From SEO to GEO: How LLMs Are Transforming Search in Europe and Switzerland
Would you like to know how LLMs talk about your company and your services?
We all know the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But who is already starting to work on their GEO, Generative Engine Optimization?
For more than fifteen years, Google has held a near-monopoly at the bottom of the funnel. This was the place of conversion: the user searched, clicked, and visited your site. However, this mechanism is changing, and the figures show that the phenomenon is already well established in Europe and Switzerland.
Zero-click is growing significantly in Europe
Recent research is unequivocal:
- 59.7% of Google searches in the European Union in 2024 end without a click to an external site (compared to 58.5% in the United States).
- The zero-click rate rose from 23.6% in March 2024 to 26.1% in March 2025 in Europe/UK, across all platforms (desktop and mobile).
- The share of clicks to the open web is falling steadily and will only account for 37–38% of queries in 2025.
- The SparkToro and Datos panels show an acceleration since spring 2025, linked to the rise of Google’s AI Overviews and AI-generated summaries.
These figures are based on clickstream panels of several million European users (desktop and mobile), cross-referenced with SparkToro, Datos, and Similarweb. The trend is clear: nearly 6 out of 10 searches in Europe no longer drive traffic to external sites.
GEO: the new frontier of search engine optimization
With SEO, the goal was to rank at the top of Google results.
With GEO, the goal is different: to influence how generative AI talks about your brand.
LLMs (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing Copilot, or Google’s AI Overviews don’t just list links. They synthesize and interpret. This means that a prospect may:
- Never visit your site.
- Form an opinion of your company solely based on what a conversational assistant says about you.
The bottom of the funnel—historically dominated by Google—is shifting toward these interfaces. The challenge is therefore no longer just to be found, but to be well represented by AI.
The Enigma anecdote: when ChatGPT becomes your sales rep
At Enigma, we have just signed our first client who came to us solely through AI.
His journey is revealing:
- He wrote his business plan directly in ChatGPT.
- Then he asked, “What are the three best agencies in Switzerland for this segment?”
- Enigma appeared at the top of the recommendations.
But ChatGPT didn’t just mention Enigma. The AI added:
“It may be a little too big and premium for your business, but it has the necessary capabilities and is probably still the best choice.”
The result: the AI did the qualification and preparation work. It anticipated the price objection and presented our value as legitimate. When the prospect arrived at our door, they were already prepared to accept a slightly higher price, because ChatGPT had positioned Enigma as the best choice.
This is a clear demonstration that GEO can not only generate visibility, but also guide the perception of value and prepare for commercial negotiations.
Implications for businesses in Switzerland and Europe
- Monitor your LLM reputation
How do ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Bing Copilot talk about you? Test it out with your own services and compare yourself to your competitors. - Structure your content for AI
AI favors content that is:- well-structured (Q&As, clear summaries, figures, definitions),
- credible (quotes, reliable sources),
- up-to-date (recent data, dated content).
- Adopt a proactive GEO strategy
As with SEO 15 years ago, those who get started early have the advantage. This means:- Creating quotable content (“evidence-first”),
- Publishing guides, comparisons, and FAQs that can be reproduced as is,
- Defining quality standards that encourage LLMs to choose you as a reference.
In summary
Zero-click searches are growing rapidly in Europe and Switzerland: nearly 60% of Google searches no longer send traffic to websites. LLM and AI Overviews are accelerating this trend.
GEO—Generative Engine Optimization—is becoming essential.
The question is no longer just “Can you be found on Google?” but “How are you described by AI?”
And sometimes, as in our Enigma anecdote, LLMs become your best salespeople.
Sources
- SparkToro / Datos – Zero-Click Study (2024)
https://sparktoro.com/blog/2024-zero-click-search-study-for-every-1000-us-google-searches-only-374-clicks-go-to-the-open-web-in-the-eu-its-360 - Search Engine Land – Zero-click searches up, organic clicks down (2025)
https://searchengineland.com/zero-click-searches-up-organic-clicks-down-456660 - Siteimprove – Zero-click search strategy (reprend SparkToro & Datos)
https://www.siteimprove.com/blog/zero-click-search-strategy - Similarweb – analyses sur AI Overviews et CTR (complément sur Europe)
https://www.similarweb.com/corp/blog/insights/ai/google-ai-overviews