What Google's New AI Mode Ad Formats Mean as Zero-Click Search Hits 68 Percent

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 Business Agent that chats with users and pre-fills lead forms directly inside the ad unit.

Read together, these are not two separate trends. They are cause and effect. Fewer people are clicking through to websites because Google is answering more questions directly on the results page, and Google's response to that shift is building an advertising system that lives inside those answers instead of depending on the click that is disappearing.

What this piece covers:

• What the 68% zero-click figure actually measures and what it does not

• What Google's new AI Mode ad formats are and how each one works

• Why eligibility for these formats depends on content quality, not just bid amount

• What brands should actually do differently starting now

What Does the 68% Zero-Click Search Statistic Actually Mean

How Was This Number Measured and Where Does It Come From

The figure comes from SparkToro's June 2026 study using Similarweb clickstream panel data, covering US Google searches from January through April 2026. A zero-click search is any query where the user does not click through to an external website or a Google-owned property like Maps or YouTube, and the study counts follow-up searches within Google separately from that figure. The 68.01% result is up from 60.45% in 2024, a jump SparkToro describes as the steepest two-year increase since it began tracking this metric.

Does Zero-Click Mean the User Did Not Get an Answer

Not necessarily, and this distinction matters for how brands should read the number. A meaningful share of zero-click sessions are what researchers call satisfied sessions, where an AI Overview, a knowledge panel, or a featured snippet gave the user exactly what they needed directly on the results page. These are not lost opportunities in the traditional sense. They are moments where the brand simply was not the one Google chose to answer with, if it was cited at all.

Is AI Mode the Main Driver of This Increase

Not yet, based on the data available. SparkToro found that only 0.34% of searches transitioned into AI Mode specifically during the January to April study period, suggesting AI Overviews rather than AI Mode are the larger current driver of zero-click behaviour. However, Google has separately stated that AI Mode surpassed 1 billion monthly users and that its query volume is more than doubling every quarter, which means its share of this trend is positioned to grow substantially through the rest of 2026.

What Are Google's New AI Mode Ad Formats

What Is a Conversational Discovery Ad

A Conversational Discovery ad is an advertisement that Google's Gemini models generate in real time, built specifically around the exact phrasing and intent of a person's individual query rather than served as a static, pre-built creative asset. Google's own example describes someone searching for low-maintenance ways to make their home smell like a spa or a rainy forest, where Gemini generates ad creative addressing that specific mood and requirement rather than a generic fragrance advertisement. The format is currently being tested in the US on both mobile and desktop.

What Is a Highlighted Answer

A Highlighted Answer places an eligible ad directly inside an AI Mode list-style recommendation, the kind of response Google generates when someone asks for a ranked or curated set of options, such as the best language learning apps for an upcoming trip. Both Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers carry a clearly visible "Sponsored" label and are accompanied by an independent Gemini-written explainer that evaluates and describes the product or service alongside the paid creative, which Google frames as a transparency measure.

What Is Google's Business Agent for Leads

Business Agent for Leads replaces a static lead generation form with a Gemini-powered chat agent trained directly on an advertiser's own website, embedded inside the ad unit itself. Instead of filling out fields, a user has a live conversation with the agent, which can answer questions, provide guidance, and pre-fill lead information based on that conversation before the lead reaches the business. This format is already in open beta for US advertisers with English-language accounts.

What Is AI-Powered Shopping Ads

AI-Powered Shopping Ads go beyond a standard product listing by having Gemini write a custom explainer for why a specific product fits a specific search, using Google's own example of an espresso machine query where Gemini highlights which surfaced product is the best match and explains why. This format is expected to roll out more broadly across the US later in 2026.

How Do Brands Actually Qualify for These New Formats

Can a Brand Simply Outbid Competitors to Appear

No, and this is the single most important structural difference from traditional search ads. Eligibility for Highlighted Answers specifically depends on relevance and content quality, not bid amount, which means a brand cannot buy its way into an AI Mode recommendation list the way it could historically buy a top position with a higher cost-per-click bid. Strong, structured website content becomes a prerequisite for eligibility, not just an SEO nicety sitting alongside the ad strategy.

What Does This Change About What Advertisers Need to Optimise

Since Gemini is generating the actual ad creative per query rather than serving a static asset a marketer wrote in advance, the levers that matter shift toward structured product data, the diversity and quality of a brand's existing assets, and the quality of the landing page the ad eventually points to. A brand with vague, generic product descriptions will get vague, generic AI-generated ad creative, because the system is building the ad from what already exists rather than inventing new positioning on its own.

