AXIOS (Jim VandeHei) - Publishers are losing Google traffic as AI answers replace links
The way your work shows up in a digital-dominated world is changing lightning fast, starting with the total collapse of Google Search traffic. Why it matters: Google has basically stopped sending people to websites (including our site) for answers and information. Instead, it's using AI to answer them on its platform, in its words. - Chartbeat data shared with Axios shows Google Search traffic to publishers fell 34% over the past year. - That pain is regressive. Over the past two years, small publishers lost 60% of referrals from search overall, medium publishers 47%, large publishers 22%. - This is a gut punch to all of us who operate online because people who search arrive with specific needs and intent, so they tend to be more…