Episode 1: Position Zero - Why First Place Is Now the First Loser

Welcome to Reaching for Position Zero — the regular podcast where we tackle AI search one question at a time, with straight answers, the occasional laugh, and no computer science degree required.

This one is for you if you run a small business, rely on your website to bring in customers, and have a sneaking suspicion that something is changing in the way people search - but nobody has explained it in a way that actually makes sense yet.

In our very first episode we are setting the scene for everything that follows.

You already know about search. You use it every single day - typing, speaking, asking Alexa, asking Siri. And what comes back is a big list of websites that Google thinks can help you. For years, getting to the top of that list was the goal. Page one. Position one. The holy grail.

But here is the thing. That list has always been a bit of a playground for the bigger brands. The ones with the largest budgets. The ones who could afford to dominate. Most small businesses never even got close to page one. They were buried somewhere on page four (if they were lucky) where nobody ever goes.

Until now.

Because sitting above position one - above the entire list - there is a new space. A single answer, already summarised, already selected, already served up before anyone has to click. On Google it appears as a featured answer with sources credited underneath. On ChatGPT it might be the only result you see.

That space is Position Zero. And it is the most powerful place a small business can be right now.

In this episode Susi explains why the name felt inevitable, why she has been talking about this for eighteen months while most people were still not listening, and why small businesses are actually better placed than most big brands to reach Position Zero - because this game is won with clarity, not cash.

Kev asks exactly what you are thinking. Including whether position one is basically the first loser. It is.

What you will take away from this episode:

What Position Zero actually is and why it matters more than position one. Why the old search game was stacked against small businesses. Why AI search has changed everything. And one simple thing to do this week to start noticing Position Zero in the wild.

Next episode: What Is Answer Engine Optimisation - and why is a recently launched website already picking up brand new traffic from ChatGPT?

Want to know if your website is ready for AI search? Visit us at kingstown-web-studio.co.uk — and if you have a question or just want to say hello, drop us a message on WhatsApp at wa.me/447936984711. We would love to hear from you.

Come with us. We are figuring this out as we go.

This podcast has been brought to you by Susi at Kingstown Web Studio - a small business web designer and AI search specialist helping small businesses get found, get chosen, and reach Position Zero. 

Visit us at our home: Kingstown-web-studio.co.uk

Want to get in touch? WhatsApp @: wa.me/447936984711

Let's get social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-e-hogan/

Transcript

Does My Hair Look Okay?

Does my hair look okay?

Susi 0:06

Hello and welcome to Reaching for Position Zero. I am Susi, your host, and this is the podcast where we tackle AI search one question at a time, with the occasional help of my sidekick Kev and a guest or two along the way. Why don't you come with us? We are figuring this out as we go. Does my hair look okay?

Why we are here

Kev 0:31

You do know this is a podcast, right? I do, force of habit. 

Susi 0:37

Right, welcome everyone, properly this time. Today we are not diving into a topic just yet. We are doing something more important. We are explaining why we are here at all.

Let's talk about search

Kev 0:51

Which feels like a fair place to start. So, why are we here? 

Susi 0:57

Because something significant is happening to the way people find businesses online, and most small business owners have absolutely no idea it is happening. So let me start right at the beginning. Search. As in Google, as in Google, as in Siri, as in Alexa, as in every single time any of us wants to know something, and we all do it every single day, we either type it in, speak it out loud, or ask a device. And what comes back is a big list of websites that the search engine thinks can help us. Especially when we are asking questions.

Kev 1:40

Right, like how much does a plumber cost? Or best coffee shops near me, or even something like who are the best web designers in the UK?

Why big brands won and small businesses lost

Susi 1:51

Exactly those. Local questions, national questions, everything in between. And here is the thing about that list. For years it has been a bit of a playground for the bigger brands, the ones with the largest advertising budgets, the ones who could afford to spend serious money on getting to the top. Most small businesses, they never even get close to page one. They are buried somewhere on page four where nobody ever goes.

Kev 2:18

Which is a bit unfair, really.

Susi 2:21

It is very unfair, and most small business owners just accepted it. That is just how search works, they thought.

