Published: July 24, 2025 | For Veterinary Practice Owners
Picture this: A pet owner searches “signs of heartworm in dogs,” and Google immediately displays symptoms, treatment options, and prevention tips right in the search results. They get their answer without ever clicking on your veterinary website. Convenient for the pet owner, but what about your practice that created educational content to attract new clients?
Welcome to the era of zero-click search—a fundamental shift that’s quietly revolutionizing how pet owners find veterinary information online and forcing veterinary practices to completely rethink their digital marketing strategies.
What Zero-Click Search Means for Your Veterinary Practice
A zero-click search occurs when pet owners get the information they need directly from Google’s AIO (AI Overview) search results page without clicking through to any veterinary website. Google extracts and displays answers prominently, answering pet owners’ questions before they ever visit your practice’s website.
This is a big change from Google’s original search model, which worked by passing on referral traffic to third-party sites. Google is getting better at creating zero-click searches, and that means that websites get fewer and fewer clicks in search.
According to recent data, zero-click searches now account for over 65% of all Google searches—and veterinary-related searches are no exception. This means that nearly two-thirds of pet owners searching for animal health information, emergency care guidance, or local veterinary services never click through to a practice website.
How Zero-Click Search Appears in Veterinary Searches
Pet owners encounter zero-click results in various formats when searching for veterinary information:
Featured Snippets for Pet Health Questions
These answer boxes appear at the top of search results for queries like:
- “How often should I deworm my puppy?”
- “What foods are toxic to cats?”
- “Signs my dog needs emergency care”
- “When to spay a female dog”
Local Pack Results for Veterinary Services
Map-based results showing nearby veterinary practices with reviews, hours, phone numbers, and driving directions—perfect for “emergency vet near me” or “animal hospital open Sunday” searches.
Knowledge Panels for Veterinary Practices
Information boxes displaying your practice details, including:
- Hours of operation
- Phone number and address
- Services offered
- Patient reviews and ratings
- Photos of your facility
Instant Answers for Pet Care Calculations
Direct results for searches like:
- “Dog vaccination schedule”
- “Cat feeding calculator”
- “Pet medication dosage calculator”
- “How much should my dog weigh?”
Rich Snippets for Veterinary Services
Enhanced listings showing:
- Service pricing ranges
- Appointment availability
- Specialty certifications
- Emergency services indicators
Why Pet Owners Embrace Zero-Click Search
Urgent Care Situations
When a pet owner’s animal is in distress, they need immediate answers. Zero-click results provide instant guidance for questions like “is chocolate poisoning an emergency?” without the delay of clicking through multiple websites.
Mobile Searching While at the Vet
Pet owners often search for information on their phones while in your waiting room or at home with a sick pet. Quick answers without navigating away from search results feel more convenient on mobile devices.
Information Gathering Before Appointments
Many pet owners research symptoms, treatments, and costs before calling to schedule appointments. Zero-click results help them gather preliminary information quickly.
Emergency Triage
Late-night searches like “dog ate chocolate what to do” or “cat not eating for 3 days” often need immediate, actionable answers that featured snippets can provide.
Have SEO or GEO Questions? Cheshire Can Help
Credibility and brand trust are increasingly important in AI-driven search, especially for a veterinary practice. Cheshire’s proven SEO and GEO strategies can help your practice appear in and achieve credibility within the AI Overview to reduce “missed opportunities”. Without optimization, your hospital will be invisible when people search urgent, high-intent queries like:
- “emergency vet near me open now”
- “cat vaccinations cost [city]”
- “puppy wellness plan in [city]”
Competitors who ARE optimized may appear in the AI Overview, winning calls and visits that could have gone to you. Contact us today to receive a free AI overview report and to learn more about how our GEO services can improve your practice online.