01
How common are zero-click searches?
Common, and growing. SparkToro's June 2026 study, using Similarweb's mobile and desktop clickstream panel, found that 68.01% of US Google searches in the first four months of 2026 ended without a click. Its earlier study put the 2024 figure about 7.5 points lower, though SparkToro notes the two panels aren't the same users or devices.
SparkToro's 2024 study defines zero-click searches as those that "end without clicking on any of the results presented," whether the searcher was "satisfied, frustrated, or changing their search to perform a new one." So zero-click counts include people who didn't find what they wanted. It's clickstream data from one panel, so treat it as a rough size, not a count for your market.
02
Which zero-click results matter to a home-service business?
Mostly two: the local pack and AI Overviews. In the local pack, a homeowner can call, get directions or read reviews without visiting your site. In an AI Overview, they may get the answer to "why is my AC blowing warm air" from a summary instead of from your page.
AI answers outside Google work the same way: ChatGPT can name a company, and the homeowner looks it up or calls without clicking a link. In our study, ChatGPT (the OpenAI API with web search) named 352 of 1,183 businesses in the Google Maps top three, so each surface needs its own check. See why AI names contractors Maps doesn't show and the study methodology.
03
How can you measure results when nobody clicks?
Track what happens on Google itself. Your Business Profile's performance report counts "the number of times a customer clicked on the call button on your Business Profile," along with direction requests and website clicks. Google also says visits from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in Search Console's Performance report, alongside regular search traffic.
Then ask new customers how they found you. Calls, booked jobs and "I saw you on Google" tell you more than website sessions alone, especially when more of the decision happens on the results page.
04
Does zero-click search mean SEO no longer works?
No, but it changes what counts as a win. Google says pages in its AI features qualify the same way as regular search results, and that when people click from results pages with AI Overviews, "these clicks are higher quality," meaning people "are more likely to spend more time on the site." Fewer visits don't have to mean fewer calls.
For a contractor, the goal was never website visits for their own sake. It's calls and booked jobs, and more of them now start on the results page. The home-service SEO handbook shows where the Business Profile and website each fit.
Related terms: AI Overviews · AI Mode · Local pack · AI citation · Query fan-out · All glossary terms
Where to go next: How to show up in Google AI Overviews covers the AI side, and the AI search hub collects our guides. Our local SEO page explains how we work on the local pack.