If you've noticed over the past year that your Google rankings haven't dropped, but traffic to your site has decreased noticeably—it's not your website's fault. The search results page itself has changed.
What Happened
Google displays a generated response—the AI Overview—above the search results. Users read it and often don’t click anywhere else. According to industry research, in March 2026, this block appeared for approximately 48% queries, compared to 34.5% in December 2025 (Heroic Rankings).
The impact on websites is immediate. According to SISTRIX measurements, where an AI block appears, the click-through rate for the top position has dropped from 27% to approximately 11%. The share of searches that end without a single click is estimated at 58.5% (Triaza).
In other words, you can be in first place—and still lose half your traffic.
Who was affected the most?
The impact was unevenly distributed. Information queries—such as “how to,” “what is,” and “how long does it take”—saw the biggest drop. These are the ones the AI answers immediately and completely.
Commercial queries were less affected: when someone is looking for where to place an order, compare prices, or view past work, they still need to visit the website. An automated response cannot replace the process of selecting a contractor.
Practical conclusion: The article “What Is a Landing Page?” will attract fewer visitors today than it did last year. The page “Order a Landing Page with a Cost Estimate” will attract about the same number.
What should we do about this?
1. Focus on impressions, not just clicks
In June 2026, Google added visibility reports to Search Console in AI Overviews and AI Mode (Update Overview). If impressions are increasing but clicks aren't—people are reading your content in the search results without visiting your site. That's a different challenge than "we're not showing up."
2. Create pages that people need to visit
AI is good at paraphrasing definitions and step-by-step instructions. It cannot replace:
- case studies featuring specific projects and results;
- cost estimate for a specific task;
- portfolio, reviews, prices, terms of service;
- tools — calculators, collections, forms.
3. Write what is not in the model
Personal experience, statistics from real projects, analysis of mistakes, and local specifics. Paraphrasing other people’s articles no longer makes sense: the algorithm has already done it.
4. Don't leave out references in AI
Search Console has a toggle that removes a site from generative features. It looks like a way to “bring back traffic,” but it actually works the opposite way: when your site appears in AI Mode, you lose both impressions and clicks from that source. According to available estimates, sites cited in AI Mode receive about 35% more organic clicks than those displayed only below the block.
5. Diversify sources
A website that receives 90% in organic traffic is now more vulnerable than it was three years ago. Email newsletters, messaging apps, recommendations, local search results, and ads aren’t “replacements for SEO”—they’re insurance in case of the next algorithm update.
What does this mean for new websites?
If you're launching a website right now, relying solely on search is risky. A practical approach: pages optimized for commercial search queries, plus sources that bring people to your site outside of Google—customer referrals, links from websites you've built, local search results, and direct inquiries.
We covered the technical aspects of preparing for a search in a separate article: SEO for a New Website. And if you're already getting traffic but no leads, the problem usually isn't with Google—it's with the website itself: Seven places where the funnel flows through.
In Brief
Google is no longer just a list of links. Traffic from informational searches is declining and is unlikely to return. The winners will be websites that offer what an algorithm cannot convey: real work, concrete figures, tools, and clear terms of service.
Сайт, який виграє в такому пошуку, будується навколо реальних робіт, конкретних цифр і зрозумілих умов — саме так ми й розробляємо сайти. Calculate the cost of your project You can do it in three steps.
See also: найнаочніший приклад того, як ШІ забирає трафік у сайтів-донорів, — історія Stack Overflow.
Telegram