Zero-click search

Featured snippets, knowledge panels and AI-generated summaries all end a search where it started. For a creator this changes what search demand is worth: a topic can carry heavy search volume while sending almost nobody anywhere. The trap is reading a flat click count as a ranking problem when impressions have held steady and the answer is being served upstream. Being the source that gets quoted still counts. A name repeated in answers still builds recognition with no click at all, and on this traffic that is the only lever you have.