The click drop: What's really happening to Local Traffic

Search has changed, and so have clicks

If you’ve noticed your website traffic dipping even though your rankings haven’t moved, you’re not alone.

Across the UK, businesses are seeing lower organic click-through rates (CTR) especially in local results.

Here’s why:

• AI Overviews and SGE (Search Generative Experience) now display full answers directly in search results.
• Zero-click searches mean users get what they need without ever leaving Google.
• Map packs, review panels, and product snippets claim the top half of the screen.

In short: the click isn’t gone, it’s just happening elsewhere. The way customers discover you has changed.

Local businesses feel the impact most

For small businesses in places like Exmouth, Sidmouth, or Bovey Tracey, the problem isn’t visibility it’s engagement.

People still see your brand, but they interact through AI assistants, GBP listings, and “see more” buttons, not necessarily by visiting your website.

Three Devon-specific impacts:

• Local pack compression: Fewer visible map results mean only well-optimised profiles appear.
• AI answers citing local entities: ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini now quote structured data sources.
• Reduced ad ROI: Even PPC click-through rates are falling if search intent is informational.

Winning visibility in 2025 means being Machine-Readable

The old playbook of keywords and backlinks isn’t enough.

Modern visibility depends on machine understanding, not just human attention.

The new essentials:

• Entity-rich copy: Name your business, locations, and services consistently across your site.
• Schema markup everywhere: Use LocalBusiness, FAQ, Service, and Article schema on every page.
• Answer-first formatting: Lead paragraphs that directly answer a query (great for AI snippets).
• Performance and trust signals: Core Web Vitals, reviews, and accessibility all influence which results appear in AI and map packs.

Take these three steps to recover Lost Clicks

Here’s a clear three-step plan to get your clicks and conversions back:

• Run a visibility audit: Identify where you appear in search, maps, and AI Overviews and where you don’t.
• Update your schema and entities: Make sure your site describes what you do, where you do it, and for whom in structured data and copy.
• Rebuild your local signals: Refresh Google Business Profile, add seasonal photos, encourage new reviews, and update services and hours before Christmas.

Measure engagement, not just Ranking

Track more than rankings.

Monitor:

• Impressions vs. clicks in Search Console (the CTR gap shows where AI steals traffic).
• GBP insights for calls, direction requests, and message opens.
• Conversion metrics – forms, calls, bookings, and not just visits.

Act now to protect your visibility

Protect your visibility before 2026 hits.

Book a free AI Search & Visibility Audit today and see where your clicks are going and how to get them back.

Book a free discovery call and find out what's possible.