Two things are happening to Google Search at the same time, and they are directly connected. First, 68.01% of Google searches in the US ended without a single click in the first four months of 2026, up from 60.45% in 2024, according to SparkToro's analysis of Similarweb clickstream data. Second, Google has started testing ad formats that live inside AI Mode's answers themselves rather than beside them, including Conversational Discovery ads, Highlighted Answers, and a Busines
