TLDR: B2B and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketers are at the forefront of adapting to the ‘zero-click’ search phenomenon, where users find answers directly on search engine results pages (SERPs) without visiting websites. This shift, driven by AI Overviews and other instant answer features, is significantly impacting traditional marketing funnels, leading to declining click-through rates and necessitating urgent strategic evolution for brands heavily reliant on search.
The digital marketing landscape is undergoing a profound transformation as ‘zero-click’ search becomes the new normal, placing B2B and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketers squarely on the frontline of adaptation. This emerging reality, characterized by search engines providing immediate answers directly on the results page through features like AI Overviews, featured snippets, knowledge panels, and ‘People Also Ask’ sections, is fundamentally altering how brands connect with their audiences.
Recent data underscores the magnitude of this shift. According to WordStream’s March 2025 research, nearly 65% of Google searches now conclude without a click, with this figure soaring to over 75% on mobile devices. Further studies from January 2025 by SparkToro indicated that only 36% of Google searches in the US resulted in a click to an external website, while CLICKVISION’s March 2025 analysis confirmed 55% of global Google searches are now zero-click.
For B2B and DTC brands, which traditionally lean heavily on organic and paid search to drive customer acquisition, the implications are significant. Jen Jones, CMO at B2B commerce SaaS firm Commercetools, revealed to Digiday that the company’s click-through-rate (CTR) had plummeted by 20% since November 2024, directly attributing this decline to Google’s AI Overviews. While conversions remained stable, Jones noted that the lost traffic represented customers at the earliest stages of the sales process, signaling a fundamental alteration of the marketing funnel. This sentiment is echoed by Bain & Company’s March 2025 research, which found B2B search CTRs falling by as much as 30% in some categories, such as B2B software.
Business travel company Amex GBT, for instance, has historically relied heavily on paid search for lead generation due to its lengthy B2B buying journey. Alisa Copeman, CMO of Amex GBT, acknowledges the urgent need to ‘evolve, as with everybody else, our search strategy’ in response to this changing dynamic. Geert Eichhorn, executive innovation director at Monks, starkly summarized the situation, stating that zero-click search is ‘totally collapsing the user journey,’ making actions to secure search rankings ‘existential’ for advertisers.
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In response, marketers are developing new strategies to maintain visibility and engagement. Key approaches include optimizing content for direct answers within SERP features, investing in brand authority to increase the likelihood of content being cited in AI-generated summaries, and making content modular for versatile use across various platforms. The adoption of structured data and schema markup is becoming crucial for better indexing and appearance in knowledge panels and featured sections. Furthermore, marketers are focusing on capturing first-party data earlier in the customer journey and tracking metrics beyond traditional clicks to gauge success. The shift also highlights the importance of multichannel marketing, with Straits Research indicating that in 2025, 67% of B2B marketers are incorporating infographics and 62% are adopting interactive content to drive engagement, alongside a resurgence in integrating print marketing with digital campaigns.
