Zero-click searches now account for roughly 60 per cent of Google queries, driven by featured snippets, AI overviews and rich SERP features that satisfy user intent without a visit to your site. For SEO professionals and analytics-focused marketers in New Zealand and the UK, success in 2026 means optimising not just for clicks, but for visibility, brand perception and authority inside these zero-click environments, using a blend of traditional SEO and AI optimisation.
What zero-click searches actually mean for your traffic
Zero-click searches occur when users find what they need directly on the search results page and do not click through to any organic or paid listing. Recent analyses drawing on SparkToro and similar datasets suggest that in 2024, around 58.5 per cent of US Google searches and almost 60 per cent in the EU ended without a click, with global estimates now hovering between 60 and 65 per cent and mobile zero click rates above 75 per cent. A 2025 study from SEOptimizers reports that about 60 per cent of global Google searches are now zero-click, largely due to AI-centric features such as AI Overviews, instant answers and rich snippets.
For site owners, that does not automatically equal failure. Many zero-click queries are informational lookups, weather checks, brand navigations or quick conversions where the user would never have been a high-value visitor in the first place. The risk lies in treating organic sessions as the only signal that your content is working. In 2026, your content might be powering AI overviews, featured snippets and knowledge panels that never send a click, but still shape user understanding, preference and future behaviour. This is why at Digital Hothouse, we increasingly frame SEO as influence optimisation and pair our SEO services with AI Optimisation to capture both click and non-click value.
The 60 per cent breakdown: answers, snippets and knowledge panels
Zero-click behaviour is not driven by one feature, but by an ecosystem of SERP elements that collectively reduce the need to visit websites. Analyses of SERP layouts highlight several major contributors:
- Instant answers and AI summaries – Google’s AI Overviews and answer boxes provide direct responses for factual and how-to queries, often combining content from multiple sources in a single view.
- Featured snippets – paragraph, list and table snippets are shown in “position zero” to answer questions as efficiently as possible, and are heavily used by voice assistants as answer sources.
- Knowledge panels and entity cards – these draw on Google’s Knowledge Graph to give consolidated information about brands, people and places, often without any visible source link for the main facts.
SparkToro linked research indicates that these features, combined with local packs, shopping units and image carousels, have pushed the share of searches resulting in no click beyond 60 per cent worldwide. For SEO and analytics teams, it is useful to think of each feature as its own “micro channel” within Google Search, each with specific optimisation levers and measurement challenges.
Strategic optimisation for key SERP features
To compete in a zero-click world, you need a feature-centric optimisation plan rather than a pure “rank and hope” mindset. Featured snippets, AI overviews and knowledge panels each reward slightly different signals, so your content architecture and markup need to reflect that.
For featured snippets, research and practitioner guidance consistently point to three success factors: clear intent focused keyword research, concise direct answers and clean structure. You should:
- Use question-based headings (H2 or H3) that mirror user queries and follow them with short, 40–60-word answers in plain language.
- Format steps and comparisons using ordered lists, bulleted lists or tables, matching the snippet layout most commonly triggered for that query type.
- Ensure pages already rank on page one, since snippet candidates are usually drawn from top existing results.
For AI overviews, you need to focus on depth, evidence and entity clarity. Observational studies show that AI summaries tend to favour pages that:
- Fully cover a topic, including sub-questions that appear in People Also Ask, related searches and competitor content.
- Use up-to-date statistics and credible citations, demonstrating strong authority signals.
- Employ structured data and clear entity references so content can be easily mapped into Google’s Knowledge Graph.
Knowledge panels optimisation leans heavily on brand management and consistent entity information. This includes maintaining accurate profiles across key directories and knowledge bases, using organisation schema and ensuring your brand’s name, logo, social profiles and key facts are consistent everywhere. Digital Hothouse’s SEO and AI Optimisation services often combine technical clean-up with entity-building work to improve both snippet eligibility and knowledge panel stability for NZ and UK brands.
Hypothetical case study: winning featured snippets in a competitive vertical
Imagine a New Zealand ecommerce brand in a competitive outdoor gear niche. Historically, they rank between positions 3 and 6 for queries like “best hiking boots for wet conditions” and “how to choose hiking boots NZ” and earn a steady but unspectacular stream of traffic. A zero-click aware strategy might look like this:
1. Intent mapping and content restructuring
The team identifies key informational queries where featured snippets already appear and where the brand is on page one. They restructure core buying guides to include clear H2 questions such as “How do I choose hiking boots for wet conditions” followed by direct, self-contained answers of 50 words or less.
2. Formatting for snippet types and voice
For “how to choose” queries, they add numbered checklists and comparison tables that match list-style snippet behaviour and voice assistant preferences. They also write a succinct one-sentence definition near the top of the page to target paragraph snippets.
