Zero-Click Searches

Zero-click searches happen when Google fulfills the user’s search intent within the Google search engine result page (SERP) using featured snippets or the generative AI feature.

When Do Zero-Click Searches Happen?

In most cases, zero-click searches happen when users look for head terms.

Head terms, also known as head keywords, are broad keywords of a particular niche. They are quite opposite to long-tail keywords and fall into the top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) category.

Examples of head terms of a haircare brand are hair care, hair serum, hair shampoo, hair conditioner, and more generic terms.

Will Zero-Click Searches Affect Your Organic Traffic?

Zero-click searches will definitely make a remarkable impact on your website’s organic traffic. However, it totally depends on the niche and keyword intent you have covered on your website.

Like the aforementioned statement, zero-click searches happen when a user is only looking for head terms. If you have only covered head terms of your niche and short-tail ToFu keywords, you will see a drastic decline in your monthly traffic.

Almost 70% of the Google searches prefer the top three entries of SERPs. According to a SEMrush study published on Oct 25, 2022, 25.6% of desktop searches are zero clicks, meaning these search owners are satisfied with the featured snippets previews.

There is a possibility that these searches will look for quick answers and flock to the search generative experience (SGE) offered by generative AI technology in the user interface of Google SERPs.

So, the more you focus on your ideal customer profile (ICP) and create easily digestible and actionable content around their pain points, the less you get affected by zero-click searches.

Zero-Click Searches and SaaS Vendors

Zero-click searches usually happen when users want quicker and more digestible information.

Though users prefer to get quicker and digestible information, users who want to get deeper information need to consume a website knowledge base for sure.

Basically, SaaS customers spend some time researching and exploring products before making buying decisions.

SaaS vendors needn’t worry about zero-click searches as long as this behavior persists. Instead, they should create more MoFu and BoFu content.

So Google will always refine the search experience as it always did. The key is to create more specific ToFu content along with an increased amount of MoFu and BoFu.