METRICS

Zero-Click Rate

In dark space, a thin luminous membrane evenly reflects the glow of stationary dim particles below, with no upward flow, representing zero-click scenarios where information is seen but not clicked
Zero-click rate is the proportion of searches where users view results without clicking links, a ratio elevated by AI summaries

IN ONE SENTENCE

Zero-click rate is the share of searches where the user reads the results and clicks nothing — AI summaries pushed it up a level.

Zero-click rate is the share of searches where the user reads the results and clicks nothing — AI summaries pushed it up a level.

OUR POSITION

Rising zero-click does not automatically mean falling traffic. It changes the relationship between being seen and being clicked: brand discovery can complete inside the answer, and that part never shows up in click data.

01

What has actually been measured

On Similarweb's measure, zero-click share for news queries rose from 56% to 69% within a year of AI summaries launching.

Pew Research Center's behavioural study (900 US adults, 68,879 searches) found users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits where an AI summary appeared, versus nearly twice that (15%) without one. Clicks on citations inside the summary ran at 1%.

02

What it changes about measurement

Reading clicks alone understates the effect. Track branded search volume and direct traffic alongside it — someone who sees the brand in an answer and then searches its name carries no AI referrer.

The impressions-to-clicks ratio trends down structurally. That on its own is not a content-quality signal, and should be discounted before drawing conclusions.

03

Where not to over-extrapolate

Zero-click behaviour differs sharply by category; the news figure does not transfer to B2B decision queries.

Public measures of AI Overviews presence contradict each other, so always cite the tool and the date alongside the number.

Data behind this page

56% → 69%

Zero-click share for news queries within a year of AI summaries launching

Source：Similarweb，2025-07

8%

Click-through on a traditional result when an AI summary is shown

Source：Pew Research Center, 900 US adults / 68,879 searches (15% without a summary)，2025-07

15.7% / 48%

Two public measures of AI Overviews presence

Source：Semrush (Nov 2025) and BrightEdge (Feb 2026) — different methodologies, not comparable，2025–2026

Sources

  1. [1]Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears．Pew Research Center．2025-07-22
  2. [2]Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search．Google Search Central．2026-05-15

Updated 2026-08-10