AI Search Just Killed Your Website Traffic

Something shifted in search results this year. Most business owners missed it.

I've been analysing traffic patterns for trades businesses across the UK, and the data tells a story that should concern anyone relying on Google for leads. Your website might rank perfectly. Your content might be excellent. But fewer people are clicking through.

The culprit? AI-powered search summaries.

The Click-Through Crisis

Research from Ahrefs examined 300,000 keywords and found something alarming. When Google's AI Overview appears at the top of search results, the click-through rate for the number one ranking position dropped from 7.3% to 2.6%. That's a 34.5% decrease in clicks to the top-ranked website.

For trades businesses competing in local markets, this represents a fundamental threat to lead generation.

BrightEdge data from May 2025 reveals the broader pattern. Search impressions increased by 49% year-over-year, yet clicks dropped by 30%. More people are searching. Fewer are visiting websites.

AI Overviews now appear in over 11% of search queries, up 22% year-over-year.

Zero-Click Reality

Here's the uncomfortable truth. By 2024, nearly 60% of Google searches in the US ended without a click. Users get their answers directly from AI-generated summaries on the search results page.

Zero-click searches are approaching 60% of all queries.

For plumbing companies, builders, and heating engineers, this creates a visibility paradox. You can rank well, appear in searches, and still generate no enquiries. The AI answers the question before anyone reaches your contact form.

What This Means for Trades Businesses

Traditional SEO metrics are becoming unreliable indicators of business performance. High rankings no longer guarantee traffic. Traffic no longer guarantees leads.

I've observed this pattern across multiple sectors. A heating company ranks first for "boiler replacement cost" in their area. The AI Overview displays price ranges and considerations. The searcher never clicks through.

The customer journey is being intercepted before it begins.

The Strategic Response

Google has integrated AI Mode data into Search Console, but it's blended with overall web traffic metrics. You can't isolate AI-specific performance. This opacity makes it difficult to understand exactly where your visibility sits.

For trades businesses, the practical implications are clear. Relying solely on organic search rankings is increasingly risky. The conversion gap between visibility and enquiry is widening.

The businesses adapting fastest are those treating AI search as a separate channel requiring different optimisation strategies. They're ensuring consistent information across trusted sources, structuring content to increase citation likelihood, and diversifying lead generation beyond organic search dependence.

Bottom Line

Your SEO strategy isn't broken. The game changed.

Trades businesses need to recognise that visibility and conversion are decoupling in AI-mediated search. Rankings matter less when users never leave the search results page.

The question isn't whether to adapt. It's how quickly you can adjust your lead generation strategy before the traffic decline becomes a revenue problem.