Today’s Marketing

What to do when Google traffic drops

Stop waiting for search to come back and build paths you own. On November 6, 2026, Ziff Davis said Google referrals to its sites fell 37 percent in the third quarter and that it is not planning on a search recovery. Measure AI appearances apart from clicks, fix the pages that sold, then grow email and tools.

Updated · By Blake Emal

Six moves for this week

  1. Compare appearances with clicksOpen Search Console and put how often you show up next to how often people click. Ziff Davis found its content in AI Overviews and AI Mode about 2.7 billion times, close to ten times its clicks from Google Search.
  2. Start with the pages that soldSort pages by lost clicks, then keep only the ones that brought signups or sales. Fix those first. A page that lost visits but never sold can wait.
  3. Put the short answer at the topAnswer the question in the first lines of each key page. Framer's Framer vs Webflow page has a section called the short answer, and that is the kind of line AI answers quote.
  4. Turn every search visit into a subscriberAdd one email signup to each page that still gets search visits. A list reaches the reader the next time Google keeps the click. Chargebee opens its newsletter with a question readers already ask.
  5. Build one free tool people come back toAhrefs gives away a backlink checker with one input and one button. A tool gives people a reason to come straight to you instead of searching again.
  6. Report reach and visits on separate linesShow your team AI appearances as one number and sessions as another, so fewer clicks is not read as fewer people seeing you. Ziff Davis is moving toward email, apps, video and social commerce for the same reason.

Where to put the time

PathWhat you ownHow to measure it
Google SearchNothing, you rent the clickClicks and signups from search
Short answers on key pagesThe line AI tools quoteAI appearances in Search Console
Email listA way to reach the reader againSignups per page and replies
Free toolA page people return to on their ownDirect visits and repeat use
Video and socialAn audience on each platformProfile visits and clicks to your site

Where do these numbers come from

  1. PPC Land: Ziff Davis loses 37% of Google traffic as publishers count the AI bill, Nov 7, 2026
  2. Search Engine Roundtable: small AI Overviews opt out test, Oct 30, 2026
  3. Today's Marketing news: Ziff Davis Google referrals fall 37 percent as AI Overviews take the clicks

Which real examples show it

Give the short answer up front
Framer

1. Give the short answer up front

A direct, fair answer at the top is the line AI answers lift, and it earns trust from buyers who already know both tools.

  1. Answer which tool fits whom in the first lines
  2. Admit where the rival wins
  3. Add a short answer section people can quote

Full breakdown · Source

Check the page search visitors still land on
Open the landing page grader

What else do people ask

Why is my Google traffic dropping when I still show up

AI Overviews and AI Mode can answer the question on the results page, so you appear and get fewer clicks. Ziff Davis saw its content appear about 2.7 billion times in those features, close to ten times the clicks it got from Google Search.

Will Google traffic come back

Nobody can promise it will. Ziff Davis, which owns CNET, IGN and PCMag, told analysts on November 6, 2026 that it is not planning on a search recovery. Plan as if it stays down and treat any return as a bonus.

Are AI Overview appearances worth anything

They are brand exposure, so count them on their own line. PPC Land noted that appearances and clicks are not a clean comparison, and Ziff Davis did not share its click total.

Should I opt out of AI Overviews to protect my clicks

Test before you do. In one small test, Cyrus Shepard opted a site out of AI Overviews and AI Mode, and its regular organic clicks dropped too. It is one site, so treat it as a signal, not proof.

What should I fix first

The pages that brought signups or sales. Put the short answer at the top, add an email signup and make the next step clear. Then build one thing you own, like a list or a free tool.

Bring Blake the pages that lost traffic

50 minutes on Google Meet. We pick the pages that sold, rewrite the top of one together and plan the email or tool that replaces the lost clicks. You leave with it in a doc. $499.

Book my call

Related answers

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