When Search Stops at the Google Results Page
If you’ve been involved in working on search engine optimizations (SEO) for your website or simply noticed a decrease in your organic search traffic, you may have heard the term “zero-click searches” referenced over the past couple of years. It may even be the first time you’re hearing it. Either way, zero-click searches are increasing at quite a rapid pace!
What Are Zero-Click Searches?
A zero-click search is what happens when a user searches a query in a search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) and does not actually click any of the web result links provided. Rather, they get the information they’re looking for in that moment from the content that’s already been provided in the search results page. Think about this the next time you use your favorite search engine; you’ve likely conducted a number of zero-click searches yourself!
Why is This Behavior Increasing?
Over time, search engines have evolved to provide more content right within their own search results pages, giving users more information that they would have otherwise had to navigate to an external website to learn more. More recently, the introduction and popular adoption of AI chatbots (like “ChatGPT”) and AI-generated overviews in search engines (like Google’s “AI Overviews”) gives even more information up-front in attempt to better answer the user’s query. This also results in users completing more searches as follow-up questions, many of which also result in no click to the website.
How Do You Prevent This Behavior?
This won’t be something you can completely “prevent” from happening. It’s simply the way conducting searches online is evolving. Zero-click search behavior isn’t inherently bad; it just means users are finding the information they need with less clicks, and navigating to websites for answers less often than they used to.
However, one way to adapt for the world of zero-click behavior is to work towards strengthening your visibility and positioning your website with unique “need-to-know” information to encourage clicks when they’re ready.
What Are Some Benefits?
Studies are showing that when users do click over to your website, they may be more qualified as they’ve already “done their research” and are ready to take the next steps as they’re further down the funnel. Less clicks could mean you’re weeding out the less-qualified traffic, and when users do visit they may be more likely to take the next desired step.
In addition, the AI-generated overviews and responses give your website another chance to show at the top of search results which can really improve your brand’s awareness!
How Do We Know If Our Traffic is Affected?
Take a look at your search impressions versus the actual clicks you’re getting to your website. There’s likely going to be a larger gap compared to what you saw the same time last year, with a higher number of impressions versus a lower number of clicks.
While there can certainly be much more at play that should be evaluated to ensure nothing else is responsible, this is a common sign. An increase in impressions with a decrease in clicks could indicate your site is showing up for more search queries, but users are choosing not to click as often because they’re getting the info they need upfront.
Measuring Performance
Losing clicks from organic traffic can seem detrimental, especially if you’ve been relying on increases in traffic to determine the success of your website. Focusing on traditional metrics like Clicks, Click-Through-Rate (CTR) and prioritizing the number of sessions to your website are no longer some of the strongest metrics to determine the efficacy of your organic search efforts.
Rather, pay attention to things like impressions, overall brand visibility, and the actual user engagement. Are users taking the desired actions on your website? Are they converting?
Frequently Asked Questions on How You Can Adapt
Here are some of the top steps we recommend taking to better position yourself for this new era of search based on questions we get:
Focus on writing quality and unique content. The better and more helpful your content, the better your visibility will be in search results. Don’t forget to use helpful images and videos to enhance your content.
Structure your content well so it’s easy to follow. Make sure you’re using helpful headings and lists to break up your text into more easily digestible pieces of content.
Write clearly for your target audience. While increasing overall visibility is great, you want to make sure you’re doing so in order to reach your ideal audience.
Yes, use your brand name when you can. Rather than referencing “this new shoe”, use the brand in the phrase such as “the new Brand Name shoe”. This can help improve the chances of your company/product name showing up in AI overviews for increased brand recognition.
Make sure you’re leveraging Local SEO best practices like improving your online listings. Provide accurate, up-to-date information about your business. Utilizing listings like Google Business Profile continues to be a critical step to maintaining local visibility.
Position yourself as a trustworthy, authoritative brand that has the answer to the user’s questions. Become a topic expert. This will help you gain backlinks from other websites.
Identify what questions your audience has, and provide the answers. Add them naturally throughout your content, consider FAQ sections, and always be clear with your answers.
Yes, add structured data to your website. This is another step to ensure your website content is easy for search engines and chatbots to understand what your content is about.
Expand your brand presence on social media and other online communities such as YouTube and Reddit to increase your overall online visibility.
The Bottom-Line
Acclimating to the world of zero-click searches doesn’t mean giving up on organic traffic; it means evolving your strategy to match the way people are searching today. Take the steps we’ve mentioned to help adapt to this ever-changing landscape, and you can better position your business for increased visibility and reaching your target audience.
Want to Talk About Your Search Visibility?
Our team is here to help you better position your business for increased visibility. Contact us today.
