As a consumer, you expect search results to quickly give you the information you’re looking for, right? You’re not alone!
Nowadays, the average attention span of a consumer is only eight seconds. Consumers are always on the go and don’t have time to click through multiple websites to find the info they need.
To combat this, zero-click searches (sometimes called no click searches) showcase information about businesses or answer simple questions that consumers commonly have without needing to click on a website.
But, wait, what are zero-click searches? And how can you get your business’s information to pull into these search results? Keep reading to find the answer to these two questions as well as helpful tips!
Understanding Zero-Click Searches
Once a consumer completes an online search and is directed to the search engine results page (SERP), a list of websites will appear.
Let’s look at Google specifically for this example. At the very top of the search results, a “featured snippet” box appears (this isn’t always the case if an answer isn’t easily available).
I typed in “attention span of a human” in the search bar. The very first result that appears is a featured snippet answering my query.
This is an example of a zero-click search. I had a need and Google was able to provide a summary with the answer from a website relevant to my search.
Featuring Your Business in Zero-Click Searches
Most times, there is only one featured snippet. So, as a business owner, how can you get your business to appear in the featured snippet spot?
Google tells us that “Featured snippets come from web search listings. Google's automated systems determine whether a page would make a good featured snippet to highlight for a specific search request.”
To break it down further, your website needs to have content that helps answer common queries that searchers have. Blogs and news articles are two types of content that can help your site be included in featured snippets.
But wait, there’s more!
Not only do you need to have the content, but you need to make sure it’s optimized, and this is where SEO comes into play.
When optimizing your content, make sure everything is up to date, use relevant keywords, link internally (when possible) and use alt text in your images.
It’s even more important to make sure your website is properly optimized as 62.5 percent of users never click on the search results. This is due to the fact that many people use voice search.
Whether you use Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri to complete a voice search, they will read the search results out loud, and most times it will be the featured snippet or information from a zero-click search.
There are many more things you can do to optimize your content and website, so check out some of our other resources to learn more:
Keep in mind that getting into the featured snippet spot takes a lot of time and effort. The main goal should be to have your webpages on the first page of the search results.
Ultimately, Google determines which website best answers a query and will feature it based on its algorithm. If you make it into a featured snippet, congrats!
How Can I Track Zero-Click Searches?
While zero-click searches are beneficial to online consumers finding information quickly and easily, it can actually result in less trackable results for your business. However, this doesn't mean your local search strategy isn't working!
Let's think about it from the customer journey perspective, specifically the marketing funnel RevLocal uses in Reveal, our marketing analytics dashboard.
The consideration phase in Reveal tells us how many times the website button was clicked from a Google local profile.
More zero-click searches mean that their consideration for local search might go down in their reports, but that does not mean that local search isn’t working. Instead, Google is making it as easy as possible for consumers to convert.
It also doesn't mean they don’t need a website, as people who are clicking through are truly looking for accurate, more thorough explanations of products and services.
While zero-click searches might result in less tracking, it's still important to have a mobile-friendly, easy-to-use website.
Final Thoughts
Zero-click searches are continuing to grow as we see attention spans decreasing and more people using voice search.
If you want to keep your business ahead of the competition, make sure your website has optimized content and that you’re making regular updates.
We know that managing your online presence can be tough, but we’re here to help! Our team at RevLocal has the knowledge and expertise you need to improve your business’s digital landscape.
Request a demo with one of our consultants in your area to get started on your journey with RevLocal!