Introduction

AI search tools might be stealing top clicks, but your homepage is quietly getting stronger. New data shows a surprising traffic win.

What's the problem it solves?

Many companies are worried that AI search tools are reducing traffic to their websites. This article shows that while overall traffic might go down, traffic to homepages is going up-and that could be a good thing for conversions.

Quick Summary

As AI search tools like Google's AI Overviews and LLMs (large language models) grow in use, many websites are seeing fewer clicks from search results. But something unexpected is happening-homepage visits are rising. The author studied 50 websites and found that while full-site traffic dropped, homepage clicks went up by almost 11%, and sometimes even more for B2B companies.

This shift means users may be skipping top-of-funnel pages but are instead going straight to brand names or homepages, often after seeing brands mentioned in AI-generated content. That kind of traffic is more valuable, since visitors coming to the homepage are often closer to making a decision. For example, even if Mailchimp isn't always linked, people see the name and search for it, boosting branded traffic and, eventually, leads.

The study also found that B2B sites benefit more from this than B2C ones, likely because their users do more research. Companies that already had good homepage traffic or brand visibility are seeing the best results. This shows that having a strong brand and a useful homepage is more important than ever.

Key Takeaways from the article

• AI tools might reduce full-site traffic but are helping drive more visits to high-value pages like the homepage
• Homepage clicks rose about 11% overall, and up to 30% in some cases, despite a drop in total visits
• Users are now more likely to search for brand names after seeing them in AI search answers
• B2B companies seem to benefit more than B2C from this shift
• Companies with strong branding or AI strategies are gaining the most
• If you didn’t have homepage traffic before, this trend won’t change that
• Businesses should improve homepage design, messaging, and tracking
• It’s time to focus more on branded search, retargeting homepage visitors, and making homepage click-through rates stronger
• The SEO world needs to rethink what “success” looks like in an AI-first search era
• Tell leadership teams that the change in traffic isn’t bad-it’s different and can lead to better results if handled well

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