This page collects 69 zero-click search statistics, each linked to the study, survey or dataset it comes from. A zero-click search ends without a click to any result. SparkToro has measured this since 2016, but its panel changed from Jumpshot (2016 and 2019) to Similarweb (2020 and 2026) and Datos (2024), so year-to-year comparisons are approximate. The page opens with Rank.ai's own scan of 292 local results pages. For the AI side, see AI Overviews statistics.
Rank.ai data: what sits above the organic results on local searches
On October 16, 2026 we pulled 292 Google results pages through DataForSEO: 50 searches across 10 local service industries (plumbing, HVAC, roofing, dental, legal, auto repair, electrical, pest control, home care and med spas), in Austin, Chicago and Phoenix, on desktop and mobile. The question was what a searcher sees before the first organic link.
- 2.1%of local service results pages opened with an organic link (6 of 292).Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
- 94.5%of pages opened with a local map pack (139) or an AI Overview (137), and 8 opened with Local Services ads.Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
- 100%of "near me" and "best" searches showed a local map pack, and 98.3% of service searches such as "emergency plumber".Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
- 0%of cost and problem questions showed a map pack, while 95% to 100% of them showed an AI Overview.Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
- 51.4%of all 292 pages showed an AI Overview and 60.3% showed a local map pack.Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
- 12.7%of pages showed both an AI Overview and a map pack (37 of 292).Rank.ai scan of 292 Google results pages2026
The 2026 zero-click study
SparkToro's 2026 study used Similarweb's US desktop and mobile browser panel for January to April 2026, weighted about two thirds mobile. The Google app is excluded.
- 68.01%of US Google searches ended without a click from January to April 2026.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 31.99%of US Google searches produced a click of any kind.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 7.56 pointswas the rise in US zero-click searches from 60.45% in 2024, the fastest rise in a decade.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 38.99%of US Google searches ended the search session with no further action.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 28.68%of US Google searches were followed by another search, up from 21.40% in 2024.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 232clicks reach the open web for every 1,000 US Google searches.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 22.9%fewer US searches produced at least one click than in 2024, a fall from 41.50% to 32.00%.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 45.01%of US Google searches were zero-click in 2016, so the 2026 rate is 23 points higher.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 0.34%of US Google searches went on to AI Mode from January to April 2026.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
Zero-click searches over time
Earlier SparkToro studies show the rate climbing from about half of searches in 2019. The 2024 study reported 58.5% for the US; the 2026 study restates 2024 as 60.45% after reweighting for mobile, so use 60.45% when comparing the two. Long-run Google figures are on our Google search statistics page.
- 58.5%of US and 59.7% of EU Google searches ended without a click in 2024.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 360clicks per 1,000 US Google searches went to the open web in 2024, and 374 per 1,000 in the EU.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 41.5%of US Google searches produced a click in 2024; 37.1% ended the session and 21.4% led to another search.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 28.5%of clicks from US Google searches went to Google-owned properties in 2024, against 24% in the EU.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 68.3%of US Google searches ended without a click in Q4 2020, against 65.2% worldwide.SparkToro, 2020 zero-click study2020
- 64.82%of Google searches worldwide ended without a click in 2020 (Similarweb, about 5.1 trillion searches).SparkToro, 2020 zero-click study2020
- 33.59%of Google searches worldwide produced an organic click in 2020, and 1.59% a paid click.SparkToro, 2020 zero-click study2020
- 50.33%of US browser Google searches ended without a click in June 2019, the first time the rate passed half (Jumpshot, 40 million+ searches).SparkToro, 2019 zero-click study2019
- 5.98%of US Google searches ended in a click to a Google-owned site in Q2 2019.SparkToro, 2019 zero-click study2019
Zero-click searches on mobile and desktop
Phone searches end without a click far more often. Answers, maps and knowledge panels fill a small screen, and people often get what they need on the page. More on phone search is on our mobile search statistics page.