What has changed

Kev 2:29

So what changed? 

Susi 2:31

What changed is that sitting above position one, above the entire list, there is now often a single answer. Already pulled together, already summarised, presented right at the very top of the page before you have even scrolled anywhere. On Google it might be a paragraph with a few sources referenced underneath it. On Chat GPT, it might be the only answer you see. No list at all.

Kev 3:01

Oh, like when you ask something and it just tells you. Straight out.

Susi 3:08

Exactly that, and that space above position one, above the whole list, is what we call position zero. The websites that get featured there are still shown, still credited, but the answer is already given, already served up, before anyone has to click.

Kev 3:27

So position one is kind of the first loser. I think that's what they call it.

Susi 3:34

Kev, I have been trying to find a polite way to say that for months. Websites will still show up on page one, and that still matters enormously. But that position zero slot, that comprehensive answer right at the top, featuring the sources it drew from, that is the most powerful place a small business can be right now.

Why Position Zero for the podcast name?

Kev 3:56

Right, so why did you call the podcast that? 

Susi 4:00

Because that is exactly what this show is about. It is about AI search specifically, which is the fastest moving, most dynamic subject in digital right now. And every episode, every conversation, every bit of advice we share is aimed at one thing: helping small businesses reach that spot. Position zero felt like the only name that made sense.

No-one was listening

Kev 4:25

And you have been talking about this for a while? I've never heard of this. 

The 'why bother' question

Susi 4:30

At least 18 months, and I will be honest, 18 months ago you could hear a pin drop. Nobody was particularly interested. It felt too abstract, too far away. Fast forward to now, and it is everywhere. But not always explained in a way that small businesses can actually use. So that is my mission, to translate it, to make it real, and to help small websites get there. 

Kev 4:59

Okay, but why does it actually matter? Like, why should someone running a small business genuinely care about this?

Susi 5:07

Right, the why bother question, and it is the most important one. For most small businesses, the website is how they get new customers. It is often the only way. So if more people see that website, if it shows up at the very top of a Google search or is the single answer presented in Chat GPT, the chance of getting a new inquiry, a new booking, a new customer goes up dramatically. Can you imagine being the answer? Not one of ten links on a page, the answer.

Kev 5:41

That does sound quite powerful actually.

Kev checks his understanding

Susi 5:43

It is extraordinarily powerful. And the thing that genuinely excites me is that small businesses, focused, clear, specific small businesses are better placed than most big brands to get there. Because this is not about budget, it is about clarity, and that is an even playing field. 

Kev 6:05

So let me check I have got this. Search has always been about getting found in a list, but now there is a spot above the list, position zero, where one clear answer gets featured. On Google it shows the answer and credits the sources. On ChatGPT it might be the only thing you see. And small businesses can actually compete for that spot because it rewards clarity, not cash.

Susi 6:35

Kev, that is the whole podcast in four sentences. Give or take a bit of detail.

Quick one before we go

Kev 6:42

Okay, got it. So does that mean we can go home now? 

If you do one thing

Susi 6:47

Absolutely not. We have only just started. So quick one before we go. Search has not got more complicated, it has got more selective. And selective means there is a very clear way to win it. That is what this whole series is about. And we are just getting started. If you do one thing this week, next time you search for something, anything, look at what appears before the list. Look at what Google has already summarised at the top. Look at what Chat GPT gives you as its answer. Start noticing position zero in the wild. Because once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Kev 7:31

I am never going to look at Google the same way again.

Susi 7:35

Good, that is exactly the point. Next time we are getting into answer engine optimization, known fondly as AEO. What it actually is, why it matters, and why a recently launched website started picking up brand new traffic from Chat GPT within its first month. Careful, be confused.

Outro

Kev 7:56

Already am, but that's nothing new. 

Speaker 8:00

Perfect, see you then. Now where are those biscuits? Thanks for joining us on Reaching for Position Zero. Subscribe so you never miss an adventure and find us at Kingstown-Web-Studio.co.uk. This has been a Kingstown Web Studio production. Come with us. We are figuring this out as we go.