PromptScoutWhat is Zero-Click Search?
Zero-Click Search is a search outcome where the user gets the needed information directly on the results page and does not click through to another website. Zero-Click Search can be driven by featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI-generated answers.
Quick definition
Zero-Click Search happens when a search engine answers the query without requiring a website click.
How Zero-Click Search works
- Zero-Click Search occurs when SERP features provide sufficient information to satisfy search intent.
- Zero-Click Search is common when queries have informational intent and a stable, short answer.
- Zero-Click Search can increase when AI search results provide summaries and follow-up context.
Why Zero-Click Search matters
Zero-Click Search matters because it can reduce traffic to publishers even when content is used as a source.
Zero-Click Search affects:
- measurement, because impressions and citations may matter more than clicks
- content strategy, because answers must be extracted cleanly to be surfaced
- AEO priorities, because concise definitions and structured data can influence selection
Example use cases
- A query that triggers a featured snippet that contains the full answer.
- An AI overview that summarizes steps and removes the need to click.
- A knowledge graph panel that satisfies an entity lookup.