How to Minimise the Damage of Zero-Click Search

Google is constantly working to improve the search experience. This great for consumers, but it is resulting in fewer clicks. As more and more searches end in an answer without requiring a click, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to approach organic SEO. Now, the zero-click revolution is also making analysis more complex. With a widening gap between search volume and click-rate, marketing your business with traffic in mind just got harder.

Zero-click searches aren’t going away, either. Already, research suggests that half of Google searches end with no click and as it stands, the search engine with the largest market share is working on expanding its repertoire even further. Time for a rethink, we think – of your targeting strategies.

Reworking your strategies

Now is a good time to sit back and take a good look at your content marketing and lead generation strategies. With the world still trying to get a handle on the novel coronavirus crisis, it could be the perfect time.

To try to minimise the zero-click impact on your content efforts, clear your head and plan a solid digital strategy. Deep analysis will be vital for this, to assess past and current business website performance, competitor comparisons and strong keyphrase research with a new focus.

Some businesses are seeing their SEO efforts wasted, but a fresh approach can help you get started in a new direction and heard amongst all the Google ‘noise’. Here are some of the things we’ve been supporting our clients with:

Strategic analysis and assessment

Analysis is arguably one of the most important aspects of content marketing. It helps to pinpoint the best opportunities and tracks the performance of your campaigns. Without continual analysis, time, effort and money can be quickly wasted.

Using new metrics in your strategic analysis, such as adding clicks-per-search, can help to identify opportunities to tackle zero-click search. Filtering your results can yield excellent insights – such as ranking position and those currently targeting featured snippets, for example.

One thing to remember is that strategic analysis is not a one-hit-wonder. To fully understand the performance of your efforts, analysis is key and the core value of your marketing strategy, whether you’re running paid campaigns or not.

Keyphrase research

Generic search terms are slipping down the priority list when it comes to working in a zero-click world. Today, simple keyphrases are not enough and long-tail is the way to go. These typically 4-6 word phrases are ranking higher in click-per-search analysis. Tightly focus your content creation around these search terms using SEO best practices.

Improving landing pages to tackle zero-click search

You may already have featured snippets. If you’re struggling with damage from zero-click search impact, try revisiting landing pages and optimising them. You closer you can feature the most precise information to the top, the better. Keep it strictly relevant and meet the search criteria to rank higher using your strategic analysis.

Can we help?

Here at J&L we know that deep analysis into the metrics isn’t for everyone. Getting SEO strategies right, especially at the moment, can take some head-scratching – even for the professionals. If you’ve experienced the impact of zero-click search, let us support you. We can review and assess your current content and strategies and guide you through – whether you produce your own content, or you’d like us to get involved there too. Talk to us during working hours or use the contact form to get in touch.

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