What is SERP, Zero-Click Searches, and why is it a serious threat to copyright?

Although traffic to websites may be increasing, visits from Google are often declining. The reason? Zero-click searches – searches where the user gets the answer directly on the SERP results page without clicking on the source.

SERP is a trend that takes traffic away from authors, but at the same time uses their content.

What are zero-click searches?

• Featured snippets: an excerpt from your page is displayed directly in the SERP.
• Knowledge panels: a combination of data from multiple sources, often without clear attribution.
• People also ask: questions and answers that summarize content from different authors.
• Quick answers: weather, conversions, definitions, ages of famous people.

Shocking statistics

In 2024, nearly 60% of all searches on Google ended without a click on the displayed source content. On mobile devices, the percentage is even higher—almost two-thirds of searches end on the SERP.

This means that authors lose most of their potential traffic, even though they created the content.

Zero-click searches (ZCS) take traffic and visibility away from content creators. Google SERP displays content without a source, and authors lose visits and credibility. Discover why this is a serious threat to creators.

Discovery and analysis

As an author, I notice that my traffic is statistically increasing, but visits from Google are falling. My content is used in SERP, where users see it but don’t come to my blog. Worse still, authorship is often obscured, and content is remixed so that it is not apparent that it comes from a single source.

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Why this is a problem

• Theft of copyrighted content: your work is being used without proper attribution.
• Loss of traffic: users stay on Google, and you lose visitors.
• Opacification of authorship: when content is combined, the actual author is obscured.
• SEO paradox: Google may tell you that you are not a relevant source, even though it displays your information in SERP.

What we can do

1. Awareness: authors must draw attention to this problem.
2. Traffic diversification: building an audience through social networks, newsletters, direct visits.
3. Own channels: use of RSS, readers, alternative search engines (e.g., SearXNG, YaCy).

The point

Zero-click searches have become a reality that takes traffic and visibility away from authors. Even though the content is being used, authors often get nothing out of it—no visits, no authorship. This is a serious threat to creators that requires discussion and solutions.

Not only Google SERP, but everywhere AI is present – Baidu stands out brutally – it swallows authors’ content, displays it without attribution, pre-mixes authorship, and at the same time takes away traffic.

FAQ

What does the acronym SERP mean?

Search Engine Results Page.