AI Search
SEMRUSH ONE
Stay Ahead in AI Search & Traditional SEO
Zero-click searches might not drive direct traffic to your site, but they can still help your business grow by boosting visibility and brand awareness.
When your brand appears in zero-click search features (like AI Overviews) you become part of the conversation your audience is already having.
Today, we’re exploring how zero-click searches are evolving with AI. And what you can do to make sure your brand shows up in them.
A zero-click search is when a user finds their answer directly on the search engine results page (SERP) without clicking through to any website.
The search engine provides the information the user needs through SERP features like:
So the user has no need to click through to a search result. But can still be exposed to your brand by seeing it mentioned.
Zero-click searches happen because search engines and AI search platforms are now designed to answer queries directly, rather than routing users to source websites.
Several factors are driving this shift:
AI-powered search features have compressed the path from question to answer, and the user journey has evolved from "search → click → scan → find answer" to "search → get answer."
AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple sources into comprehensive responses. Users often get complete answers without needing additional context.
For example, a query like "how to fix a flat tire" now generates step-by-step instructions directly in the AI Overview. Most users don't need to click through for more details.
In fact, 58.5% of U.S. searches and 59.7% of E.U. searches ended without a click in 2024.
And AI Overviews were triggered for 13.14% of queries in March 2025. Up from 6.49% in January 2025. Which means more searches could end in zero clicks as AI Overviews grow.
Here’s Google Search Console data from one website that looks at click rate (green line) versus impressions (purple line) from May 2024 (when AI Overviews went live) to September 2025.
Impressions more than doubled. While the click-through rate fell from ~1.5% to under 0.5%.
And SEO professional Ankush Gupta noticed the same phenomenon:
"We saw something strange in one of our clients' Search Console. Their impressions kept increasing, but their CTR dropped sharply over the last few months … Google now shows your content inside AI answers. So impressions go up (more people see your content). But clicks go down (because users get their answer right there)."
But zero-click doesn't mean zero opportunity. As co-founder of SparkToro Rand Fishkin points out, it’s crucial for brands to reach their audience.
What do the weird AI billboards that dominate San Francisco have to do with the decline in Google search traffic and the rise of Zero Click Everything?
I have a theory… 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/ZAhWcWg72K
And you can still reach your audience in a zero-click search world.
SEO optimizes for rankings and clicks. Answer engine optimization (AEO) extends that by optimizing for visibility and citations in AI-generated responses. Together, they're part of one discipline.
Here's what AEO adds to what SEO already does:
What SEO has always done
What AEO adds
Increase content visibility in organic results
Earn citations and references in AI-generated answers
Track rankings, traffic, and CTR
Track citations, brand mentions, snippet captures, and AI visibility
Build comprehensive pages targeting keywords
Create direct, self-contained answers with clear source attribution
This means your content must now work in two contexts:
Ensuring your content serves as source material for AI requires a different approach to structure, format, and optimization.
Here’s how to do it:
Identifying your zero-click keywords helps you understand your current SERP landscape so you know where to focus your efforts.
Use Semrush's Position Tracking tool to analyze your target keywords. Once you have configured Position Tracking, you can view all the keywords you are targeting that have zero-click SERP features.
Head into “Overview” and click the “SERP Features” drop-down. Click “[your website] doesn’t rank” to pull up keywords where you don’t rank for any SERP features.
Pay attention to:
As these may result in zero-click searches.
Brand authority is a crucial asset in a zero-click search environment. Users may encounter your brand in an AI Overview, SERP feature, or AI platform before they ever visit your site.
It’s important to show up in these places, and show up with positive sentiment.
When search engines and AI search platforms consistently encounter your brand across credible sources, they’re more likely to reference or cite your content across these features.
You can build brand authority in several ways:
Monitoring how your brand appears in search and AI platforms can help you identify opportunities to improve visibility.
You can track where your brand is mentioned across the web using Semrush’s Brand Monitoring tool.
Click “Get started”, enter your brand name, and click “Continue.”
Enter your brand name again in the keywords section, check the “Online” box as a source, and click “Create query” to monitor for mentions of your brand online.
Check out our full guide to Brand Mentions to learn more.
Schema markup (structured data) helps AI platforms and search engines understand your content, which can help you grow brand awareness.
Focus on adding schema markup to pages where you don’t rank for zero-click SERP features.
Here are three different types of schema to consider adding to your site.
Tip
Our guide shows you how to add schema to your website if you aren’t sure where to start.
FAQPage schema may help Q&A content appear in People Also Ask boxes and AI Overviews.
You can add FAQPage schema to any Q&A content on your page. Even if it isn’t part of a formal FAQ section.
To increase your chance of ranking in answer boxes (like AI Overviews) for FAQ content:
Here’s an example that follows the above points:
And here is an example of FAQPage schema:
HowTo schema might increase your chance of appearing in featured snippets and AI-generated step lists and is ideal for step-by-step guides and tutorials.
You can add HowTo schema to any content that walks users through a process.
Here’s an example of a recipe site that creates HowTo schema for their recipes:
To increase your chance of ranking in step-by-step rich results:
Here is an example of the code for HowTo schema:
LocalBusiness schema helps populate knowledge panels and local pack results and is valuable for local businesses competing in zero-click local searches.
LocalBusiness schema can highlight key details such as your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and other attributes that help search engines better understand and surface your business.
Here is an example of LocalBusiness schema:
Zero-click content is content designed to deliver value directly in search results or AI-generated answers, even if the user never visits your site.
