If you search on the internet “When does the World Cup in Qatar start” or “what day is Black Friday”, two of the world’s highest-volume online queries in November, you’ll probably find the answer right away. This is what is called a search with zero clicks, or no click.
Clickless searches occur when a user enters a query into a search engine but you don’t end up clicking on any of the links that take you out of Google. According to the latest study of semrushSaaS platform for online visibility management and content marketing, up to 57% of users on mobile and 53% on desktop do not click on an organic or paid result.
This situation can arouse the fears of marketers, if they consider that the increase in non-click searches can lead to a significant decrease in traffic to their websites. Although that could be a reason, companies should not be alarmed by the increase in this trend, but should build an SEO and marketing strategy that meets the needs of users and adapts to Google’s infrastructure.
semrush has analyzed the main points to consider:
Google is not the enemy
Google algorithm updates occur more frequently and cause more volatility in the SERPs, which offer useful information directly on the results page. But those updates have had less of an impact overall, according to Semrush’s “The State of Search” report.
Google is rapidly adapting to meet user needs, creating a better shopping experience for transactional searches and rewarding valuable content with higher rankings.
This translates into a better search experience overall, enabling the continued growth of Google’s business model. In the past, any user could access a seller’s website from Google to search for products by clicking the paid or organic link from that seller. Google now presents these search results directly in a very visual and user-friendly way.
Google is quickly connecting its users with the information they are looking for and making it easier for them to purchase within its platform. Fortunately, an improved search experience doesn’t necessarily equate to negative results for sellers.
E-commerce businesses especially need to make sure their technical SEO is in place for their products to show up in the SERP for shopping queries. In an e-commerce landscape where 83% of all traffic comes from users navigating directly to their websites, Google is disrupting that pattern by adding valuable shopping features to the SERP, like the ability to filter products by seller, brand, price or reviews. This allows Google to compete with Amazon as an online shopping platform.
Less traffic does not mean the end of your SEO strategy
While organic traffic to e-commerce sites fell 23% last year, Semrush’s clickless search study reveals a more positive trend: 45% of all clicks on “desktop.” or desktop) and 43% of all clicks on mobile were organic.
This is important as organic channels and content are still the main drivers of traffic. Semrush’s State of Search report notes that informational keywords make up 60% of unique search queries, showing that users seek in-depth resources on the topics that interest them.
To stand out in search results looking for information, businesses can invest in quality, in-depth content that signals expertise, authority, and trust (EAT) to Google, and target features SERP with frequently asked questions.
The rise of clickless search doesn’t have to scare marketers. The evolving nature of online search requires an agile response as marketers learn to navigate a world without clicks.
“The improved search experience in clickless searches is a good deal for Google, generating more revenue from the same number of queries by keeping users in its ecosystem of products and increasing ad exposure.” Explain Marcus Tober, Director of Enterprise Solutions at Semrush. “But these changes also benefit users, as they can discover more local stores, purchase items or book travel in fewer steps. So it’s vital for marketers to understand the zero-click trend, figure out how to build connections with customers, and increase online visibility in the process.”
