Your Google traffic tanked. You're not alone. Thousands of local businesses watched their website visitors drop 30-60% this year, and they have no idea why.
Here's what happened: people stopped searching Google the way they used to.
In 2024, ChatGPT hit 200 million users. By 2025, AI search engines like Google's AI Overviews, Perplexity, and others became the default for millions of people. They're not clicking "I'm Feeling Lucky" anymore—they're asking Claude or ChatGPT directly.
Your plumbing company's website ranked #3 for "emergency plumber near me" on Google. That was great in 2023. But now? 40% of searches go straight to AI first. Your phone isn't ringing like it used to.
This is called the shift to AEO—that's AI Engine Optimization. And if you haven't heard of it yet, your competitors have.
First reason: Google's traffic is genuinely smaller now.
Google still dominates search—about 90% of searches still happen there. But that pie is shrinking. More people are going directly to AI chatbots. It's faster. You ask a question, you get a straightforward answer. No ads, no SEO spam, no clicking through five websites.
Second reason: your website isn't optimized for how AI reads it.
AI engines read your website differently than Google does. They're looking for direct answers, clear structure, and specific information. If your website is written for Google (lots of keywords, long-form content, internal links), but not for AI, you're invisible to this new wave of searchers.
Let's say someone in Omaha searches "how much does a dental crown cost?" On Google, your dental practice ranks well. But on ChatGPT? The AI might pull information from your competitor's website because their page is clearer, more scannable, and easier for the AI to understand.
AI engines need three things from your site:
Most local business websites have zero of these optimized for AI.
Your HVAC company's website might say "We've been serving the Dallas area for 20 years!" That's nice for humans. But for AI, you need your Google reviews pulled in, your certifications listed, your response time to emergency calls stated clearly, and your licensing information visible.
Step 1: Audit your site for AEO gaps.
You don't need to rebuild your website. You need to optimize it. Start by looking at what AI engines can actually "see" when they visit your pages.
Check your Google Business Profile. Is your phone number there? Your hours? Your customer reviews? If it's incomplete, AI will skip you. A law firm in Austin we worked with had their phone number wrong. AI engines couldn't call them, so they weren't showing up in AI recommendations at all.
Step 2: Make your content answer questions directly.
Don't bury the lead anymore. If your page is about "emergency plumbing services," the first line should answer the question directly: "We respond to emergency calls in under 2 hours, 24/7, at $X for the service call."
Then you can explain why you're great. But AI needs the answer first.
Step 3: Get your structured data in place.
This sounds technical, but it's not. Structured data is basically telling AI exactly what information is on your page and what it means. Your address isn't just text—it's marked as an address. Your phone number isn't just a link—it's marked as a business phone number.
Most website builders now have tools for this built in. If you don't know if yours does, ask your web person. If they say "What's structured data?" you might need to find someone who knows AEO.
Step 4: Build trust signals.
Pull your Google reviews onto your website. Add your certifications (your dental license, your HVAC license, whatever you have). List your team members by name. AI reads these signals and decides if you're trustworthy.
A dental office in Denver added photos of their dentist, their staff, and before-and-after photos of their work. Their AI recommendations jumped 40% in two months. It's not magic—AI just understood they were a real business with real people doing real work.
Right now, most local businesses are still sleeping on AEO. That's your window. If you optimize your site for AI in the next 6 months, you'll be ahead of 90% of your competitors in your area.
But this changes fast. By late 2026, AI search will be even more dominant. The businesses that adapted early will be the ones getting the phone calls.
The good news: you don't need to hire an agency or spend thousands. You need to understand what AI wants (clear answers, structured data, trust signals) and make sure your website delivers it.
First, check if your Google Business Profile is complete. That's free and it takes 15 minutes.
Second, ask yourself: if a ChatGPT user asked "Is this business local to me? Can I trust them? How much do they cost?" would your website answer all three questions in under 30 seconds?
If the answer is no, that's your problem.
Don't panic. This is fixable. But it requires a different approach than traditional SEO, and most local business owners don't know where to start.
Run your free AEO audit at citeddigital.co/audit. We'll show you exactly what AI engines see on your site right now, what's missing, and what's costing you traffic. Takes 10 minutes. No credit card. No sales call unless you want one.
Your competitors are already moving. Don't get left behind.
If you're seeing 20-65% drops on commercial-intent queries since 2024, yes — it's the AI Overview impact. Most local trades and DTC brands report this pattern even with stable Google rankings.
Check Google Search Console: queries that used to drive traffic but now show high impressions and low clicks are usually queries where AI Overviews are answering inline.
If you implement AEO fixes (schema, structured Q&A, E-E-A-T signals), you can recapture traffic by being cited inside the AI answer rather than buried below it. Most sites recover 40-70% of lost traffic within a quarter.
FAQPage schema with matching visible Q&A content on your top pages. 89% of small business sites are missing this. 10 minutes per page.
Both. AI search is taking share regardless of whether you optimize for it. The brands that adapt early get cited (and capture demand). The brands that don't become invisible.
Questions? Contact Connor