Search Traffic in Decline: Our Benchmarks Show How Publishers Can Respond

When it comes to search reach, publisher sentiment currently swings between reassurance (“We’re not seeing any major impact yet”) and panic (“Zero Search is definitely coming!”). Our Upscore benchmarks show:

Both positions have merit — but we should prepare for the second scenario.

The numbers from regional publishers are clear: since the summer, there has been a visibly significant decline in search traffic. For generic search, the drop is still within normal fluctuation ranges. So the statement “We’re not seeing any major effect yet” is accurate if you’re referring to generic Google traffic and looking backwards.

Things look far more dramatic, however, with Google Discover. After years of optimism, many publishers are now seeing sobering declines. Houses relying heavily on (partially) automated republishing are suffering in particular. This points to an algorithm adjustment on Google’s side. My personal assumption is that overall user interest in Discover may also be decreasing. This could be an indirect AI effect: if users enjoy the AI mode, there may simply be less screen time left for Discover.

For national publishers, we are not yet seeing a general decline in search shares in our Upscore benchmarks. But it’s worth looking at individual properties, where we’re seeing double-digit percentage drops in both Search and Discover traffic since the summer. Those with high dependency are suffering the most.

What are the counterstrategies? Better SEO — of course. Moving away from pure republishing for Discover is one option. Optimizing teaser images and headlines for user needs leads to higher CTRs. Headline testing will become indispensable.

Looking ahead over the next three to five years, however, I recommend a strategy that radically reduces dependency on search-driven traffic. Direct and internal traffic are the truly valuable sources.

Actively boosting direct and internal traffic is painstaking work — it requires a clear plan, expertise, and persistence. But it is possible. Radical user orientation — what we at Upscore call “Reader Loops” — is the royal road to more direct and internal traffic: understanding data as continuous user feedback and using it proactively in forward-looking editorial planning. Readers need a permanent, visible voice in our newsroom planning conferences.

The publishers we practice this with are among the few in the market who are seeing clear increases here, bucking the overall trend and reducing their platform dependency.

Joachim Dreykluft is Head of Data & AI Strategies at Upscore