The Rise of Zero-Click Searches and What You Can Do

Understanding Zero-Click Searches

Zero-click searches occur when a user gets the answers directly from Google's search page without having to visit a website to find more information. These answer come in various forms, including:

• Featured snippets – direct answers taken from web pages
• Knowledge panels – information from authoritative sources
• People Also Ask – related questions and answers
• Google Business Profile – details for local businesses including contact information
• AI-Overviews – AI generated responses taken from information across the internet to provide an accurate and relevant answer 

Some industries may be experiencing more zero-click searches than others. AI-driven search, known as Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a growing trend.

What Can You Do About Zero-Click Searches?

You can continue to maintain online visibility and success despite zero-click searches by implementing the following strategies:

Optimise for Knowledge Panels and Featured Snippets

Google loves structured and clear content that directly answers your audiences questions. Optimising for thee features ensures your information is easy to extract and display. Featured snippets are often lists, steps, tables, definitions, comparisons, or paragraphs, based on the query.

Content Structuring and Technical SEO

When you combine content structuring with technical SEO you increase your chance of being features and maintaining your online visibility. This can be done by creating question based content, implementing structured data / schema markup, and including FAQ pages or sections to maximise visibility.

Invest in Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

With Google reducing the amount of organic results on their search results pages, businesses may find that investing in PPC is the best way to stay visible and capture any lost opportunities due to zero-click searches. 

Diversify Traffic

As Google sends less website traffic your way, it's time to stop relying on one source for traffic and building a strategy that is resilient. Expand your reach through other channels to reduce how much you depend on organic results.

We recommend implementing social media strategies, focusing on email marketing, and expanding your content distribution on platforms such as Reddit.

KPIs to Focus on with Zero-Click Search 

How you measure your SEO success has also changed in the wake of zero-click searches. Measuring click through rates isn't going to tell you what you need to know, which is why you need to be focusing on website traffic, visibility, engagement, and impact:

• Brand visibility can be monitored on Google Search Console
• Ahrefs and SEMrush can track if you appear in featured snippets, AI-overviews, etc
• Website traffic can be measured on Google Analytics
• Return on investment can be measured on Google Analytics

Conclusion 

The reality is that zero-click searches are here to stay. They have become the normal part of online searches and in order to stay ahead of the game, you need to diversify your SEO approach, especially if you rely on organic clicks. Rather than chasing rankings, focus on multi-channel marketing and brand building. If you need help maintaining visibility with the rise of zero-click searches, get in touch with Genie Crawl. Contact us today for a free evaluation and quote.