For every 1,000 U.S. Google searches, 232 clicks reach what SparkToro calls the open web, according to new data drawn from Similarweb’s clickstream panel.
The report, published by SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin, found 68% of U.S. searches ended without any click from January through April. Its 2024 report, based on Datos data, separately reported 360 open-web clicks per 1,000 U.S. Google searches.
What The Numbers Show
Data shows post-search behavior going three ways:
- 39% of searches end with no further action.
- 29% lead to a new query in Google’s search bar.
- 32% produce a click.
Of those clicks, 66% lead searchers to pages on the open web, while 27% go to Alphabet-owned properties and Google surfaces, including YouTube, Maps, and AI Mode. The remaining 6% goes to paid ads.
Compared with 2024 data, the share of searches that produced at least one click fell from 41% to 32%. The 9.51-point drop represents a 22% decline, the largest change among the metrics tracked. Searches leading to another search rose 7 points over the same period.
Fishkin argues the acceleration was driven mainly by AI Overviews, citing Ahrefs data on click-through declines. That data puts AI Overviews on more than 20% of searches, with click-through rates nearly 60% lower when one appears.
The direction matches other sources. Ahrefs’ separate traffic tracker recorded an 8-point drop in Google’s share of traffic to those sites between June 2025 and May 2026.
Paid Clicks Take A Larger Share
Paid’s share of all clicks rose from 1% in the 2024 data to 6% in 2026.
Fishkin cautions against reading too much into the jump. The 2024 panel from Datos had a higher-than-average share of users running ad blockers, which hid or minimized search ads. The true 2024 paid figure was likely higher, making the increase look steeper than it was.
How This Squares With Google’s Statements
Google has spent the past year arguing that AI features aren’t draining useful traffic from websites. VP of Search Liz Reid has said organic click volume is “relatively stable” and that AI Overviews mostly remove “bounce clicks,” visits where users grab a fact and leave. Google hasn’t published data supporting either claim.
SparkToro’s data tracks clicks per search. Reid’s statements concern total click volume, which can hold steady if query growth offsets a falling click rate. The panel data shows the per-search rate falling. Whether total volume is stable is something only Google can verify, and it hasn’t.
About The Data
The analysis uses Similarweb’s U.S. desktop and mobile panel (January-April). SparkToro weighted results as two-thirds mobile, one-third desktop. Fishkin says zero-click behavior in the app is likely higher than in browsers, but searches in the Google mobile app aren’t included
The 2016 and 2019 figures came from the now-defunct Jumpshot panel, the 2024 figures from Datos, and the 2026 figures from Similarweb. Fishkin calls the cross-year chart “a bit of apples and oranges.”
For transparency, SparkToro sells audience research software, and Fishkin is publishing a book on zero-click marketing with co-author Amanda Natividad.
Why This Matters
This report is a sign that traffic forecasts built on older click rates need revisiting, and the 232-per-1,000 figure gives you a concrete number for those conversations.
Fishkin writes that SEO matters as much as ever, “it just won’t earn you traffic the way it once did.” He points instead to categories that still benefit from SEO, such as branded searches, local businesses, and high-intent transactional queries, which he credits to Cyrus Shepard’s analysis.
Looking Ahead
AI Mode is the variable to watch. It accounted for 0.34% of searches in this dataset, but Google says usage has passed 1 billion monthly users, and queries are more than doubling each quarter.
SparkToro will publish zero-click figures for Europe, the UK, and Canada in the days ahead. He plans to repeat the analysis within 6 to 12 months.
Featured Image: 78image/Shutterstock