- 45.7%of US mobile Google searches ended with no further activity in 2024, against 22.6% on desktop.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 46.2%of EU mobile Google searches ended with no further activity in 2024, against 21.3% on desktop.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 32.7%of clicks on US mobile searches went to Google-owned properties in 2024, against 21.2% on desktop.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 66.5%of clicks on US mobile searches went to organic results in 2024, against 77.4% on desktop.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 77.22%of mobile Google searches worldwide ended without a click in 2020.SparkToro, 2020 zero-click study2020
- 50.75%organic click-through rate on desktop Google searches worldwide in 2020, against 21.99% on mobile.SparkToro, 2020 zero-click study2020
- 61.94%of US mobile browser searches were zero-click in June 2019, up from 55.59% in January 2016.SparkToro, 2019 zero-click study2019
- 33.70%of US desktop Google searches were zero-click in June 2019.SparkToro, 2019 zero-click study2019
- 25.6%of US desktop searches were zero-click in Semrush's 2022 study, and 17.3% on mobile, because it counted query refinements separately (20,000 users).Semrush, Zero-clicks study2022
Zero-click searches by country
SparkToro's six-country study used the same Similarweb panel and months as its US study. No country sends 300 clicks to the open web per 1,000 searches.
- 69.5%of UK Google searches were zero-click, the highest of six countries studied.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
- 62.1%of German Google searches were zero-click, the lowest of the six.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
- 63.4%zero-click in Italy, 63.8% in Canada and 65.3% in France, against 68.0% in the US.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
- 287clicks per 1,000 German searches reach the open web, the most of the six, against 232 in the UK and 231 in the US.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
- 43.1%of UK Google searches ended the session, the highest share, against 42.3% in France and 38.2% in Canada.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
- 29.0%of US Google searches were followed by another search, the highest of the six, against 22.5% in Germany.SparkToro, Zero-click searches by country2026
How AI Overviews and AI Mode change clicks
AI summaries answer the question on the results page, so fewer searches end in a click. Semrush's keyword data is the outlier: it found zero-click rates on AI Overview keywords falling during 2025. More detail is on our AI Overviews statistics page.
- 74.3%of US desktop results pages with an AI Overview ended without an organic click in July 2026, against 53.6% without one.Advanced Web Ranking, organic CTR2026
- 58%lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page when an AI Overview appears (300,000 keywords).Ahrefs, AI Overviews reduce clicks by 58%2026
- 8%of visits with an AI summary included a click on a traditional result, against 15% without one (900 US adults, 68,879 searches).Pew Research Center2025
- 1%of visits to a page with an AI summary included a click on a link inside the summary.Pew Research Center2025
- 26%of visits to a page with an AI summary ended the browsing session, against 16% without one.Pew Research Center2025
- 92% to 94%of Google AI Mode sessions ended without a visit to another website (about 69 million sessions).Semrush, AI Mode SEO impact2025
- 0.61%organic click-through rate on queries with an AI Overview in September 2025, down from 1.76% in June 2024. Queries without one fell from 2.72% to 1.62%.Seer Interactive, AIO impact on CTR2025
- 37.6%zero-click rate on keywords with AI Overviews in October 2025, down from 46.78% in January, against 32.39% on keywords without one.Semrush, AI Overviews study2025
- 31.53%zero-click rate on the same keywords after they gained an AI Overview, against 33.75% before.Semrush, AI Overviews study2025
What still gets clicks
About a third of searches still send a click, and most of those go to organic results. Cited pages, top positions and sites that let people finish a task hold up best. Our SEO statistics cover click-through rate by position in full.
- 66.61%of clicks from US Google searches went to organic results on the open web in early 2026.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 27.38%of clicks went to Google-owned properties such as YouTube, Maps, Images, News and AI Mode.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 6.01%of clicks went to paid ads in 2026, up from 1.12% in 2024, a rise partly due to ad blockers hiding ads from the 2024 panel.SparkToro, 2026 zero-click study2026
- 20.02%average US desktop click-through rate at position 1 in July 2026, then 10.36% at position 2 and 3.89% at position 3.Advanced Web Ranking, organic CTR2026
- 83.7%of sites still winning Google traffic let visitors complete a task on the page, against 50.2% of sites losing traffic (400+ sites).Zyppy, Winning Google2026
- 68.1%of sites with four of Zyppy's five winning traits gained traffic, against 15.4% of sites with one.Zyppy, Winning Google2026
- 35%more organic clicks went to brands cited in an AI Overview than to brands left out.Seer Interactive, AIO impact on CTR2025
- About 20%of US searches that produced a click produced more than one in 2024.SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study2024
- 45.1%of US desktop searches and 43.1% of mobile searches led to an organic click in Semrush's 2022 study.Semrush, Zero-clicks study2022
Google traffic against AI referrals
Zero-click Google still sends far more traffic than AI assistants. Similarweb and Ahrefs both track the gap. See our ChatGPT statistics and AI search statistics for AI usage itself.
