The digital landscape is undergoing a profound transformation as “zero-click searches” gain momentum, threatening to upend the traditional internet business model that has sustained content creators for decades.

The Shifting Search Economy

According to Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, the internet’s economic foundation—often called the “blue link economy”—is rapidly changing. This model, where users search on Google, receive blue links, and click through to websites (with Google earning revenue from sponsored links), is becoming increasingly obsolete.

“The economy is for sure changing,” Prince explained during a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “If you look back ten years ago, essentially for every two pages that Google would crawl, they would send anyone who was creating content one visitor. The rate that Google crawls at hasn’t changed. And yet, six months ago, the rate was now up to six pages scraped for every one visitor. And it’s accelerated that now it’s actually 15 scrapes for every one visitor.”

This dramatic shift isn’t happening because fewer people are searching the internet or because Google is scraping more content. Instead, more answers are appearing directly on Google’s search results page, with the “I box” at the top absorbing content that previously would have directed users to original content creators.

AI Amplifies the Problem

The situation becomes even more concerning when examining AI companies like OpenAI. According to Prince, “Six months ago, it was 250 scrapes to one visitor. If you look at it today, it’s almost 1500 scrapes to one visitor.”

This evolution poses an existential threat to content creators whose business models rely on website traffic. “If you’re making money through subscriptions, through advertising, any of the things that content creators are doing today, visitors aren’t going to be seeing those ads. They’re not going to be buying those subscriptions anymore. And that means it’s going to be much, much harder for you to be a content creator,” Prince warned.

The Future Economic Model

When questioned about the economics of this shift—particularly as users begin paying for AI services like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Anthropic—Prince suggested that advertising might continue but in a transformed state. “The advertising might show up in the AI companies, but you’re reading that derivative content. You’re not reading the original content,” he explained.

This raises fundamental questions about compensation for original content creators. Prince believes the solution lies not in courts—where resolution could take years—but in technology. “You can use services like Cloudflare…to say you can’t access my content if you’re an AI crawler, unless you pay me for that content. And that’s exactly what the future has to be,” he stated.

Content Scarcity as Leverage

Prince emphasized that original content remains the essential “fuel” for AI engines. He pointed to OpenAI as an example of a company that has already negotiated content deals with creators, but noted they “can’t be the suckers…the only ones paying when their competitors aren’t.”

His advice to content creators is clear: “Restrict access to content, create that scarcity, and say, you’re not going to get my content unless you’re actually paying me for creating that content.”

Optimism for Quality Content

Despite these challenges, Prince remains “much more optimistic about the future of content creators” who produce valuable original content. He believes that while “randomly strung together, sort of quick hitting, headline first content” may disappear, high-quality original content will become more valuable.

Using a personal example about skiing in Park City, Utah, Prince explained that specialized, unique information—like detailed snow conditions on different parts of a mountain—will command premium value. “I’m going to pay for the AI engine that actually has the exclusive access to that unique content,” he said, suggesting that AI companies will increasingly value and pay for exclusive, high-quality content.

As this digital transformation accelera🌠tes, content creators face a critical inflection point: adapt by creating scarcity and demanding compensation for AI use of their content, or risk being left behind in an increasingly zero-click world.