Zero-Click Searches: The Silent Killer of Your Website Traffic?

Last Updated on 4 August 2025 by Dorian Menard

Your website traffic is plummeting, and Google’s zero-click searches might be the hidden culprit.

With a staggering 65% of searches now ending without any website clicks, businesses across Australia are watching their hard-earned traffic vanish into thin air.

But before you panic, this article will show you exactly how leading Aussie companies are not just surviving but thriving in this new reality—including how a Sydney tech startup tripled their visibility despite losing 40% of their traditional search traffic.

What’s Nicking Your Clicks?

Google has become increasingly clever at serving up information directly in search results. Think of it as a helpful but overeager mate who answers your question before you’ve finished asking it. Here’s what’s happening:

• AI Overviews: Google’s AI now answers 28% of commercial queries directly on the SERP!
• Featured Snippets have become the star of the show, appearing as neat little answer boxes at the top of search results. When someone searches “how to make lamingtons,” they might get the full recipe right there in the search results, without ever clicking through to your carefully crafted food blog.
• Knowledge Panels are serving up quick facts faster than you can say “fair dinkum,” especially for businesses, celebrities, and common queries.
• Local Pack results mean your potential customers can find your trading hours, phone number, and reviews without ever visiting your website.

The Silver Lining

Before you chuck in the towel, there’s good news. While traditional website traffic might be dwindling, these zero-click searches present a unique branding opportunity.

Think of Google’s search results page as prime real estate—like having your shop front on the main street of town.

Smart Strategies for Aussie Businesses: Real-World Success Stories

1. Snippet Optimisation: A Perth Success Story

When one of our clients, a Perth-based health food retailer, saw their traffic drop by 35%, they completely restructured their content strategy following our guidance.

They created dedicated FAQ sections that directly answered common customer questions about organic certification and food sourcing and improved some important parts of their content to make them more NLP-friendly. The result?

While their click-through rate initially decreased, their brand visibility soared by 215%, and their in-store foot traffic increased by 19% as customers recognised them as industry experts.

Implementation Tips:

• Structure answers in 40-60 words at the top of your content
• Use clear headings that match search intent (e.g., “What is organic certification in Australia?”)
• Use the Google NLP tool or an LLM like ChatGPT to write NLP-optimised answers for your most important topics or sub-topics.
• Follow answers with detailed, value-added content that encourages deeper engagement

You can use the following prompt to make any content more NLP-fridenly:

"Create content strictly adhering to an NLP-friendly format, emphasizing clarity and simplicity in structure and language. Use straightforward subject-verb-object sentences, selecting precise words and avoiding ambiguity. Exclude filler content and focus on delivering information succinctly. Avoid complex or abstract terms such as 'meticulous,' 'navigating,' 'complexities,' 'bespoke,' 'tailored,' 'underpins,' 'ever-changing,' 'not only,' 'designed to enhance,' and similar phrases. This approach streamlines content for better NLP algorithm comprehension, ensuring the output is direct, accessible, and easily interpretable. While prioritizing NLP-friendly content creation (60%), also dedicate 40% of your focus to making the content engaging and enjoyable for readers, balancing technical NLP optimization with readability and value."

2. Local Legend Status: The Melbourne Café Chain

Another one of our clients from Victoria, a busy Café chain, transformed their Google Business Profile from a basic listing into a conversion powerhouse. Here is what they changed:

• Added menu item photos with Australian-specific descriptions (“Real Aussie brekkie with house-made Vegemite hollandaise”). For you foreign readers, yes, this is a thing.
• Created posts about local events and collaborations
• Responded to every review within 24 hours
• Added specific service area information for their coffee delivery service

The result? A 80% increase in foot traffic and a 30% boost in call-in orders, despite their website receiving fewer direct visits.

3. Content That Demands a Click: The Brisbane Example

When a Brisbane partner web agency saw their how-to guides getting cannibalised by featured snippets, they asked for help, and here is the strategy we came up with:

We pivoted to creating comprehensive, location-specific content that Google couldn’t easily summarise. Their piece on “Navigating Brisbane’s Digital Business Grants” generated 300% more clicks than their general guides because it offered specific, detailed information that couldn’t be condensed into a snippet.

Their Winning Formula:

• Focus on local case studies and examples
• Include downloadable resources and templates
• Add interactive elements that require website engagement
• Create content addressing uniquely Australian business challenges

Cherry on top: The article was providing in-depth data and listing quality sources and received a lot of traffic from top publications as well as digital PR links!

4. Video Rich Snippets: The Gold Coast Innovation

A Gold Coast’s Surf Club, facing declining clicks for product searches, implemented video-rich snippets for their product reviews. Their 60-second product preview videos, optimised for search results, led to a 150% increase in product page visits, as users wanted to see the full reviews after watching the previews in search results.

Youtube is currently one of the easiest ways to generate qualified traffic to your website or offer while improving the overall trust!

Beyond the Click

The game has changed, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Success in this new landscape means thinking beyond traditional traffic metrics. Your brand can still reach potential customers—it just might happen before they ever reach your website.

The Way Forward

As we navigate this shift, remember that visibility is the new currency. While your website might see fewer clicks, your brand could be reaching more eyes than ever before. The key is to adapt your strategy to this new reality.

Consider this: Would you rather have 10,000 website visitors who bounce immediately or barely convert, or have 100 people see your brand message directly in search results, with those who do click through or contact you, being genuinely interested in what you have to offer?

The zero-click phenomenon might seem like a traffic killer, but for savvy Australian businesses, it’s an opportunity to reimagine their digital presence. The question isn’t whether to adapt—it’s how quickly you can embrace this new normal.

Source:

1. SEMrush. “Featured Snippet Strategies (2024).”
2. SimilarWeb. “Mobile Search Engagement Trends (2024).”
3. Neil Patel. “Zero-Click SEO Guide.”
4. BrightLocal. “Local Search Best Practices.”