- 23.96%of traffic to 115,254 sites came from Google in September 2026.Ahrefs, AI vs search benchmark2026
- 0.43%of traffic to the same sites came from all AI assistants combined, with ChatGPT at 0.34% and Gemini at 0.02%.Ahrefs, AI vs search benchmark2026
- 26%less organic traffic reached news sites after Google launched AI Overviews, by Similarweb's count.Similarweb, Generative AI and publishers2025
- 5 trillion+Google searches were made in 2024, more than 14 billion a day.SparkToro, Google search grew 20% in 20242024
- 21.64%growth in Google searches from 2023 to 2024 in Datos' US desktop panel.SparkToro, Google search grew 20% in 20242024
- 63.41%of US web referrals from the top 170 referring sites started on Google.com (January 2023 to January 2024).SparkToro and Datos, Who sends traffic on the web2024
What searchers say about zero-click results
Surveys ask people how often they stop at the results page. Bain surveyed 1,117 US consumers with Dynata in December 2024, and Pew's panel measured the same behaviour directly.
- About two thirdsof searches in Pew's panel ended without a click on a search result.Pew Research Center2025
- 80%of consumers rely on zero-click results in at least 40% of their searches.Bain, Goodbye clicks, hello AI2025
- About 60%of searches on traditional search engines end without the user going on to another site, consumers told Bain.Bain, Goodbye clicks, hello AI2025
- 15% to 25%less organic web traffic is Bain's estimate of the effect of AI answers.Bain, Goodbye clicks, hello AI2025
- About halfof consumers who are skeptical of AI still say most of their queries are answered on the results page.Bain, press release2025
- 68%of people who use AI chatbots use them to research and summarize information.Bain, press release2025
What this means for local businesses
- Win the map pack. It led 139 of 292 local results pages in our scan and showed on every "near me" search. Our local SEO statistics and guide to ranking in nearby cities cover how.
- Count calls and directions as wins. A zero-click search can still end in a call from your Google Business Profile. Keep your details consistent; see NAP consistency.
- Answer cost and problem questions clearly. These searches show AI Overviews 95% to 100% of the time, and cited brands get 35% more clicks.
- Track AI answers as well as clicks. See whether ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini name your business with a free AI grade.
FAQ
What percentage of Google searches are zero-click?
68.01% of US Google searches ended without a click from January to April 2026, according to SparkToro's study of Similarweb data. The rate was 60.45% in 2024 on the same weighting and 50.33% in 2019.
Are zero-click searches higher on mobile?
Yes. In SparkToro's 2024 data, 45.7% of US mobile searches ended with no further activity, against 22.6% on desktop. In 2020, 77.22% of mobile searches worldwide were zero-click.
Which country has the most zero-click searches?
The UK, at 69.5% in early 2026, among six countries SparkToro studied. Germany had the lowest at 62.1% and sends the most clicks to the open web, 287 per 1,000 searches.
Do AI Overviews increase zero-click searches?
Most studies say yes. Advanced Web Ranking found 74.3% of desktop results pages with an AI Overview ended without an organic click in July 2026, against 53.6% without one, and Pew found clicks on regular results fell from 15% to 8% of visits. Semrush's keyword data is the exception, with zero-click rates on AI Overview keywords falling during 2025.
Why do Semrush and SparkToro report such different zero-click rates?
They count different things. Semrush's 2022 study counted a refined search as its own outcome and found 25.6% zero-click on desktop, while SparkToro counts any search without a click, including those followed by another search.
Do zero-click searches hurt local businesses?
Less than they hurt publishers, because a local searcher can call, get directions or read reviews straight from the map pack. In Rank.ai's scan, the map pack showed on 100% of "near me" searches, so a strong Google Business Profile still captures the customer.
Sources and method
Rank.ai's scan pulled 292 Google results pages through the DataForSEO SERP API on October 16, 2026: 50 searches across 10 local service industries, in Austin, Chicago and Phoenix, on desktop and mobile (8 of 300 requested pages failed and are excluded). We recorded the first result block on each page and whether it showed a map pack or AI Overview. Clickstream figures come from SparkToro's studies with Jumpshot (2016 to 2019), Similarweb (2020 and 2026) and Datos (2024), whose panels differ, and from Semrush's 2022 study of 20,000 users. AI figures come from Pew Research Center, Advanced Web Ranking, Ahrefs, Seer Interactive and Semrush; survey figures from Bain and Dynata; traffic figures from Ahrefs, Similarweb and SparkToro; and site-level findings from Zyppy. Every figure and link was checked on 2026-10-16.