Research from SparkToro, published in June 2026 using Similarweb data, shows that 68.01% of US Google searches ended without a website click in the first four months of 2026. Google now provides answers directly on its search page, with AI Overviews appearing in over 20% of searches. When Google displays an AI overview, the click-through rate drops by almost 60%.
Fewer direct visitors to your website
Google answers more queries directly on its search page, so people click through to external sites less often. This makes attracting free organic traffic harder.
Imagine you run an estate agency in The Hague. If someone searches for property transfer tax rules, Google puts a summary directly at the top of the search results. The user reads the answer and leaves without ever visiting your website.
SEO still matters, though. According to the research, searches for brand names, local businesses and direct purchase queries still benefit from SEO. Google also relies on website content to feed its AI answers, so your information directly shapes what searchers see.
Practical steps you can take
Focusing only on driving website traffic yields lower returns than it used to. You can broaden your approach:
- Build brand awareness where your target audience spends time, such as LinkedIn, YouTube or specialist newsletters.
- Continue publishing clear answers on your website so Google uses your content in its AI overviews.
- Focus, with SEO for businesses in The Hague, primarily on local searches and users looking to buy directly.
Source: SparkToro
