How Zero-Click Searches are Changing SEO In 2025

Are you looking at your Google Search Console reports and seeing your clicks dropping while your impressions and even your rankings increase?

Welcome to the zero-click era, where Google answers the search before anyone even thinks about clicking.

This isn’t a passing phase, it’s the reality of modern day search and it’s forcing marketers to think differently about visibility, influence, and the role of SEO.

What Is zero-click search?

A zero-click search is when someone gets the answer to their query directly on the search results page, without needing to click through to a website.

That answer might come in the form of a data card, a knowledge panel, in one of Google’s AI Overviews, or within the newly launched AI Mode. These SERP features are designed to satisfy user intent instantly, often before a user even scrolls.

In other words, as far as Google is concerned, the search result is the destination. Let’s be clear though, while challenging, zero-click doesn’t mean zero opportunity. What it means is that the SERP is now doing more of the heavy lifting when it comes to meeting our informational needs, especially for quick factual or informational queries.

Around 60–63% of Google searches now end without a click, according to a July 2024 report from SparkToro and Similarweb. Not because your content isn’t good, but because the game has changed.

A few defining traits of zero-click searches:

• Instant answers: Displayed right in the search results
• No extra steps: User intent satisfied on the page
• Feature-rich results: Includes snippets, products listings, maps, knowledge panels and AI-generated summaries

Why zero-click searches are growing

This shift has been years in the making. First came knowledge graph panels, then featured snippets and then data cards. Now, with AI Overviews and AI Mode live in the US and UK, we’ve entered a new phase where Google’s search engine behaves more like a conversational assistant than a list of blue links.

When it comes to marketing, it’s not just Google either. Social platforms are doing the same thing, feeding users just enough content to keep them scrolling. No need to click through. No need to leave.

While clicks are down, total traffic from Google isn’t necessarily in freefall. According to SparkToro and Similarweb’s research (above), outbound traffic from Google hasn’t collapsed. Instead, it’s being spread more widely across SERP features, including featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI modules.

Traditional vs. zero-click search:

• Traditional Search Clicks = success SERPs as launchpads Content led the user journey

• Zero-Click Search Era Visibility = success SERPs as destinations SERP features interrupt, and often complete, the user journey

How zero-click searches affect SEO

Let’s call it what it is. The old model of “rank well and wait for the traffic” is no longer enough.

You might hold a solid position one or two in the rankings, but if your content is outranked by an AI Overview or a direct answer box, your traffic will likely take a hit.

What’s shifting:

• Informational traffic is falling: Many queries that once drove visits now deliver impressions instead
• Customer journeys are messier: Users might meet your brand early in the journey, but convert through other channels much later
• Competition is changing: You’re no longer just fighting for position against other websites. You’re competing with Google’s own features

Contrary to what you might have read on X or LinkedIn, SEO isn’t dead. However, the rules are changing. Visibility, relevance and cross-platform consistency matter more than ever. Whether SEO as a term is still fit for purpose is the topic of much debate and new descriptors such as AEO and GEO are emerging to describe the broader strategies we need to succeed in this new world.

Types of zero-click searches explained

AI Mode

As of July 2025, Google’s AI Mode is now live in the UK and US. It offers users a conversational interface that replaces the traditional search page, generating answers by synthesising content from multiple sources.

• Activated by complex, layered, or exploratory searches
• Answers may include summaries, links, images, and follow-up prompts
• Visibility can be huge, but it reduces clicks to individual sources

Brands need to be present in the data ecosystems that feed these summaries, which can include multiple sources such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Reddit, social media platforms and reputable media sites. It’s no longer about ranking alone. It’s about being referenced by the engine itself.

AI Overviews

AI Overviews use generative AI to create summaries for more complex queries and have largely replaced Featured Snippets in the search experience. These draw from multiple sources and are designed to provide comprehensive answers at a glance.

• Triggered by questions like “how to screen record on iPhone”
• Answers may come from your content, even without a link back
• Potential for huge visibility, but even fewer clicks

Direct answer boxes

When a query has a factual, objective answer, Google delivers it immediately with no source attribution. Think calculator results or measurements.

• Examples include “height of Eiffel Tower” or “5 x 12”
• Google pulls from its own data sources
• There’s often no external link at all

Knowledge graph panels

These appear for known entities like businesses, people, or places. They show up on the right side of the SERP with summarised information from trusted sources.

