Ziff Davis Says Organic Google Referrals Fell Again, Pointing to Search Console's AI Report
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.
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
- Nov 7Ziff 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.
- Nov 6Ziff 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.
- Oct 30Reddit 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.
- Sep 24Google 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.