Zero Click Searches & How They Impact SEO

A lot of searches don’t end with a user clicking a website. Instead, users conduct a Google search, find the information they want directly on the search engine results page (SERP), and then leave. These are zero click searches.

If you’re worried about the impact of zero click searches on your SEO efforts, I’m here to help. 

In this article, you’ll learn about the types of zero click searches, why they are growing, and how to optimize your SEO strategy accordingly. 

Key Takeaways

• A zero click search is one where Google gives you the information you need without having to click through to a website from the SERPs.
• These searches are growing thanks to the range of Google search features that answer millions of queries instantly. 
• There are several types of zero click searches within Google itself:
  • AI Overviews
  • Featured snippets
  • Direct answer boxes
  • Knowledge panels
  • Local packs
  • People also ask 
• Optimize for zero click searches by improving the structure of your content, increasing your E-E-A-T, implementing schema, and optimizing for local SEO. 

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• What are Zero Click Searches?
• Why Zero Click Searches Are Growing
• Types of Zero Click Searches
  • AI Overviews
  • Featured Snippets
  • Direct Answer Box
  • Knowledge Panel
  • Local Pack
  • People Also Ask
• How To Optimize In The Age Of Zero Click Searches
  • Be Smart With Your Keyword Strategy
  • Structure Content To Be Used In Zero Click Results
  • Increase E-E-A-T To Boost Citations
  • Implement Schema Markup
  • Optimize for Local SEO
  • Monitor Your Search Strategy
• Search Everywhere Optimization
• FAQs
• Conclusion

What are Zero Click Searches?

Zero click searches are when users receive an answer to their query without clicking a link onthe search engine results page (SERP). 

These searches happen when Google or another search engine answers a question directly.

You’ve probably made hundreds of these searches yourself, whether searching for the weather:

Or the cast of a film:

Google provides these direct answers by pulling data from third-party sources. For example, weather-related queries are pulled from weather.com.

Zero click searches are a great experience for the user. But they aren’t ideal for websites. While some zero click results can place your brand prominently at the top of SERPs, you don’t get traffic as a reward. 

That means less advertising revenue, fewer purchasing opportunities, and the inability to build relationships with potential customers.   

Worse still, zero click searches are a growing search engine trend, emulating user preferences to use items like social media and AI tools to fill the role of search engines.

When we looked at the data in 2021, 62.41 percent of searches got zero clicks. It was 54.11 percent of searches in 2017. 

So, what’s happening?

Why Zero Click Searches Are Growing

There are a massive amount of zero click searches out there, shown by SparkToro’s Rand Fiskin when he used Datos’s clickstream funnel to analyze search behavior in the U.S. and Europe. 

The SparkToro study found that 58.5 percent of American and 59.7 percent of European searches were zero click. 

Clicks are down due to search features like AI Overviews and featured snippets that immediately give searchers the information they need. 

But it’s also down to Google sending traffic to Google-owned products like YouTube and Google Flights. 

Websites aren’t just losing clicks to Google search features, though. Consumers are increasingly looking for content on other platforms like: 

• Social media: People trust platforms like TikTok and X for news and information.
• AI tools: Both Perplexity and ChatGPT are launching search engines.
• YouTube: It is the second-largest search engine in the world.
• Amazon: If you’re looking for a product, odds are you’ll search Amazon first.

The rise of zero click search features and third-party platforms is great for consumers who find it easier than ever to discover content. But it means brands must work even harder to win organic traffic. 

We’ll discuss strategies to counter zero click searches in a minute, but first, let’s look at the Google search features that cost you clicks. 

Types of Zero Click Searches

Several SERP features cause zero click results. 

AI Overviews

An AI Overview is a generative AI summary that appears at the top of search results for information-based queries. 

It looks like this:

Google’s Gemini is a large language model that creates these answers by summarizing the information from several resources, which it lists next to the result. 

It also includes citations in the results, which users can access by clicking on the link icon at the end of each paragraph. 

Featured Snippets

A featured snippet is a block of text at the top of the results page that succinctly answers the searcher’s query. 

It looks like this:

The information comes verbatim from the source, which Google lists, and a clickable link beneath the result. 

Featured snippets can include images, ordered and unordered lists, tables, and videos. 

Direct Answer Box

A direct answer box is a simplified version of a featured snippet. It contains short answers to straightforward questions like the following:

These cause a lot of zero click results since searchers rarely need to look for more information. 

Knowledge Panel

The knowledge panel is the information box on the SERP’s right-hand side when you search for a person, brand, or place. 

Here’s what NBA player Steph Curry’s knowledge panel looks like:

While there are links to Curry’s social media profiles and Wikipedia entry, this SERP feature can result in a zero click search if you’re looking for basic information about him, like his birthday or height. 

Local Pack

The local pack or map pack is a local SEO feature that shows a list of nearby businesses and an interactive map. 

Here’s what it looks like:

You can see more detailed information like an address, phone number, website, and reviews by clicking on specific businesses. 

People Also Ask

The people also ask feature is a list of questions Google thinks are related to your query. 

