New Data: 57% of Google Searches Are Zero-Click – How AI Is Changing User Behavior

The Dominance of Traditional Search and the Role of AI [00:00]

• Three figures account for 57% of searches that result in no click: users staying on Google, users searching again, or users ending the session without a click.
• Companies cited in AI overviews previously had organic results within the top 10.
• The share of traditional search versus AI search is still 95% to 5%.
• Traditional SEO best practices remain applicable for AIO (AI-driven optimization) and GEO (Google-driven optimization) efforts.
• Approximately 52% of AI overviews cite companies whose organic results were in the top 10.

"So, you're saying if you're in the top 10 positions of Google, there's a good chance you're going to be in an AI overview."

Datos and its Clickstream Data Methodology [01:02]

• Belinda Kundai, SVP of Marketing at Datos, explains that Datos is a Semrush company providing clickstream data globally.
• Their reports offer valuable insights and debunk myths, particularly concerning AI's impact on Google.
• Clickstream data is an event-level accounting of browser activity from opted-in, anonymized panelists.
• Datos has tens of millions of panelists globally and collects billions of events daily.
• Clickstream data is passively collected and unbiased, revealing what people are actually doing online.

"It is purely based for anonymously analyzing trends at a large scale so that we can see behavior shifting one way or the other at a very large scale."

AI Tool Usage and Trends [04:50]

• AI tool growth has cooled down, with ChatGPT's overall traffic share within AI tools decreasing slightly from 20% to 14% between July 2024 and the report's analysis period.
• Deepseek experienced a rapid incline and subsequent decline, potentially due to data privacy and regulatory issues.
• Gemini is a close second to ChatGPT, likely due to its integration with Google products.
• AI tool usage tripled from Q1 2025 to Q3 2025, but growth is stabilizing around 1.3%.
• AI tools are seen as complementary rather than replacements for traditional search.

"By no means I'd say there's a drastic um chunk being taken out from traditional search in favor of AI search. It's very much a complimentary tool."

Zero-Click Searches and Regional Differences [13:04]

• Zero-click search is slightly higher in the US than in Europe, potentially due to language frictions or AI overviews not generating in certain European languages.
• A slight decrease in zero-click search is observed in Europe.
• The increase in zero-click search is attributed to users getting answers directly from AI overviews.
• AI usage is generally similar across the US and Europe, with ChatGPT and Gemini leading.
• The recent number for zero-click searches in the US is 27%.

"When you add those three figures together, that actually accounts for 57% of searches that don't click at all."

The Importance of Problem-Solving in Marketing [17:38]

• The core marketing moto is to provide value and solve problems before asking for anything in return.
• AI overviews and the importance of AI/GEO and optimizing for brand mentions in LLM chatbots reinforce this principle.
• Feature selling, which focuses on product features, is less effective than problem-solving, especially for top-of-funnel marketing.
• HubSpot is cited as an example of a brand that excels at problem-solving and creating value for its audience.

"It can't be no longer about feature selling because everyone's got features. It has to be about that kind of Everyone can make features too."

Reddit's Surprising Rise and Consumer Trust [28:46]

• Reddit's behavior was a significant finding, with its traffic share surprising many and potentially surpassing Facebook.
• This rise is attributed to a human hunger for user-generated content (UGC) and a declining trust in AI-generated information.
• Reddit is seen as a virtual word-of-mouth platform where people recommend things to each other like friends.
• Consumers are increasingly seeking authentic, human opinions and stories over AI-generated content.

"I feel that trust is slipping away in the era of AI and AI overviews and AI generated everything. I feel that as consumers, we are more than ever interested in actual real world humans talking about things."

Google's Strength and Future of Search [36:40]

• Data does not suggest Google is threatened by AI; it holds over 95% of traditional search traffic share.
• AI search is still a small fraction of overall search, with Google maintaining a strong position.
• Google is well-established with its Gemini product within the AI search space.
• The idea of AI mode becoming the default is debated, with concerns about AI hallucinating and potentially worsening user experience.
• If AI mode becomes default, it could lead to a greater focus on social media and YouTube.

"There really isn't any data that shows that Google has to worry about AI search taken over anytime soon."

Adapting to Evolving Search and Marketing [45:06]

• Less traffic to a site doesn't necessarily mean fewer sales; qualified traffic can come from new sources like Perplexity, ChatGPT, or Reddit.
• The customer journey is becoming more omnichannel, with leads potentially pre-qualified before reaching a website.
• AI overviews may be beneficial by filtering out low-quality traffic, leaving higher-qualified leads.
• The need for high-quality, expert, and human-creative content is paramount, as AI is only as good as the data it's fed.

"So you're getting rid of like the lower quality traffic and you are getting higher qualified traffic from other newish sources and that's the only thing we got to adapt to really."

The Future of SEO and Content in an AI World [47:00]

• A "crazy hot take" suggests that if AI mode becomes the default, it could be better for bottom-of-funnel SEO landing pages, and many SEO professionals might leave the field, making it less competitive.
• Google's lawyer stated in court documents that the open web is in rapid decline, implying fewer content creators.
• AI needs content to cite, so those who continue to produce high-quality content will be favored.
• Technical SEO professionals will need to evolve, with a greater focus on content.

"But here's the thing. It's like okay fine like there's AI mode but answers need to come from somewhere."