Why Google Has Zero Tolerance for Zero-Click Search Data

Zero-click searches are back in the news yet again. A new SparkToro study says that 65% of all Google searches don’t result in a click-through to a website. In other words, when people search for something on Google, 65% of the time they find an answer in a Google search result without clicking through to the source of the information. The study updates a similar finding (also reported by SparkToro) in 2019 that about 50% of people find what they need on Google without clicking through to a website. This research has triggered a rebuke from Google.

What SparkToro Reported

According to SparkToro’s Rand Fishkin, “From January to December, 2020, 64.82% of searches on Google (desktop and mobile combined) ended in the search results without clicking to another web property. That number is likely undercounting some mobile and nearly all voice searches, and thus it’s probable that more than 2/3rds of all Google searches are what I’ve been calling ‘zero-click searches.’” A chart visual of these findings can be seen here.

So, when people are searching for, say, “Where can I buy Adidas Yeezy sneakers?” or “How many Oscar nominations did Judas and the Black Messiah get?” they’re finding answers from the search engine results pages, such as a featured snippet or a Google Maps result. Fishkin characterizes these zero-click searches as “click cannibalization by Google.”

What’s the Implication of Zero-Click Searches?

Google is unhappy with the findings. In an unusual move, the search giant has published a commentary by Danny Sullivan, public liaison for search, which takes to task SparkToro’s report. Sullivan questions the accuracy and relevancy of the data. He writes, “ . . . this claim relies on flawed methodology that misunderstands how people use Search.” He contends, among other things, that:

• Zero-click searches may actually lead people to websites – just indirectly. Per Google, “People don’t always know how to word their queries when they begin searching. They might start with a broad search, like ‘sneakers’ and, after reviewing results, realize that they actually wanted to find ‘black sneakers.’ In this case, these searches would be considered a ‘zero-click’ -- because the search didn’t result immediately in a click to a website. In the case of shopping for sneakers, it may take a few ‘zero-click’ searches to get there, but if someone ultimately ends up on a retailer site and makes a purchase, Google has delivered a qualified visitor to that site, less likely to bounce back dissatisfied.”

• SparkToro does not account for app searches. According to Google, “Some searches take people directly to apps, rather than to websites. For example, if you search for a TV show, you'll see links to various streaming providers like Netflix or Hulu. If you have that streaming app on your phone, these links will take you directly into the app. The same is true for many other apps, such as Instagram, Amazon, Spotify and more.”

Sullivan suggests looking at the big picture: Google send billions of visits to websites every day -- and the traffic Google sends to the open web increases every year since Google Search was first launched. 

Why would Google respond this way? It’s likely that Google is reacting to growing criticism that Google has become too powerful. And the SparkToro research certainly does not help Google’s profile at a time when Google is subject of multiple antitrust lawsuits from the Department of Justice and several states. Google does not want to be cast as a cannibal of search results.

What Businesses Should Do

The zero-click research underscores the need to complement websites with a strong content amplification strategy. Businesses, for example, need to make their Google My Business listings robust sources of content. But as our own Trevor Venegas and Nick Wineland asserted in a recent blog post, the rise of zero-click searches doesn’t mean businesses should neglect their websites. As they wrote, “Google’s job is to give people the best quality information as fast as possible. And it will use your website as one of those factors. Your Google Knowledge Panel – the collection of information about you that influences how your business appears on Google -- is not disconnected from your website. You need to actively take steps to make it better, including effective SEO. Google sees more authoritative sites as more trustworthy.” For more insight on the steps businesses should take, read Nick’s and Trevor’s post, “Why Zero-Click Searches Matter (Again).”

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