Optimixed Search News

Ziff Davis Says Organic Google Referrals Fell Again, Pointing to Search Console's AI Report

By Eric Mandell
62
News

TLDR

Publisher Ziff Davis says organic Google referrals fell again, around 37%, and points to Search Console's AI report as part of the evidence.

Context:6 closely related earlier stories since September

Optimixed Overview

Optimixed's original report on this story.

Ziff Davis says organic Google referrals fell again and points to Search Console's AI report as the basis for its view. As Search Engine Journal reports, the piece also explains what Ziff Davis's AI impressions comparison measures.

How we got here: earlier coverage

On October 30, Reddit said its search referrals were falling and pointed to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and it began testing a login-only mode. On November 6, Ziff Davis reported losing 37% of its Google search traffic in a year, with Google's AI answers citing its sites 2.7 billion times while sending back far fewer clicks. Then, on November 9, a site that had opted out of Google's AI features estimated that AI Overviews and AI Mode accounted for about 21% of its clicks. Now, Ziff Davis says its organic Google referrals fell again, by around 37%, and points to Search Console's AI report as part of the evidence.

Summary of earlier coverage

  1. Nov 7
    Ziff Davis Loses 37% of Google Referrals as USA Today Co. Cuts $100m in Costs

    Ziff Davis lost 37% of its Google referrals, USA Today Co. cut $100m in costs, Teads wrote off goodwill, and Meta and Google sued California over feeds.

  2. Nov 6
    Ziff Davis Google search traffic falls 37% in a year as AI answers cite its sites 2.7bn times

    Ziff Davis lost 37% of its Google search traffic in a year as Google's AI answers cited its sites 2.7 billion times while sending back far fewer clicks.

  3. Oct 30
    Reddit Says Search Referrals Are Falling and Its CEO Points to Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, as It Tests a Login-Only Mode

    Reddit says its search referrals are falling and CEO Steve Huffman points to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, while Reddit tests a login-only mode.

  4. Sep 24
    Google Search and Discover traffic to publishers dropped 40% year-over-year, while direct and internal traffic grew

    Publisher traffic from Google Search and Discover fell 40% year-over-year, according to new reporting.

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