Beer with Kyle Fridays: Are Websites Still as Important as They Used to Be?

Hey Everyone!

This is a topic I want your feedback on, because what we hear from you is going to help shape decisions we make about Wealthy Affiliate moving forward. So let's get into it.

This Week's Beer.

Today I am pouring Dark Matter by Hoyne Brewery, a popular local Victoria brewery. Dark Matter is one of their flagship beers, and you can see exactly why it gets the name. It pours dark, almost like a meal in a glass. If you have ever had a Guinness, this is in that family. You feel pretty full after just one.

Honestly, I am not usually a huge fan of really dark beer, but this one was in the fridge and it seemed like a good choice for today. It is tasty if you like the style. If you mostly stick to lighter beers, this one might not be your thing. Cheers anyway.

How Google Has Changed...

Let me walk you through what I am seeing.

I just ran a quick search on Google for the best way to fix cracks in concrete. Pretty standard query. Here is what I am noticing.

At the very top of the page are sponsored ads. Home Depot, a site called The Spruce, and others paying for that prime real estate. The whole point of those ads is return on spend. They are betting their cost per click is going to come back to them through sales.

Right below those ads is something that has become a lot more dominant over the last year or so... the AI Overview. Google is now answering the question directly at the top of the page using AI, pulling from all kinds of sources and summarizing the solution before the user ever scrolls down to a single organic listing.

The Rise of Zero Click Searches.

This is what has come to be called the zero click search. Someone types in a question, hits the AI Overview, expands it for more detail, and walks away with their answer. They never click through to a website. They got what they needed and they are gone.

Now compare that to three or four years ago. Someone had a problem, they went to Google, they scrolled the natural listings, found a relevant site, clicked through, read the content, and the website owner had a chance to monetize that visit through affiliate links, product recommendations, or ads. That was a clean, well understood process. Get ranked, get traffic, generate revenue.

That process has not disappeared, but it is being squeezed. The overall search volume that actually clicks through to websites has gone down. People are still finding their way to organic listings, especially for review based queries where they want a human perspective. But the casual informational searches that used to drive a lot of website traffic? Those are increasingly being satisfied right inside the search results page.

And on top of that, more people are skipping Google entirely. They are going directly to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grok for information instead.

The Question I Want Your Feedback On.

So where does that leave the website?

Websites have conventionally been at the core of everything we do online. Create content, get indexed, get ranked, generate revenue. That model is transitioning, and the impact of building content purely for SEO is less than it has ever been.

But websites still serve real purposes. People still need to go from social media to somewhere to purchase. Brands still need a home base. Reviews and trust signals still matter. So I am not saying websites are going away. I am asking a more honest question.

Do you feel websites are as important as they ever have been?

Is a branded website still essential, or is the role of a website becoming less central than it used to be?

Is WordPress still as important as it has always been? There is actually a big litigation battle going on inside the WordPress world right now too, which is worth being aware of. I am not going to get into that here, but it is just one more thing changing under our feet.

And on top of all of this, there is a growing expectation that you can build websites simply by typing what you want in plain human language. Same with images, content, apps. The whole way we create online is being rewired in real time.

I Want to Hear From You!

This is the part where I genuinely need your voice. As active website owners, content creators, and people who are in the industry, whether you have a little experience or a lot, what is your read on this?

Where do you see websites fitting into the broader picture six months from now? A couple years from now? Ten years from now? Will people still be building websites the same way they do today? Will the utility be the same?

I am going to share my own perspective down in the comments as the conversation gets going, but I really want to hear from you first.

Drop your thoughts below. This is the kind of conversation that genuinely shapes the direction of Wealthy Affiliate, so do not hold back.