Why This Matters for Brands Beyond the US Market

Should Indian Brands Care About a Feature Currently Limited to the US

Yes, for the same reason every major Google Search change historically starts in the US and expands from there. Google has a consistent pattern of testing new ad formats domestically before extending them internationally, and brands that wait until a format reaches India specifically will be starting their optimisation process months behind brands that used the US testing period to prepare their content, product data, and creative assets in advance.

How Does This Connect to the Rise of Zero-Click Search Specifically

The connection is direct. As more search sessions resolve without a click, being cited or featured inside the AI-generated answer itself becomes the only way to capture that attention at all, whether through organic citation or through a paid format like Highlighted Answers. A brand invisible inside AI-generated answers is increasingly invisible for a majority share of searches, regardless of how much it spends on traditional click-based advertising, since traditional ads depend on a click that is structurally declining.

What Should Brands Do Right Now

The practical response has two parts. First, treat content structured for AI citation, in the way that supports GEO, generative engine optimisation, as a prerequisite for both organic AI visibility and eligibility for paid formats like Highlighted Answers, since Google has explicitly tied ad eligibility to content quality rather than bid alone. Second, audit product and service descriptions for specificity now, since Gemini-generated ad creative is only as strong as the underlying asset it is built from, and vague descriptions will produce vague, ineffective ads regardless of budget.

At Zutsu Media, our approach to SEO and GEO already treats structured, citable content as the foundation everything else builds on, which is exactly the discipline Google's new ad formats are now making a formal requirement rather than a best practice. If your brand's content and product data are not ready for a search environment where AI, not a link, is often the final answer, the conversation starts here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q)What percentage of Google searches end without a click in 2026?

A-68.01% of US Google searches ended without a click during the first four months of 2026, according to SparkToro's analysis of Similarweb clickstream data. This is up from 60.45% in 2024, a 7.56 percentage point increase that SparkToro describes as the steepest two-year rise since it began tracking the metric.

Q)What are Google's new AI Mode ad formats called?

A-Google introduced four new Gemini-powered ad formats at Google Marketing Live 2026: Conversational Discovery ads, which generate creative in real time based on a user's specific question; Highlighted Answers, which place eligible ads inside AI Mode list-style recommendations; AI-Powered Shopping Ads, which generate custom product explainers per query; and Business Agent for Leads, which replaces static lead forms with a live AI chat agent inside the ad.

Q)Can brands simply pay more to appear in Google's Highlighted Answers?

A-No. Eligibility for Highlighted Answers depends on relevance and content quality rather than bid amount, meaning a brand cannot outbid competitors into appearing the way traditional search ads work. Strong, structured website content is a requirement for eligibility, not an optional advantage.

Q)Are Google's new AI Mode ad formats available outside the US?

A-As of mid-2026, Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers are being tested only in the US on mobile and desktop, with no confirmed public rollout date. Business Agent for Leads is in open beta for US advertisers with English-language accounts. Google has historically expanded new ad formats internationally after US testing periods, so brands outside the US should expect these formats to arrive eventually rather than assume they are permanently US-only.

Q)Is AI Mode responsible for the rise in zero-click searches?

Not primarily, at least not yet. SparkToro's data found that only 0.34% of searches transitioned into AI Mode during the January to April 2026 study period, suggesting AI Overviews are currently the larger contributor to zero-click behaviour. However, Google has stated AI Mode surpassed 1 billion monthly users with query volume more than doubling each quarter, meaning its share of this trend is expected to grow significantly through the rest of 2026.

The Bottom Line

Zero-click search hitting 68% and Google building ad formats that live inside AI-generated answers are the same story told from two different angles. The click that advertising has depended on for two decades is structurally declining, and Google's response is building a system where being cited, whether organically or through a paid format like Highlighted Answers, matters more than ranking beside the answer ever did.

Brands that treat this as a US-only, future problem will spend 2027 catching up to competitors who used this testing window to get their content, product data, and creative assets ready for an advertising environment built around AI-generated answers rather than blue links.

If you want help getting your brand ready for what search advertising looks like now, talk to Zutsu Media.

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Written and reviewed by the Zutsu Media editorial team. Zutsu Media is a 360 degree marketing and production agency headquartered in Mumbai, working with brands across India and the APAC region across 18 plus industries. Published July 20, 2026.