Google reveals: 65% of searches result in no clicks

Google has dropped a bombshell on anyone who hasn’t been paying attention. Their plan to keep most users on their site is clearly working. In 2020, 65% of searches resulted in no clicks.

The reasons:

1. Google aims to answer most questions on the results page, using snippets, image search, video search, shopping search and more.
2. People may have realised they used the wrong search term, and re-searched when they didn’t see the results they wanted.
3. People may not have seen the results they wanted and decided to look elsewhere.

So, how can you adapt your content to no-click searches?

1 – Embrace featured snippets

Rich snippets are picked up by Google when your website clearly indicates you’re answering a question. (See example below)

Content-wise the best thing you can do is answer questions in your content. You can do this by:

• Posing your H2s (subheadings) as questions
• Including an FAQ section at the bottom of your page (as you’ll see with this one)
• Or create pages solely around a question. Begin with a summary of the answer (this will be the text you want featured by Google), then expand through the content.

14.1% of all Google search terms in 2020 were questions, so this is a pretty good way to get featured.

2 – Work really, really hard on your meta titles and meta descriptions

Meta titles and meta descriptions are your shop window. You need to lure your customers in with catchy content that directly answers exactly what they’re searching for, but leaves them wanting to know more.

3 – Measure clicks not just rankings

If your analysis is all about the rankings, that needs to change. There’s little point in appearing in 1st position if nobody’s clicking on your content. That said, there’s always a good chance one of the 766,500,000,000 clicked searches will come your way. But, assuming you don’t have an unlimited content budget, you need to make sure you’re ranking where it’s most effective.

4 – Optimise your content on all Google spaces

Get your business all over the Google ecosystem.

This includes:

• Google Places/Maps
• Images
• Videos
• Shopping
• News

5 – Test with PPC

If you aren’t sure where to invest your energy, a quick way to make sure the search terms you’re going after get clicks is to test them with PPC. If you can pay to get clicks, you can create high ranking content to get clicks as well.

6 – Think of the SERPs as a branding exercise

This takes us back to working on your meta titles and meta descriptions. If your company can prove EAT (Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness) by answering questions, providing clear information and having an appealing shop window in the SERPs, this can build your brand. And if you’re ranking on the first page, you can think of it as an endorsement from Google. Who wouldn’t want to be endorsed by one of the biggest companies in the world?

It isn’t all doom and gloom! The good news is, 35% of Google searches is still around 766,500,000,000 searches which resulted in clicks. So there’s still a good chance someone out there is looking to click through to your content.

 

FAQs

What are featured snippets in SEO?

Featured Snippets are short amounts of text that appear at the top of Google’s search results. They’re used by Google to quickly provide an answer to a user’s question.

How do Google snippets work?

Google snippets are used by Google to feature the best answer to a users’ query. They come from the search listings and are automatically determined by Google, using their advanced algorithms.

Why are featured snippets important?

Featured snippets are important to users because they help them find an answer quickly. Featured snippets are important to organisations because they get them more space in the SERPs, usually right at the top.

Need to optimise your content on the SERPs? Get in touch.