3. Authority and freshness
The brand updates guides with recent trail data, material innovations and climate considerations for NZ and UK conditions, linking to reputable weather and safety sources and adding original imagery and in-house tips.
4. Measurement and outcomes
Over several months, rank tracking combined with SERP feature monitoring shows the brand capturing the featured snippet for multiple queries, even when their base ranking position remains at 3 or 4. Click-through rate improves because their snippet is more complete and compelling than competitors’, and branded search and assisted conversions from these guides increase, even for users who first get answers on the SERP.
In raw sessions, the brand may see only modest growth. In influence terms, they now own the answer box, power voice responses and are more likely to be cited in AI overviews for core queries in their category.
Structuring content for voice search answers
Voice search and zero-click behaviour are closely linked because voice assistants typically read a single answer rather than listing options. Guidance from Shopify and other sources confirms that voice devices rely heavily on featured snippets and FAQ style content for answers. To increase your chances of being that answer, you should:
- Use natural language, conversational phrasing in headings and body copy that mirrors how people speak their queries.
- Place concise, direct answers high on the page, ideally within the first 100 words, so search engines can easily extract them.
- Incorporate FAQ sections with schema markup for high-intent questions, especially for local, service and ecommerce pages where voice search usage is growing.
For NZ and UK businesses, local nuance is important. Include region-specific terms, measurements and examples so that when someone asks “Where can I buy hiking boots in Auckland” or “What is the best SEO agency in Manchester”, your content has both the local relevance and structural clarity needed for voice and AI surfaces.
The ROI of zero-click optimisation
It is tempting to reject zero-click strategies because they do not show up clearly in last-click analytics. However, consulting firms and search specialists increasingly argue that the value of zero-click visibility lies in brand awareness, authority building and downstream conversions that may show up via direct, brand or even offline channels. When your answer powers an AI overview, satisfies a featured snippet or informs a knowledge panel, three things typically happen:
- Users attach your brand name to the concept or solution, increasing brand recall.
- Your perceived expertise in that topic increases, which can influence later supplier selection.
- Future searches are more likely to be branded, which generally convert at higher rates than generic queries.
Research into changing user behaviour underlines that no single channel introduces brands to more than one third of internet users and that people are using multiple sources before acting. In that context, zero-click optimisation is about occupying as many of those touchpoints as possible with consistent, trustworthy messaging. Digital Hothouse clients in NZ and the UK increasingly view zero-click presence as a top-of-funnel investment, much like PR or sponsored content, supported by robust SEO and AI optimisation to ensure their content is the one being quoted.
Conclusion
Zero-click search is not a glitch in the system. It is the new normal for how people discover, evaluate and interact with brands across Google, AI overviews and emerging answer engines. The opportunity for SEO professionals and analytics-focused marketers in New Zealand, the UK and beyond is to move beyond a purely click-based mindset and treat these surfaces as high-value stages for visibility, trust and influence.
If you want help auditing your zero-click exposure, shaping content that wins featured snippets and AI overviews, and building a measurement framework that captures both traffic and influence, get in touch with Digital Hothouse. Our SEO and AI Optimisation specialists can work with your in-house team to design a strategy that keeps your brand visible and credible in an increasingly answer-first search landscape.
FAQ: zero-click search and your strategy
Does zero-click search mean SEO is dead?
No. It means SEO has expanded. Organic rankings still matter for visibility, and many queries still drive clicks, but success now includes appearing in featured snippets, AI overviews and other SERP features that influence users even when they do not visit your site.
How can I measure zero-click performance if I do not see it in Google Analytics?
Use SERP feature tracking, AI visibility tools and manual spot checks to monitor how often your brand appears in featured snippets, AI summaries and knowledge panels for key queries. Combine this with trends in branded search volume, impressions and assisted conversions to estimate impact over time.
Is it worth optimising for featured snippets if they reduce clicks?
Yes, in most cases. Being the answer at the top of the SERP increases visibility and trust, and many tests show that well-crafted snippets can still drive strong click-through rates, especially when they hint at deeper value on the page.
What should small businesses in NZ and the UK focus on first?
Prioritise clear, intent-led content that answers real customer questions, uses local signals and is structured for snippets and voice search. Then layer on technical SEO, local SEO and AI optimisation work so your content is easy for both search engines and AI systems to interpret.
How do Digital Hothouse’s SEO and AI Optimisation services help with zero-click search?
SEO services ensure your site has the technical health, content depth and authority needed to compete in traditional SERPs, while AI Optimisation services focus on structuring, enriching and monitoring your content so it is selected, cited and accurately framed in AI overviews, answer engines and other zero-click environments.