What zero-click search means for your PPC and SEO, and how to pivot as user behavior changes

Let’s tell it like it is: The old journey to conversion in Google Ads is now broken. More impressions no longer guarantee more clicks, and more clicks no longer show up on your site the way they used to. When an AI summary appears on the results page, the share of users who click a traditional result drops from roughly 15% to about 8%. Treat this as baseline reality, not a seasonal dip. [1]

This isn’t a fluctuation. Across U.S. Google searches, only about 36% of users click on the open web. The addressable traffic that can reach your site is smaller before you set a budget. Be prepared to plan the next two quarters for fewer total clicks and a higher bar for each page view you earn. [2]

The shrinking click pool and what it does to cost

The Search path used to look linear: Awareness, research, click, evaluate, convert. AI Overviews completely crush that path. Today, with the help of AI, the results page does the research and presents a short list of likely answers. By the time a user reaches a paid or organic link, they are validating a decision, not fishing for basics. Semrush shows these summaries rising on both commercial and navigational searches, not just informational ones. And that’s where money changes hands. [3]

Here’s the Ad Auction reality—Google’s pricing system rewards three things: the likelihood an ad will get clicked, the relevance of the message to the query, and the quality of the landing page experience. When the total click pool shrinks, the expected click-through rate falls across the board. A lower expected CTR weakens the Quality Score, which often pushes CPC higher even when your ad position holds. That’s a structural change, not a sign that your team forgot how to run Google Ads. [4]

Not all clicks are equal anymore

Protecting click volume used to be rational, but that reflex burns budget in this AI-powered zero-click environment. BrightEdge reports total impressions are up around 49% in AI Overview environments, while CTRs fell more than 30%, meaning people see more information and click less. The clicks that do break through come from users who believe the destination will finalize a choice. Fewer clicks. Higher intent. Fight for those, not for noise. [5]

Your job isn’t to chase every impression; now it’s your job to ensure your business or clients look like the obvious next step after the AI-Overview summary.

What to prioritize now

Paid and organic search no longer operate in silos. In Google Ads, authority signals help your brand earn a mention in the summary. Relevance signals help your ads show next to it. Google confirms that Search, Shopping, and Performance Max ads can appear adjacent to AI Overviews when the copy and landing page tightly match intent and content. Build for that reality. [6] [7]

Decision-stage clarity. Do the following, consistently:

• Build pages and ads around the tasks people still click for. Give clear comparisons, pricing that maps to company size and use case, integration guidance that shows real systems, security reassurance at the top of the fold, and a clear action path to a trial or demo.
• Remove detours. If the ad promises a solution to a specific problem, the landing experience should prove it above the fold. This protects ad quality and reduces the need to buy efficiency with bigger bids.
• Shift how you price outcomes. A qualified meeting or a trial is more valuable than a generic form-fill. Treat it that way. Google’s guidance on value-based bidding allows weighting so automation leans into the moments that move pipeline, not the ones that pad lead counts. [8]

Measurement that leadership will trust

Clicks are no longer the primary signal. Prove value, not volume. Keep the metrics few and board-ready.

Directional signals to steer weekly, not judge quarterly:

• CPC is at a steady position with core relevance indicators. If clarity improves, price pressure should ease. [4]
• Give an absolute top impression rate and click share on priority terms. Shows whether you appear above the fold when it matters and whether you win those moments.

A quick B2B software example

If your primary CTA is trial or demo, elevate the queries and pages where buyers compare options, check price tiers, and review integration paths. Those are the tasks that still require a visit. The ad should promise the trial or demo directly. The page should deliver it without detours or fluff. Report the shift in pipeline per 1,000 impressions and cost per qualified opportunity after moving budget from early curiosity to late-stage validation. This lines up with how summaries change behavior and where they tend to appear. [1] [3]

What changed on the Search Engine Page Results

The results page now answers more questions and highlights a short list of likely solutions. That pushes traditional links and ads lower on the screen. CTR falls even when you hold in position. In some cases, ads can show next to or within the summary if they win placement and match the user’s task. Google has expanded this inventory beyond the initial U.S. rollout, so treat it as part of your working surface area, not a novelty. Your copy and page should mirror how the summary frames the problem and the options, so your ad is the obvious next step. [6] [7]

The path forward

The path forward isn’t hard, it’s just different. Paid search isn’t about buying a seat at the top anymore; it’s about earning the next step after a machine-generated summary. SEO isn’t just about climbing ranks; it’s about building enough authority to be cited in the summary that shapes perception before your ad even loads.

This environment rewards teams that retire vanity volume and optimize for decisiveness. It punishes generic pages, shallow content, and ad copy that doesn’t align with the decision a buyer is trying to make. It rewards aligned channels, specific promises, and pages that deliver those promises fast.

So, there will be fewer clicks. But the clicks that remain are worth more. Recalibrate for that reality, and your reports will shift from explaining lost volume to proving stronger efficiency per impression. The drought isn’t a decline; it is a correction back to relevance, clarity, and intent.