A study has revealed that the majority of Google searches in the U.S. and the European Union (EU) led to zero follow-up clicks.
This is according to a joint study by market research companies SparkToro and Datos, who recently published the results – the 2024 Zero-Click Search Study, which utilized a multimillion clickstream panel from Datos to track the sequence of clicks from millions of users, analyzed Google Search behavior from September 2022 to May 2024. The study, conducted by Rand Fishkin, CEO and co-founder of SparkToro, comprehensively examines what happens after users initiate a search query. (Related: Google executive ADMITS to rigging search results.)
As it turned out, a zero-click search, which occurs when users conclude their search session or initiate a new query without clicking on any search results, happens in the majority of Google searches.
In the U.S., the study reveals a significant trend toward zero-click searches, which account for 58.5 percent of mobile and desktop searches. This indicates that most users do not click on any results after a search. Moreover, nearly 30 percent of clicks are directed toward Google-owned properties, such as YouTube, Google Images and Google News. But then, these clicks often lead to content created by businesses, brands or creators. For instance, searches with local intent might result in users seeking directions via Google Maps rather than visiting a business’s website. So, for every 1,000 Google searches, only 360 clicks lead to the open web.
In the EU, the prevalence of zero-click searches is slightly higher at 59.7 percent. However, the number of clicks to the open web is marginally greater, with 374 out of 1,000 searches resulting in visits to non-Google properties. Clicks to Google-owned platforms are lower in the EU, constituting 24 percent of total clicks.
This difference may be attributed to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which aims to reduce traffic to Google-owned properties.
Moreover, the study explored whether Google's AI Overviews search feature – previously known as Search Generative Experience – had influenced the percentage of searches satisfied directly on the search results page (SERP). Many publishers and businesses feared that AI Overviews could reduce traffic by providing direct answers, bypassing the need to click through to other sites.
However, Fishkin's data from January to May 2024 showed minimal impact on search behavior. Clicks per search remained relatively flat on both desktop and mobile platforms in the U.S. and the European Union. So, Fishkin suggested that the brief rollout of AI Overviews, followed by a swift retraction, limited their influence. But then, studies indicate that AI Overviews currently display for only 12.5 percent of searches, with some data suggesting as low as seven percent.
Fishkin proves that Google's dominance remains unchallenged
Fishkin has challenged the narrative that Google might be vulnerable to more agile competitors like large language model (LLM)-powered chatbots and LLM-integrated search engines. His analysis has revealed that Google searches are at "historic highs." Despite some caveats regarding the representativeness of the clickstream data — especially given the limited coverage of iOS mobile devices—the trends are consistent with past behaviors.
Desktop searches saw a slight increase, while mobile searches dropped significantly from May to the previous four months. This shift coincided with the launch of AI Overviews by Google in May, which initially faced criticism for providing inaccurate and dangerous answers, prompting Google to pledge improvements.
But despite these issues, Google maintains that AI Overviews have increased search usage, though no concrete data supports this claim.
"This data doesn't align with the notion that Google has lost credibility or that users are abandoning Google for alternatives," Fishkin stated. "According to Datos' panel, Google isn't at risk of losing market share, total searches, or searches per user. On all these metrics, they are, in fact, stronger than ever… Both the fear of AI Overviews and the 'death of Google search quality' are all sound and fury, signifying nothing. Or, at least, not very much."
Market share data supports this, showing no significant gains for rivals like Bing, Yahoo! Search or DuckDuckGo. The expense of developing search technology means most smaller competitors rely on licensing from giants like Google or Bing.
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