LLMs, AI Overviews may be quietly driving homepage traffic
Sitewide clicks are down, but clicks to homepages are up 10.7%. Your homepages may become even more valuable in AI search experiences.
Google’s AI Overviews and large language models (LLMs) have severely eroded clicks, click-through rates and organic traffic to websites. But a new Siege Media report may have found a silver lining: even if your sitewide traffic is down, your homepage may be increasing.
By the numbers. For the websites examined in this study, homepage clicks increased:
- Overall: 10.7%
- B2C: 8%
- B2B: 15%
Why we care. As the report put it: “The sky isn’t falling. It’s shifting.” Because homepage traffic tends to convert better, brands with strong visibility in AI Overviews and LLM-generated results can reap the rewards.
Yes, but. Not all brands win. If your website isn’t already getting homepage traffic, you still won’t. Non-brands and those reliant on non-branded traffic appear more likely to suffer. As the report put it: “If you weren’t a brand, this change hasn’t suddenly made you one.”
About the data. Siege Media analyzed six months of Google Search Console data from 50 national websites (28 B2B, 22 B2C). It compared homepage and sitewide traffic between the most recent three months and the prior three, to identify patterns emerging during a period of accelerated AI Overviews rollout and LLM changes.
The report. Homepage Traffic is Up 10.7% from AI Overviews and LLMs [50-Site Study] (No registration required)
Related stories
New on MarTech
About the author
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.