What is zero-click search?
Zero-click search is a search that resolves the question on the results page, so the person does not need to open a website. Featured snippets, knowledge panels, and AI answers can all produce that outcome. The search still happened. The visit may not.
Why it matters for AI visibility
AI visibility and website traffic are different measurements. A cited brand can be recommended in an AI Overview or a chat and receive no session, because the buyer got the shortlist without clicking. Zero-click search matters because teams that only watch analytics will undercount influence and misunderstand a drop in clicks. It does not mean clicks are worthless, or that every AI answer prevents a visit. Some people click the citation, and some prompts are research that ends in a later branded search. Report three things side by side: whether you were mentioned, whether a page was cited, and whether analytics shows a referral. Do not invent a ratio between them. Use zero-click as a description of the interface, not as a claim that search traffic has a particular percentage left.
Example
A searcher asks Google for the difference between two plan types. An AI Overview explains the difference and cites your pricing page. The searcher stops there. Your server logs no visit. You were cited in a zero-click result. That is a visibility event and not a session.
Related terms
AI Overviews and answer engine optimization are common ways a zero-click result is produced. AI referral traffic is the opposite observation: a visit that did occur and was attributed to an AI product. Track both so a missing click is not read as a missing citation.