Actionable insights to boost rankings, traffic, and conversions
The level of change is unusually high now and in recent weeks. Google rankings, AI-generated answers, keyword reporting, tracking systems, and the information sources used by AI platforms are all changing at the same time.
Google completed a worldwide search update between August 18 and August 21. Google officially calls it a “spam update,” but this does not automatically mean your website was penalized or accused of doing anything wrong.
It means Google changed how it evaluates and organizes search results. These changes can temporarily move keyword rankings, visibility, and traffic while the results adjust.
Google also confirmed a separate reporting problem affecting some AI Search and Discover data between August 13 and August 17. The missing information was later (theoretically) restored, but reports created during that period may have appeared lower than the actual results, causing weekly and monthly range averages to not show the correct data.
As most users are aware, Google stats/results/ranking positions usually take about 28-days to complete/recover
Google does not show every search phrase that brings someone to a website.
Some private, uncommon, or anonymous searches may be included in Google’s overall traffic totals but omitted from the individual keyword list. This means a report may show fewer clicks attached to named keywords while the website still receives additional visitors from Google.
For example, a keyword report may identify 60 visits, while the website’s traffic-source report shows 100 visits from unpaid Google Search. The additional visitors may be real even though Google did not reveal their exact search terms.
A decline in reported keyword clicks does not always equal the same decline in total website traffic.
This is why we must now review traffic sources, important landing pages, calls, forms, bookings, and sales—not keyword reports alone.
Some click losses are also genuine.
Google’s AI Overviews and other search features often answer a person’s question before they visit a website. A business may still appear in Google or be mentioned inside an AI answer but receive fewer website clicks.
Industry studies have measured click-through declines of approximately 58% to 61% for some searches displaying AI Overviews. Results vary by industry, keyword, search type, and time period, so this does not mean every business has lost 60% of its traffic. It does confirm that Google visibility no longer produces the same number of website clicks it once did.
/GOTO LINKS CAN DISRUPT TRACKINGGoogle is also placing a new google.com/goto redirect between some search results and the destination website.
Customers should normally still reach the correct website. However, automated keyword-ranking and reporting tools may temporarily see Google’s redirect instead of the website’s actual address. This can create missing positions, incorrect URLs, or unusual ranking changes while tracking providers adjust their systems.
This redirect is being added by Google. It is not a harmful redirect installed on your website.
Reddit and several major publishers are reconsidering how much information they provide to Google for AI use because AI-generated answers can reduce the number of visitors sent back to the original websites.
ChatGPT, Grok, Google, and other AI platforms do not all use the same search systems. They can also change which websites and sources they mention or cite. Recent reporting, for example, found a sharp change in how frequently ChatGPT cited Reddit, demonstrating how quickly AI visibility can move.
Google does not control ChatGPT or Grok, but all of these platforms operate within a rapidly changing online information environment.
Keyword rankings remain useful, but they no longer provide the complete picture. We are also reviewing:
This helps us separate a reporting problem from a real ranking loss, a decline in clicks, or an actual decline in leads and revenue.
Continue building authority. Publish useful, original information and consistently earn reputable backlinks and accurate business citations from local organizations, industry websites, media, partners, associations, and trusted directories. Avoid bulk or low-quality link programs.
Keep your Google Business Profile active. Add posts, photos, offers, services, and business updates regularly—weekly where practical. Keep hours and contact information accurate, ask real customers for honest reviews, and respond promptly and professionally to reviews. Google says complete information, reviews, replies, photos, and links can help a business stand out in local results. Business owners should also try to get reviews from places like Trustpilot, Yelp, Angie....
Focus on one or two social platforms. Consistent activity on the platforms your customers actually use is generally more effective than occasionally posting across many different platforms.
Create useful YouTube videos. Frequently asked questions, service explanations, demonstrations, testimonials, project examples, and local guides can attract new audiences. YouTube has its own search-and-discovery system, and properly optimized videos can also appear in Google Search results. Videos should be added to relevant pages on your website whenever appropriate.
Build traffic sources you control. Email newsletters, customer lists, referral programs, partnerships, repeat-customer communication, and direct website visits reduce dependence on any single search engine or AI platform.
Make every website visit count. Fast mobile pages, clear phone numbers, visible booking or quote buttons, simple forms, and accurate call and conversion tracking are more important than ever. Now is a perfect time to recheck your website to make sure all pages are optimized for SEO/GEO/AEO. Clean up, remove, and redirect old pages that have no traffic. Lastly, do NOT publish a bunch of website blog posts thinking it will help. Statistics show it is better to be lean and have great pages!
Google is NO longer placing keywords as the ranking factor. Over 70% of people are searching in a conversational format to explain their situation. Pages should be framed to handle situations by answering:
Maintain targeted Google Ads. Even a modest, properly managed campaign can help your business remain visible for important searches and replace some lost organic clicks. Advertising does not improve organic rankings, but it provides a separate source of measurable traffic and leads. Google AI is now directly using Google business listings by reviewing the services/products and the customer reviews to score how high a paid AD will show in results
Add an "Add us as a Preferred Source on Google" button. Recently, Google released a new site button option allowing website visitors to add a website in the Google users' preferences. When clicked, it is added to the user's Google profile preferences and increases your site's ability to show more often for the user. This function also signals to Google to pay more attention to your site.