When search results provide such a spot-on answer to your search query that you need not even click to go to one of the websites in the search results, that’s a “zero-click search.”
According to clickstream data company Jumpshot, June 2019 marked the first time a majority (50.33%) of all browser-based searches on Google.com resulted in zero clicks.
Ask “where is Timbuktu” and get a map. Ask “best restaurant in town” and get a list of potential destinations, along with the option to click to call or click for map directions. Ask “how to fix a leaky faucet” and get a range of walkthrough videos. Those are just a few examples of likely zero-click searches that result in ZERO visitors to your website.
Google has a lot to do with the growth of “zero click search.” They have become the Emperor of Search Engines by constantly tweaking their search algorithm to answer people’s questions better. What’s wrong with providing users a quicker path to answers? By presenting a quickly digestible Page One answer, Google provides a refreshing hypotenuse in a world of information overload, BUT it’s also potentially problematic because it makes “zero clicks” seem like the objective.
Even if people are searching online for your brand by name, they are now ≥50% less likely to visit your website. In fact, the first time your brand appears in search results may be as a Google property – Google Search, Google Images, YouTube, Google Maps – which is troublesome because 94% of all searches happen ON a Google property (Jumpshot). The end result is that your website could start developing a “tree in the woods” complex.
Is there a Google-weighted “zero click” objective? Given their monopoly on search, the optics aren’t great.
Now, we users are part of the challenge, too. We like instant answers, especially when we can get them on the little computer in our hand. More than half of all searches now take place on mobile devices, and almost two-thirds of those searches end without a click (SparkToro).
Alright, alright … enough doom and gloom. Let’s explore a few things you can do about it.