You can see answers to questions by clicking on them. This will also generate more questions related to the one you clicked.  

How To Optimize In The Age Of Zero Click Searches

You can’t stop Google from serving up zero click results. But you can adapt your SEO strategy to make the most out of the clicks available.

Here are six strategies to optimize your site in the age of zero click searches:

Be Smart With Your Keyword Strategy

You’ll want to be smart when choosing which zero click searches to target. Some, like featured snippets and map packs, are great at raising brand awareness. 

Others, like AI Overviews and direct answer boxes, aren’t. 

You can use Ubersuggest to quickly find the best keywords to target.

When you search for keywords, use the Search Feature(s) toggle to show which features Google displays on the keyword. 

In this example, Google shows a featured snippet and a people also ask section. This means it could be a great opportunity to get our brand at the very top of the results, assuming we can beat the incumbent. 

Structure Content To Be Used In Zero Click Results

Structuring your content correctly is one of the best ways to increase the likelihood of Google using your content in zero click searches. 

I recommend:

• Using the active voice
• Lowering your content’s reading comprehension
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Adding headings and subheadings
• Breaking up content with bullet points and lists

Answer as many questions as possible to increase the chances of being referenced in featured snippets and people also ask sections.

I use the Questions section on Ubersuggest’s Keyword Ideas feature to find a list of relevant questions for every topic I write about. 

Alternatively, you can use AnswerThePublic to find related questions. Just enter your keyword and hit search. 

You’ll see a graphic showing every related question broken down by interrogative words.

Increase E-E-A-T To Boost Citations

Optimizing your content for expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) can increase the likelihood of Google using your site as a resource in zero click results. 

I’ve got a guide dedicated to E-E-A-T, but some tips to improve your site’s quality and authenticity are:

• Creating a detailed about page
• Collaborating with industry experts
• Refreshing your content 
• Building more high-quality backlinks 

Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup is a form of structured data you can add to your website to help search engines and LLMs (large language models) understand your content. 

Google will be more likely to rank your website in zero click results, like featured snippets and product listings, if it can use structured data to quickly find key information. 

Here is an example of Google using structured data to highlight a specific product and show the review rating within search results: 

There are lots of types of schema markup, but I recommend adding the following:

• Product
• Review
• Organization
• Local business

Optimize for Local SEO

Improving your local SEO can help you appear in map packs, knowledge panels, and featured snippets for local searches. 

I have a definitive guide on local SEO, but let me cover the basics here:

• Optimize your Google Business Profile
• Get as many high-quality reviews as possible
• Increase NAP (name, address, phone number) citations
• Build local links

Monitor Your Search Strategy

Use Ubersuggest’s Rank Tracking feature to monitor the impact of your zero click strategy. 

Add a project, if you haven’t already, and import a list of keywords you want to track using a .csv file. Once your project is set up, Ubersuggest will automatically track all your keywords:

Red and green arrows show whether your rankings are increasing or decreasing. If rankings are going up, great! If they aren’t, revisit some of the tips above to optimize your content further.

Search Everywhere Optimization

Search Everywhere Optimization is a strategy we have developed at NP Digital to optimize content across multiple platforms, not just Google. 

Google may be the de facto leader in search, but more and more people are finding answers on other search engines, social media channels, and AI chatbots like ChatGPT. 

It’s not your job to predict which ones they’ll use. It’s your job to be on as many of them as possible — that’s what we achieve through Search Everywhere Optimization. 

“It ensures brands remain visible and accessible wherever users are searching,” says Nikki Brandemarte, Sr. SEO Strategist, NP Digital.

That means optimizing for:

• Traditional search
• Social media 
• AI
• Shopping
• Underdog channels

“This strategy also helps combat the rise of zero click searches by diversifying traffic channels outside of traditional organic search,” says Brandemarte. “Ultimately it helps to build brand authority, awareness, and engagement, leading to increased direct and referral traffic.”

FAQs

What are zero click searches?

Zero click searches are when Google gives users an answer to their query directly in the search results so users do not need to click to visit a website.

Is it fair for Google to display zero click results?

Google’s goal is to provide users with the best experience possible. Displaying succinct answers at the top of SERPs is what’s best for the user. Google almost always links to the sites where it pulls summarized data from so users can still click to the site for more information.

How can you optimize for zero click searches?

There are several strategies you can use to optimize for zero click searches, including:

Optimizing for local SEO

Carefully targeting keywords

Structuring content to provide clear, concise answers 

Answering common questions

Adding schema markup

Conclusion

Zero click searches aren’t going anywhere. Google is doing a better and better job of answering user queries without the user needing to click to another site, which can mean losing traffic in the short term. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Tweaking your SEO strategy gives your site a better chance of getting cited in some of these zero click results, reclaiming some of that lost traffic. In addition, optimizing for search everywhere helps you get more traffic by showing up in results for search platforms not directly tied to Google.

So increase your E-E-A-T to show up in AI results, optimize your content for question-related keywords, and use structured data to improve your product listings on e-commerce platforms. If you need help, book a call with my agency today.