Instead of focusing only on driving clicks, this type of content aims to increase visibility and brand recognition by being extracted, cited, and surfaced by search engines or AI search platforms.
To improve your chances of appearing in SERP features and AI-generated answers, structure your content so it’s easy for search engines and AI search platforms to extract.
Here’s how:
This article was built to follow these principles. Each section opens with a direct answer that can stand on its own outside of the full piece.
The goal isn’t to replace click-driving content. It’s to complement it with content designed for visibility as well. Both types have a role in a brand’s content strategy:
In-depth resources, tools, and guides
Encourage users to click through to your site
Concise definitions, summaries, and comparisons
Appear in zero-click SERP features and AI answers
For example, our blog hosts in-depth resources and guides like our guide to SEO audits, while our knowledge base hosts concise definitions like our FAQschema page. Each plays a different role in our overall content strategy.
Look for questions your audience asks that you can steal from your competitors.
Head into Organic Rankings, enter a rival’s domain, and click “Search.”
Scroll to the “SERP Features” section. And click into any of the SERP features under “Linking to domain” to see which keywords that site owns for that particular feature.
You’ll get a list of keywords.
Create content for relevant keywords that you don’t have content for. To try to overtake your competitors for these SERP features.
AI search platforms consistently cite sources that offer what generic consensus can’t: proprietary data, expert perspectives, and original insights.
Start by identifying the questions your audience asks AI search platforms. Use Semrush's Prompt Tracking tool to discover which prompts mention your brand or competitors.
Enter your brand name and click “Analyze.”
From here, scroll down to the “Related Topics” section and click “Prompts” to see a list of prompts users are searching for on ChatGPT using your brand name.
You can also do the same for your competitors' brand names to get more ideas of what users are searching. Once you have these prompts, you can create content to answer those queries.
As you create content, focus on:
Not all zero-click searches deserve your attention. Strategic keyword selection maximizes your ROI.
Zero-click opportunities are worth pursuing when they can drive purchase intent, brand awareness, or easy SERP feature wins.
Specifically, look for:
Avoid targeting keywords that won’t deliver business value.
Especially when they fall into these categories:
Tip
Some content types are more vulnerable to zero-click searches than others. Short factual queries — like definitions or simple “what is” questions — are often fully answered directly in the SERP or AI response. But formats like original research, interactive tools, detailed guides, and proprietary frameworks remain more resilient because users still need to click through for deeper insight.
SEO metrics miss the full picture in a zero-click world. Metrics like brand sentiment and visibility better reflect your success with zero-click searches.
Here are the metrics to track for zero-click searches:
Semrush’s Visibility Overview helps you track your visibility and coverage in LLMs and AI Overviews.
Enter your domain and click “Check AI Visibility.”
You’ll see which brand mentions you own in the “Your Performing Topics” tab.
And clicking “Topic Opportunities” highlights prompts where LLMs don’t mention your brand and mention competitors instead.
Consider creating AI-optimized content for these prompts. To try and improve visibility.
And the Perception tool gives you your share of voice and sentiment. Along with tips to improve each one.
Zero-click visibility can still contribute to measurable business outcomes.
Alongside pipeline or revenue metrics, track:
These will help you understand how increased visibility influences customer journeys.
Even when users don’t click immediately, repeated exposure to your brand in search features and AI answers can build trust and drive conversions later in the buying process.
Zero-click search is evolving SEO.
Success in 2026 and beyond requires shifting from traffic-focused to visibility-focused strategies. The brands that win will be those that provide immediate value in AI responses, which will help them build long-term authority and recognition.
Your content will increasingly work in two ways: as a direct resource for users who click through, and as source material for AI engines serving millions of users who never visit your site.
Both matter. Both can drive business results.
The key is measuring and optimizing for both simultaneously.
Ready to adapt your SEO strategy for the zero-click future?
Use Semrush to audit your current SERP feature presence and identify your biggest visibility opportunities.
Zero-click searches happen when search engines and AI search platforms provide answers directly in the results page or response interface. Features like AI Overviews, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and conversational AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity synthesize information from multiple sources, allowing users to get the information they need without clicking through to a website.
Zero-click searches often reduce organic click-through rates, even for top-ranking pages. However, they also create opportunities for brand visibility through SERP features and AI citations.
Successful SEO strategies focus on both traffic and visibility, ensuring your content can appear in search features and AI-generated answers.
Zero-click content is content designed to deliver immediate value directly in search results or AI-generated answers. It typically includes concise explanations, question-based headings, structured lists, and clear definitions that search engines or AI tools can easily extract.
You can measure the impact of zero-click visibility by tracking metrics such as branded search growth, AI visibility scores, SERP feature share, and assisted conversions. Comparing these visibility metrics with pipeline or revenue trends helps connect search visibility to real business outcomes.
Carlos Silva
Carlos Silva leads the editorial pipeline for the English blog—coordinating writers, editors, strategy, and building AI workflows that boost content quality and AI visibility. With 10+ years of experience writing and editing across in-house and agency roles, Carlos blends content strategy, SEO, and AI to help marketers stay ahead of an evolving search landscape.
Google‘s Search algorithm decides what content ranks based on factors like relevance and quality.
Google’s Knowledge Graph is an information database with entity details. Here’s how to optimize for it.
Curious about the future of SEO? Discover 9 essential trends that will define the next era of SEO and AI.
Learn what SERPs are, how search engine results pages work, and how to rank higher in search.
Try Semrush free for seven days. Cancel anytime.
Semrush
More tools
Company
Support
Community
Legal
English
© 2026 Semrush Holdings. All rights reserved.
