An approach correlating quantitative CO adsorption data with the nanostructural properties of Au/CeO(2)-ZrO(2) catalysts is discussed. It has been used to show that the CO adsorption occurs on Au sites with coordination number <= 7, that Au dispersion has a dramatic influence on the amount of CO strongly chemisorbed on the support, and that a fully reversible SMSI effect may be induced by successive mild reduction and reoxidation treatments.