Why your website traffic is probably down

Website traffic is down for almost everyone. Go look at your own analytics. See if that’s true for you.

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In part, it's because search engines are providing AI answers instead of directing people to your website.

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Ahrefs reports that Google click-through rates are down 34.5% since AI results launched in May 2024. Further, the publication NonProfitPro reports that charity and nonprofit websites have experienced slower growth or declines in organic traffic since AI-powered search rolled out.

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It's also because third-party social platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook don't want you to divert people from their platforms to your website. So they won't show your post to many people if you add a link.

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Here's a few examples of what I mean.  

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What to do?

Rand Fishkin and Amanda Natividad over at SparkToro advise people to follow a “zero-click strategy” on social media. Their zero-click strategy means publishing valuable, complete content directly inside third-party platforms without requiring users to click through to your website to get value.

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This means on social media, if you want these platforms to show your post to more people, you’ll likely need to leave out links to your article, video, or blog post. You won’t get the click, but there’s a better chance you’ll stay top of mind among your followers. That’s just the new reality on social media.

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It’s a frustrating situation for those of us who rely on social media to get people to come back to our website so they can register or give a donation.

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The truth is your best bet is to build an email list and use it to keep people informed. You own that list, so treat it like gold.