which pages can be viewed and indexed by generative AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, etc.). By providing them with an optimised version of your content, you improve their understanding and your presence in the results, whether from traditional or generative search.

Thanks to Bing’s IndexNow, new content can be flagged and almost instantly taken into account by ChatGPT. Without this protocol, indexing could take several weeks, as ChatGPT’s bots crawl the web relatively slowly.

The customer journey lasts 18 days... and all kinds of things can happen in that time. Between the initial search for accommodation and the actual booking, an average of 18 days pass. During this period, the customer explores via multiple channels:

• Traditional search (Google, Bing, etc.)
• Generative search (Perplexity, ChatGPT, etc)
• OTAs (Booking, Expedia, etc.)
• Social media
• Travel guides
• Travel agencies
• Podcasts, webcasts
• Blogs, forums, specialised content

It is therefore essential that your hotel appears in at least two of these channels. Why? Because awareness begins when a potential customer identifies you through two different sources. It’s this intersection that creates recognition.

Towards a New Budget Balance: CPM vs. CPC Gradually, your online marketing budget will need to shift more toward visibility (CPM) actions, to the detriment of cost per click (CPC). But be careful: don’t completely eliminate your CPC campaigns. In a world where zero-click is becoming the norm, these campaigns can help you… free visibility.

D. Sales strategy: Adapting to a new reality

A visit, a price request, a reservation… In short, the cost of acquiring a customer is increasing, and this trend will continue. The steady flow of reservations “falling from the sky” is starting to dwindle.

It’s time to fundamentally rethink your sales methods:

• Equip yourself with a CRM to structure and effectively leverage your customer base.
• Capture sales leads... and, above all, track them over time.
• Centralise communication channels (email, phone, chat, instant messaging). An AI virtual assistant like Velma can significantly improve your responsiveness and efficiency.
• Motivate your teams to sell by establishing clear and appropriate incentives.
• Promote your loyalty programs: if large groups are investing heavily in them, it’s because they understand one essential thing: it is better to nurture your current customers than to constantly chase new ones. 

All research tools have one thing in common: they rely on structured, intelligible, accurate and consistent information.

Part 3. Conclusion: Don’t bury SEO, but don’t be too dependent on it

SEO in the hotel industry isn’t dead, but basing your entire marketing strategy on it will lead to your downfall. Where Google once reigned supreme, new tools are emerging. All of them have one thing in common and they will continue to do so for the long term : they rely on structured, intelligible, accurate and consistent information.

If you were to do only one thing in the very short term, and it isn’t already in place, prioritise the following tools:

• Q-Data: your database specifically designed for the hotel industry, with over 3100 structured (intelligible, accurate and consistent) information points.
• Velma: your advanced AI Hotel assistant, also capable of transforming anonymous visitors to your site into qualified leads.
• Q-Sales: your ultimate sales leads tracking and conversion tool.
• Q-SEO: your dynamic FAQ generator which improves your visibility with AI search engine enquiries.

We have intentionally left out, for now, the strategies you should implement to leverage the power of MCP and A2A protocols. This topic will be the subject of a future article.

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