Zero-click search and AI Overviews: what the click studies found

Zero-click search statistics show that more than half of Google searches end without the searcher clicking through to a website, and that AI Overviews reduce clicks further on the queries where they appear. A zero-click search is one where the person gets what they need on the results page, refines the search or leaves, instead of visiting a site.

This report compiles four sources that measured this directly: SparkToro's clickstream study with Datos, Pew Research Center's browsing study, Ahrefs' click-through rate analysis and Semrush's AI Overviews tracking. They use different methods and do not all agree, and Google has disputed some of the findings. We lay out what each measured, then explain what changes for a business that serves customers locally.

About 58% in the United States, according to the most cited study. SparkToro's 2024 Zero-Click Search Study, led by Rand Fishkin and based on Datos clickstream data collected from September 2022 to May 2024, found 58.5% of U.S. Google searches and 59.7% of EU searches ended without a click, as reported by Search Engine Land.

Of every 1,000 U.S. searches, 360 produced a click to the open web. Nearly 30% of all U.S. clicks went to Google-owned properties such as YouTube, Google Images and Google Maps. This study predates the full rollout of AI Overviews, so it describes zero-click behavior driven by featured snippets, knowledge panels, the local map pack and similar results.

The European figures were close: 374 of every 1,000 EU searches produced a click to the open web. The similarity across regions suggests zero-click behavior reflects how Google designs its results page, not a regional habit.

On the queries where they appear, the evidence says yes. Pew Research Center analyzed the browsing activity of 900 U.S. adults in March 2025. When a Google search produced an AI summary, users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits, compared with 15% when no summary appeared. They clicked a link inside the summary on just 1% of visits. Users ended their browsing session on 26% of pages with an AI summary, compared with 16% without one. AI summaries appeared on 18% of the searches in Pew's sample.

Ahrefs reached a similar conclusion with a different method. Using aggregated desktop Google Search Console data for 300,000 keywords, it compared December 2023 with December 2025. On keywords that showed an AI Overview, the top-ranking page's click-through rate was 58% lower than forecast. An earlier Ahrefs analysis published in April 2025 had estimated a 34.5% drop.

The underlying numbers show that clicks fell even on keywords without an AI Overview. In Ahrefs' data, the top result's click-through rate on informational keywords without an AI Overview dropped from 7.6% in December 2023 to 3.9% in December 2025. On keywords with an AI Overview it dropped from 7.3% to 1.6%. Ahrefs used the first group to forecast what the second would have been without AI Overviews (about 3.7%), and the gap between that forecast and 1.6% is the 58% figure. In other words, clicks to top results were already falling, and AI Overviews made the drop steeper.

On a minority of searches, and the share moves around. Semrush tracked more than 10 million keywords through 2025 and found AI Overviews on 6.49% of them in January, a peak of 24.61% in July and 15.69% in November. The mix of queries also shifted: informational queries fell from 91.3% of AI Overview triggers in January to 57.1% in October, while commercial, transactional and navigational queries all rose.

Industry matters. Semrush's November 2025 data showed the highest AI Overview saturation in science, computers and electronics, and people and society topics. Real estate, shopping, and arts and entertainment each had saturation under 3%, which Semrush noted lean toward local intent.

Since October 2024, Semrush found the share of AI Overview triggers that were commercial queries rose from 8.15% to 18.57%, and transactional queries rose from 1.98% to 13.94%. That means summaries increasingly appear on searches closer to a purchase decision, such as comparisons of providers or questions about cost, not only on general how-to questions.

Semrush found that AI Overviews do not automatically increase zero-click behavior. For the same keywords measured before and after they began showing AI Overviews, the zero-click rate fell slightly, from 33.75% to 31.53%. Semrush suggested that higher zero-click rates on AI Overview keywords mostly reflect that those queries are informational to begin with.

Google also disputed Pew's study. A Google spokesperson told PPC Land in July 2025 that the research used a flawed methodology and a skewed query set not representative of search traffic, and said Google continues to send billions of clicks to websites daily. The disagreement is partly about scope: Pew and Ahrefs measured what happens on queries with an AI summary, while Semrush and Google look at broader traffic patterns.

• Per-query effect: strong evidence that clicks fall when an AI Overview appears (Pew, Ahrefs).
• Overall zero-click share: high before AI Overviews and not clearly rising because of them (SparkToro, Semrush).
• Coverage: AI Overviews appear on a minority of searches and less often on local and transactional topics (Semrush).
• Methods: clickstream panels, Search Console data and browsing panels each have blind spots, so no single number is definitive.

For searches like "family law attorney near me" or "brake repair open now," zero-click does not always mean lost business. Many of these searches end at the local map pack or a Google Business Profile, where the customer can call, request directions, book or read reviews without visiting the website. SparkToro's finding that nearly 30% of U.S. clicks go to Google properties, including Maps, reflects this.

Informational searches are where traffic loss shows up most. A med spa's article on recovery after a treatment, or an accounting firm's guide to quarterly estimated taxes, is the kind of content an AI Overview summarizes. Those pages can still earn citations inside the summary, but the click is less likely.

Search Console can help you see which pages are affected. If a page's impressions hold steady while clicks fall, searchers are still seeing your result but getting their answer on the page itself. That pattern on informational pages is consistent with AI Overviews or featured snippets. If impressions fall too, the cause is more likely a ranking change, a seasonal shift or lower demand.

Measure what customers do, not only how many visit your site. If website sessions from Google are flat or down but calls, bookings and direction requests from your Business Profile are steady, your reach may be fine. Treat your profile and your website as two places customers act.

Content still has a job when clicks fall. A clear, well-organized page on a common question can be the source an AI summary draws from, and it gives a customer who does click a reason to call. The aim shifts from maximizing visits to making sure the visits and mentions you do get lead to a conversation.

Monvell's Data and Reporting work sets up tracking that combines Business Profile actions, calls and website conversions in one view, so a change in clicks can be read against the leads that actually came in.

• Track Google Business Profile calls, bookings and direction requests alongside website traffic.
• Keep your profile complete, with current hours, services, photos and recent reviews.
• Make service pages answer the main question in the first two sentences so AI summaries quote you accurately.
• Judge informational content by leads and assisted conversions, not by sessions alone.
• Use call tracking so phone leads from search are counted.