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Since Google launched AI Overviews, the average website has lost around a third of its organic traffic. Last week, the UK’s competition regulator issued a world-first legal order and conduct requirement, and within hours, Google announced changes that promised more links and more data for website owners.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruling on Google’s AI Overviews is being treated as a turning point for search marketers everywhere. So does this mean your organic traffic is finally coming back?
Tim Cameron-Kitchen, Founder of Exposure Ninja, gives the honest answer: probably not. But that’s not the whole story, and one Exposure Ninja client just proved it by posting their best-ever month of organic revenue, while their competitors keep declining.
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Why Publishers are Losing Traffic to Google AI Overviews
Two-thirds of all Google searches now end in a zero-click search. That’s the scale of the problem facing every publisher, or website owner, right now.
As Tim Cameron-Kitchen puts it, “Everybody’s a loser, but it’s the smaller websites that are being hit hardest.”
So if your business gets fewer than 10,000 daily page views, you’re in the group losing the most, around 60% of search traffic. Medium publishers are down 47%, and even large publishers have lost 22%. Nobody is exempt from this shift.
There’s been some really well-publicised examples like HubSpot, where their organic traffic has gone from a high of 24 million a month to fewer than four million a month. That timeline coincides with Google rolling more AI into its search results.
What the CMA’s Ruling Actually Changes
Google’s near-total grip on UK search is exactly why the CMA designated it as having strategic market status back in 2025. That status gives the regulator real teeth.
Tim Cameron-Kitchen breaks down that Google is now required to properly attribute publisher content using clear links in AI-generated results, which means more links in AI Overviews.
As Tim Cameron-Kitchen puts it, “it’s no longer enough for Google to just show clicks from traditional search without splitting out what’s happening in AI Overviews.”
What this means: Google must now give publishers clearer engagement data and proper attribution inside AI-generated results, not just the traditional ten blue links. This is the first time a regulator has forced this level of transparency from Google anywhere in the world.
Why Old Traffic Levels Still Won’t Come Back
Search Console has finally added a generative AI performance report, but it only shows impressions, not clicks or average position. That gap isn’t an accident.
Tim Cameron-Kitchen explains why Google is holding back: “Even if Google did sort of cripple its own AI Overviews and force people to go to websites to get that information instead, those people would just move over to ChatGPT, and you’re definitely not gonna get that traffic or that data from ChatGPT.”
What this means: Google has to report back to the CMA every six months, so expect more visibility data over the coming months. But don’t plan your marketing strategy around traffic volumes returning to pre-AI Overviews levels. As Tim Cameron-Kitchen puts it, “that old organic traffic level is not coming back.”
The Client Losing Traffic, But Having Its Best Ever Month
Here’s the part most marketing managers find hard to believe: less traffic can mean more revenue, and Exposure Ninja is proving it right now with a financial education client.
Tim Cameron-Kitchen shares the numbers: “They’ve just had their best-ever month from organic traffic revenue. They’re making more from their organic traffic than they’ve ever made before.”
This client’s traffic is down between 9% and 28% year-on-year (YoY), far better than competitors losing between 44% and 61%, because Exposure Ninja has increased their visibility in both traditional and AI Search. Despite this traffic drop, the average order value is up over 13% YoY, and their brand is being mentioned 240% more in AI answers than six months ago.
The research and learning phase that used to happen on a business’s website is now happening inside AI tools instead. Fewer people may land on the site, but the ones who do have already done their homework, and they buy more.
If you want help improving your visibility in both Google and AI Search, and turning that visibility into leads and revenue, book a consultation call with the team at Exposure Ninja. We’ll show you exactly how your business is showing up in traditional and AI Search results, and build you a roadmap to turn more of that visibility into sales.
