Zero Click Searches And How To Safeguard Against Them
Google Search Engine is statistically the most used search engine on the World Wide Web. Just like any search engine on the market, it wants you to find what you are looking for on the Internet, in the least amount of clicks possible. But since Google is a huge conglomerate with a lot of different subsidiaries under them, the nodal role of the search engine is usually underplayed by the corporation. They have recently upgraded this by the inclusion of zero click searches and the rise witnessed by them.
Zero Click Searches, What Are They?
Also known as the no-click search, they are search results that do not include third-party websites or non-search engine sites.
Prior to implementing this feature, the search results would be displayed from the most relevant first to the least relevant last. With this feature, the required information appears on top of the search results or is shown in the most prominent part of the result leading to the term commonly known as zero click search.
This has caused a lot of problems as well as headaches for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts. With one study stating that clicks for third party sites have gone down to as low as 35%, a huge portion of the share of clicks goes towards Google based sites. But this has been claimed as a false report by Google.
Reasons for Google to introduce Zero click search:
To understand more about the feature, it becomes necessary to understand why Google rolled it out in the first place. The most important reason for the rollout would have been the shift in dynamic, that the search queries would have been experiencing.
Earlier, searches were done in statement queries but with a predominant rise in the younger generation using the Internet, the queries have gotten shorter and to the point. Secondly, they would have done this to cater to a more local audience.
Search results have begun to drive in more local traffic, rather than throwing light on other sources and finally, to drive traffic towards apps rather than on websites. With the world moving towards digitalization, it has come as no surprise that almost 90% of world population have begun to use smartphones and the apps that come with them, it would be a smarter option to target this growing base of customers.
With this trend continuing, it will cause a lot of distress to all brands that follow the traditional digital marketing strategies. Their keywords’ strategy also will become obsolete if they stick to the pay-per-click method.
Let us see a few pointers which would help you to safeguard your website against zero click searches:
1. Opt-in to the featured snippets or position zero
Google gives you the option to opt-in to the featured snippets option while paying a slightly higher price. Most people usually ignore this option. Studies shows that it can lead to about 12% drop in clicks, so it is a better option to opt-in even if it costs slightly more than you intended.
2. Use the Google My Business Listing
It would be a great idea to list your brand in the Google My Business listing. By doing this, whenever anyone searches for businesses in your market, you will be prominently displayed in the zero position.
3. Schema Markup
Using Schema Markup allows you to structure your brand’s data for Google to fetch and display results at its own convenience. It will also do so by providing context that could be a great lure for potential customers.
While this topic is more complex than portrayed above, the above mentioned tips could be a great starting point for brands wishing to stay relevant in this day and age of Google Search Engine trends.
