If you’re like most businesses, you rely on digital marketing efforts to help grow your business. Whether this entails paid online ads, social media marketing, or creating content for SEO, you know that digital marketing is a lot of work.

Businesses have been using keyword strategies for SEO for years now, but a recent rise in no-click Google searches poses a potential threat to these digital marketing efforts. How do no-click searches work, and what do they mean for your business? Responsival—the expert in social media marketing Pittsburgh—is here to break it down for you.

What Are No-Click Google Searches?

Improved SERPs on Mobile Searches Allow for Fewer Clicks from Users

No-click Google searches are exactly what they sound like. When someone types a search term into the search box on Google, they find the information needed without ever having to click on a link or search result. No click searches now account for nearly half of all Google searches— with an even higher share of no-click searches coming from mobile devices. 

So what gives? The rise in no-click searches stems from two primary sources:

• Improved SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)
• Increased Mobile Searches

We’ve all seen this at work. We’ve googled simple questions like “what time does McDonald's stop serving breakfast?” or “how tall is Snooki?” and received our answer in a flash through a featured snippet. 

Featured snippets are boxed-off answers to your most common Google searches. They’re typically formatted as text, charts, videos, or lists. These snippets come as a result of Google trying to make its platform more user-friendly than ever before. Google isn’t alone in these efforts; Facebook and other social media sites have taken steps to provide a more valuable user experience across the board (sometimes at the expense of businesses and marketers).

These featured snippets on SERPs exist as a response to heightened mobile searches, too. As we evolve into an increasingly info-on-demand type of society, Google has to keep up with what makes mobile users happy: quick answers, large text, and fast load times. We can see by the frequency of desktop versus mobile no-click searches—34.4 percent and 62.5 percent, respectively—that mobile searches are the driving force for improved SERPs.

How Can my Business Keep Up With Evolving SERPs?

Create a Content Strategy Around Featured Snippets

While the introduction of featured snippets is good for Google and great for its users, it’s less than beneficial for search engine marketers. Websites are the cornerstone to an effective digital marketing strategy—and getting users to your site is half the battle. Before marketers using content in their SEO strategy jump ship altogether, rest assured that there are plenty of ways to play Google’s game.

Much like before, ranking in the top 10 on Google is the key to increasing clicks and making your way onto the featured snippet. But writing your content toward these high-volume searches involves a lot of keyword research and understanding of your audience. This can be a lot for a business owner to sort through, which is why Responsival—the leader in social media marketing Pittsburgh—specializes in content creation and SEO. We keep up with the biggest trends in content creation and evolving news (like the no-click epidemic) so your business can continue to grow.

One of the main ways to stand out on a SERP is to understand the search terms that your audience is looking for. Ahrefs recently released frequently used words (shown above) in featured snippets. Using information like this, content marketers tailor content and keyword in their industry to appeal to the featured snippets.

Market Locally on Your Google Business Listing

Another way to accommodate to mobile-friendly SERPs is to start treating your Google Business Listing (GBL) like an extension of your social media. On your GBL, people can see your contact information, hours, booking information, photos, and more. GBL click-through rates average around 5%, but oftentimes people look at your GBL just to see if your business is open, has social media, or is simply a real business. In other words, a GBL plays the game of the no-click epidemic.

It’s important to keep your GBL updated for this reason. But is there more you can do to make people take valuable actions on your GBL? As a result of the no-click trend, many businesses have started adding posts to their GBL on a regular basis. This way you can rope users in with valuable content without ever requiring a click.

The no-click epidemic will certainly continue to change the way we use Google. For help setting up your GBL or creating content that gets you closer to a featured snippet, get in touch with the leaders of social media marketing Pittsburgh at Responsival.