For every 1,000 Google searches in the United States, 232 clicks reach what SparkToro calls the open web, according to new data Taken from Similarweb’s clickstream panel.
The report, published by Rand Fishkin, co-founder of SparkToro, reveals that 68% of searches in the United States ended without any clicks between January and April. It is 2024 Reportbased on Datos data, separately reported 360 open web clicks per 1,000 Google searches in the United States.
What the numbers show
The data shows that post-search behavior goes one of three ways:
- 39% of searches end without further action.
- 29% lead to a new query in the Google search bar.
- 32% produce a click.
Of these clicks, 66% take searchers to pages on the open web, while 27% go to properties owned by Alphabet and Google surfaces, including YouTube, Maps and AI Mode. The remaining 6% is for paid advertising.
Compared to 2024 data, the share of searches that generated at least one click fell from 41% to 32%. The drop of 9.51 points represents a drop of 22%, the largest change among the metrics tracked. Searches leading to another search increased by 7 points over the same period.
Fishkin says the acceleration is mainly due to AI insights, citing data from Ahrefs on declining clicks. This data puts AI insights on more than 20% of searcheswith click-through rates nearly 60% lower when a site appears.
The direction matches other sources. Ahrefs is separated traffic tracker recorded an 8 point drop in Google’s share of traffic to these sites between June 2025 and May 2026.
Paid clicks represent a larger share
The share of paid clicks in all clicks increased from 1% in 2024 data to 6% in 2026.
Fishkin warns against reading too much into the jump. Datos’ 2024 panel featured a higher-than-average share of users running ad blockers, which hide or minimize search ads. The actual figure for wages paid in 2024 was likely higher, making the increase appear larger than it was.
How this matches Google’s claims
Google has spent the last year arguing that AI features aren’t draining useful traffic from websites. Vice President of Research, Liz Reid said organic click volume is “relatively stable” and that AI insights primarily remove “bounce clicks,” visits where users grab a fact and leave. Google has not released data supporting these two claims.
SparkToro data tracks clicks by search. Reid’s statements relate to total click-through volume, which can remain stable if query growth offsets a decline in click-through rate. Panel data shows that the rate per search is declining. Only Google can verify if the total volume is stable, which it is not.
About the data
Analysis uses Similarweb’s US desktop and mobile panel (January-April). SparkToro weighted the results as two-thirds mobile and one-third desktop. Fishkin says no-click behavior in the app is likely higher than in browsers, but searches in Google’s 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 year-to-year chart “a bit of apples and oranges.”
For the sake of transparency, SparkToro sells audience research software and Fishkin is publishing a book on zero-click marketing with co-author Amanda Natividad.
Why it matters
This report is a sign that traffic forecasts based on older click-through rates need to be revisited, and the figure of 232 per 1,000 gives you a concrete number for these conversations.
Fishkin writes that SEO is more important than ever: “it just won’t get you traffic like it used to.” Rather, he highlights categories that still benefit from SEO, such as branded searches, local businesses, and high-intent transactional queries, which he attributes to Cyrus Shepard’s analysis.
Looking to the future
AI mode is the variable to watch out for. That represented 0.34% of searches in that dataset, but Google says its usage has surpassed 1 billion monthly users and queries more than double each quarter.
SparkToro will release click-free figures for Europe, UK and Canada in the coming days. He plans to repeat the analysis in 6 to 12 months.
Featured Image: 78image/Shutterstock
