#zero-click-search

#zero-click-search

In March 2025, 900 U.S. adults shared their browsing behavior with the Pew Research Center. Roughly 58% of those adults encountered an AI Overview when searching on Google. Only 8% then clicked a traditional listing. Conversely, 42% of Google searchers received no AI Overview; 15% then clicked on a listing. The immediate impact - 8% vs. 15% - is material and measurable. According to eMarketer, zero-click searches have reduced traffic to many websites by 25% or more.

Curation flips this script. A publisher's greatest asset will always be their content, of course, but the advantage that sets them apart - the ace up their sleeve, so to speak - is their audience data. By putting that data to work in curated marketplaces, publishers can stretch the value of their content well beyond their own properties - bundling data and inventory into highly targeted, privacy-compliant packages that advertisers can buy directly.

Search is changing fast - and so is how people discover content online. AI-driven tools like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional website traffic, pushing businesses to rethink how they design and optimize their digital presence. I saw this shift up close during a recent website redesign and brand refresh. In the past, redesigning a site meant focusing on user experience, brand storytelling, tailored content and SEO. This time, another factor came into play: large language model optimization (LLMO).

Nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a single click to any website, indicating a fundamental shift in how buyers discover and evaluate solutions.

Since the release of Google AI Overviews a year ago, zero-click searches have dramatically increased, indicating a significant shift in user search behavior.

Since the launch of Google AI Overviews in May 2024, zero-click search grew by 13 percentage points, reaching 69% in May 2025, while organic traffic to news sites declined significantly.