• Often sourced from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Google Business Profile
• Brands can influence these, but not control them
• Useful for credibility, not a big traffic driver

Video results

Video is now front and center on many SERPs—especially for how-to queries, reviews, and walkthroughs. These results often appear as carousels, previews, or embedded clips with timestamps, pulled primarily from YouTube.

Technically, users do click on these. But where they land is still within Google’s ecosystem.

• YouTube is the default destination for most video clicks
• Google prioritises video content in discovery features, especially on mobile
• Video packs often dominate the top of the SERP, pushing traditional links further down

So while clicks still happen, they’re more likely to stay inside Google-owned platforms. If you're publishing video content, it's worth thinking about your presence on YouTube as part of your overall search strategy—not just as a separate channel.

Organic product listings

It’s not just information that users can now access without clicking. Products are part of the zero-click mix too.

Google increasingly shows organic product listings directly in the SERP, complete with prices, reviews, images, stock status, and even delivery options. These listings let users compare multiple retailers without ever visiting a website.

• Ideal for high-intent, low-consideration purchases like phone cases, headphones or kitchen gadgets
• Pulled from structured data, Merchant Center feeds and page markup
• Visibility can be high, but actual clicks may drop as users get what they need in-SERP

If your product appears in these listings, that’s great for brand awareness. But if you're relying solely on click-throughs to convert, you’ll need to rethink the way you present price, trust signals, and value upfront.

From search engines to answer engines - steps to optimise for zero-click Search

It’s not about chasing rankings alone anymore. Instead, you need to optimise for presence, clarity, and machine readability. As AI platforms begin to eat into Google’s search share we also need to think about gaining visibility in these spaces (Answer Engine Optimisation). Google’s recent launch of AI Mode in the US and now India (with other markets to come) only makes this even more important.

So how do we optimise in a world dominated by these Answer Engines?

1. Target queries with zero result potential

Identify keywords and search intents that are likely to trigger snippets or direct answers. Use keyword tools to understand which terms already show SERP features.

• Focus on informational queries with clear intent
• Prioritise visibility even if clicks might not follow
• Balance zero-click optimisation with commercial keyword targets

2. Structure content with retrieval In mind

Think of your content like building blocks. Each paragraph should make sense on its own. Answer queries clearly and concisely. Use headers and lists for clarity.

• Q&A formats are great for snippets
• Use semantic triples - making sure subject, verb, and object are clearly expressed at a sentence or paragraph level
• Write for both humans and machines

3. Use schema where it matters

Schema markup helps Google understand your content and increases your chances of being featured in rich results.

• Add FAQ, HowTo and Organisation schema
• Test with Google’s Rich Results tool
• Schema is support, not a shortcut. It enhances, but doesn’t guarantee anything

Future trends for zero-click search

We’re moving beyond search as we know it. AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity are reshaping how people find answers, especially for exploratory or layered questions. As Google continues to roll out AI Mode in major markets, we’re seeing the shift from search to summarisation play out in real time.

Expect to see:

• More visual responses: Carousels, video highlights, and infographics built into the SERP
• More personalised results: Based on user history, device type and even past searches
• More competition from non-Google platforms: Especially AI-powered interfaces and voice assistants

The search engine is becoming more like a research assistant. That means you need to be present wherever that assistant gets its facts..

Empower your next steps with zero-click content

This isn’t about giving up on SEO. It’s about thinking like a marketer. You’re not just optimising for search. You’re building influence in the places that search engines and AI tools pull from.

Create content that:

• Appears in snippets, panels and summaries
• Lives across platforms like YouTube, Reddit and Google Business Profile
• Shows your brand as a trusted source of truth

Final thoughts

Zero-click search isn’t the end of SEO. It’s a sign that the search landscape is evolving, and so must we.

If your strategy still treats search as a simple ranking contest, you’ll struggle to keep up. But if you shift your focus to visibility, clarity, and influence across the broader web, you’ll start to see where the real opportunities lie.

This isn’t just about traffic anymore. It’s about trust. It’s about becoming the source that Google and AI platforms want to reference, even when users never leave the SERP.

Want to go deeper? Take a look at our new course: From SEO to AEO: Optimising for AI Search. Learn how to adapt your strategy for an AI-first world, build content that gets surfaced across search features, and future proof your brand’s visibility.