When your website improves its search rankings, it receives more traffic, and it’s easy to see why businesses are continually striving to improve their search engine optimization strategies to help them get to the top of the search results. Did you know, however, that as many as 65% of all Google searches result in the user not clicking on anything? This can’t be good, right? Well, while they might not sound good, if you can understand how they work, they can help you make the most of this type of search. In doing so, businesses can improvetheir online presence and make their page the first one that a user will click on when they’re ready to visit a site.
What are zero-click searches?
Have you ever typed a question into Google and the answer appears at the top? No further clicks were needed, instead, answer was right there. That’s what’s known as a zero-click search. Sometimes referred to as featured snippets too, zero-click searches help users to save time while still enabling them to benefit from Google. By providing them with an optimized user experience, a zero-click search ensures that users remain and don’t get driven away from Google to a third-party site.
Trends in zero-click search volume
In recent years, around 65% of all Google searches were zero-click, with each one resulting in no further clicks to another web property. Having increased from previous years in which they made up around 50% of total Google searches, they are also more popular on mobile devices than on desktop ones.
What might have caused the recent rise in zero-click searches?
Overall, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a distinct increase in search volume online, and this can almost certainly be attributed to shifting behavioral patterns. With more people working from home at the time, desktop searches saw a noticeable rise, and now, with COVID cases going down and the pandemic at more manageable levels, mobile searches have increased again, leading to a rise in zero-click searches.
What do zero-click searches mean for your business?
If your business is in direct competition with Google, such as a review platform or an online travel agency, a significant fall in traffic volume to your site could be caused by zero-click searches. That said, for businesses who are not competing with Google, the trend of increasing search volume can lead to more opportunities when trying to make the most of zero-click searches.
With the rise in zero-click searches, businesses need to try and optimize their webpages for rich snippets and featured snippets, which can both help your business stand out from others in the search results andprovide users with the answer to their search query before they even click on your page. If you have answers to common questions on your website, make sure you optimize them so they’ll be indexed and show up as a zero-click search. Aside from the benefit of helping users instantly, snippets allow your property to take up more real estate on the SERP, which will inevitably lead to an increase of users who click through to your site.
If you’re confused about how Google searches work, or how best to optimize your website to drive more traffic and conversions – or even if you understand them but don’t have the time to optimize your site – digital marketing companies are here to help. Outsourcing is often a more affordable option than many people think, so why not give it some thought?
