Odds are, your website traffic is down this year.

Your website analytics may look different this year

As we are having our year end discussions we have noticed that many organizations have had less traffic than previous years, even when they are doing all the right things. What are the reasons for this, and why does it feel so widespread for many organizations right now? We have had a few clients ask about this, so we wanted to write something that speaks to those questions.

What we are seeing in the data

Across many industries, lower traffic is common this year. It shows up most clearly in organic search.

A recent analysis of B2B sites found that about 73 percent of B2B websites lost organic traffic between 2024 and 2025, with an average decline of about 34 percent year over year source.

A 2024 zero click study reported that for every 1,000 Google searches in the United States, only about 360 clicks went to websites outside Google source.

Search Engine Land reported that in March 2025 only about 40.3 percent of U.S. Google searches led to any organic click, down from 44.2 percent in March 2024. In the same period, zero click searches rose from 24.4 percent to 27.2 percent source.

Studies of Google AI Overviews show that for informational queries which display AI Overviews, organic click through rates have fallen by about 61 percent since mid 2024. Even on queries without AI Overviews, organic click through is lower than last year source.

News and content heavy sites have been hit hard. A report based on Similarweb data found that the top news sites saw traffic from Google drop from over 2.3 billion visits per month in mid 2024 to under 1.7 billion in May 2025 source.

For a typical site that relies on Google, it is very common right now to see organic traffic in one of these ranges:

Mild impact, down about 5 to 10 percent year over year
Moderate impact, down about 10 to 25 percent
Heavy impact, down 30 percent or more, especially for content heavy sites

If your own numbers sit in those ranges, you are not alone.

Why traffic is down even when you do the right things

AI Overviews change user behavior

AI Overviews pull in content from many sites and present a summary at the top of the page. When they appear on informational queries, users often read the summary and move on.

Research shows that organic click through rates on queries with AI Overviews have dropped by more than half since mid 2024 source. Even on queries without AI Overviews, organic click through has fallen. In other words, people click fewer blue links across the board.

Sites that are cited inside AI Overviews can still gain visibility and clicks, but the total pool of clicks is smaller than it used to be.

Core updates and quality filters

Google shipped several large core updates in 2024 and 2025 that focused on low quality and unoriginal content. Sites with thin, overlapping, or generic content often saw declines.

You tend to see this when:

Traffic drops sharply around known update dates that SEO publications report
The pages that fall are short, very similar to each other, or written mainly for search engines

Shifts in where people search

People do not only start with Google anymore. Some product research and early stage questions now start on marketplaces, social platforms, or AI tools.

That means fewer searches for some topics even reach Google. If your content depends on those early discovery searches, you can see less traffic even when your rankings hold.

Analytics and tracking changes

Not every drop is a demand problem. Sometimes the measurement changed.

Common issues include:

Differences between old Universal Analytics and GA4 setup
New cookie consent banners that reduce the number of tracked visits
UTM tags that were added or removed on email and paid campaigns

Before you treat a drop as a traffic problem, it is worth checking that you are counting visits in a consistent way.

Real site specific problems

Broader trends can hide local issues on a site.

Examples include:

Slower page speed, especially on mobile
Lost backlinks from important industry or local sites
Weak internal linking after a redesign
Old content that no longer matches search intent

How to tell if you are seeing a trend or a problem

When we look at client data, we ask a simple question. How much of this is the tide, and how much is our own boat.

You can use this checklist.

Look at impressions and clicks in Google Search Console year over year.
- If impressions are down and average position is worse, that points to ranking loss or lower demand.
- If impressions are flat or up, but clicks and click through rate are down, that fits the zero click and AI Overview pattern.
Separate branded from non branded search.
- If branded search is stable, but non branded is down, the issue is usually algorithms, search result features, or competition.
- If branded search is also down, demand for your brand may be softer, or users may be coming through direct, email, or social instead.
Compare device and country trends.
- If mobile is hit harder than desktop, check page speed, mobile layout, and Core Web Vitals.
- If certain countries are down more, consider local economics or new competitors.
Map losses to content types.
- FAQ and quick answer pages are often hit hardest by AI Overviews and rich results.
- Product, service, or lead focused pages may hold up better if they match strong intent.
Audit your analytics setup.
- Confirm that events, conversions, and filters match the way you report now.
- Check that tracking tags fire on key pages and forms.

What you can do about lower traffic

The goal is not only to return to an old traffic number. The search environment has changed. The better goal is to stay visible and keep getting the right visitors and leads.

Target searches where a click still matters

Focus on topics where users need depth, comparison, or local context, not just a one line answer.

In depth guides that help with complex decisions
Industry specific use cases and case studies
Local or niche topics where generic summaries are weak

Publish content that shows real expertise

Content that reflects real experience and authority tends to hold value over time.

Share case studies, processes, and examples from your own work.
Add bylines and short bios to key articles.
Update important pages with new data and clear examples.

Improve your odds of being cited in AI Overviews

You cannot control AI outputs, but you can make it easier for systems to trust and reference your pages.

Use clear headings and lists to answer common questions.
Mark up important pages with schema where it fits your content.
Match content closely to the intent and language of your target queries.

Strengthen brand and direct traffic

If fewer people click from Google, your brand and your owned channels matter more.

Grow your email list and send useful content on a steady schedule.
Share content on platforms where your audience already spends time.
Encourage people to search for you by name and to bookmark key pages.

Fix the basics on your site

Technical issues make every other effort less effective.

Improve page speed and Core Web Vitals.
Clean up crawl errors and fix broken links.
Check redirects after any redesign or migration.
Use internal links to highlight your most important pages.

Measure results, not just sessions

Traffic matters, but leads and sales matter more.

Track form fills, calls, signups, and purchases.
Report on which channels and pages drive those outcomes.

That way, even if total traffic is down, you can see whether the visitors you have are more qualified and valuable.

What this means for your organization

If your traffic is down this year, you are not alone, and it does not always mean you did something wrong. Some of the change comes from how people search and how Google presents answers.

The key steps are simple.

Understand how much of your drop matches broad trends.
Find site specific issues you can fix.
Shift your strategy toward content and channels that still bring the right visitors.

If you would like help, we can review your traffic and search data with you, compare it to these broader patterns, and outline a practical plan for next year.