Why Traffic DropsHow We DiagnoseRecovery PlanResultsWho It’s ForFAQsFree Consultation
Lost organic traffic after Google’s AI Overviews, an algorithm update or a website rebuild? Kern Media® diagnoses why your traffic dropped, separates real losses from measurement noise, and builds a recovery plan focused on the traffic, leads and revenue that matter most. We’ve helped companies recover from drops for over 20 years.
Traffic drops after AI Overviews, algorithm updates and site rebuilds usually have a findable cause. Here’s what we found for one online retailer after its site rebuild.
Client results are anonymized; see our case studies.
Why Organic Traffic Drops
How We Diagnose the Drop
What Recovery Looks Like
- Fixing technical issues from rebuilds and migrations, prioritized for your developers
- Consolidating pages that compete for the same searches
- Rewriting titles and meta descriptions on high-impression, low-click pages
- Strengthening the commercial pages that AI tools cite most, like service, product and About pages
- Adding lead capture to informational pages that still get traffic
- Tracking AI visibility so you can see where AI answers are taking clicks and where you’re cited
Some clicks lost to AI Overviews won’t come back. A good recovery plan focuses on the pages and leads that drive revenue.
Our AI search citation study found that 84% of AI citations go to company websites, and that homepages, service, About and product pages are cited far more than blog posts. That is why our recovery plans focus on commercial pages first.
Recovery Results
Online Retailer: Separating AI Overview Losses From a Site Rebuild
After a platform rebuild, organic clicks fell. We separated the AI Overview trend from the rebuild, then audited indexing, page structure and schema.
Earlier in our history, we planned several website migrations and domain consolidations for an education provider that went on to years of traffic, revenue and link growth. See more in our case studies.
On a free 30-minute call, we’ll look at when the drop started and the most likely causes, so you know where to start.
Who It’s For
Traffic recovery is a good fit for eCommerce brands, lead generation businesses and publishers that saw a meaningful drop in organic traffic or leads, recently relaunched or migrated their website, or want to understand how AI Overviews are affecting their business.
Recovery plans are billed at our standard month-to-month rates, and many clients continue with a monthly retainer. See pricing, or start with a technical SEO audit or AI visibility audit.
Traffic Recovery FAQs
Why did my traffic drop if my rankings didn’t?
This is often the signature of AI Overviews. Google answers the question at the top of the results page, so your listing still ranks, sometimes higher than before, but fewer people click. We confirm it by comparing positions, impressions and clicks at the query level.
Was it a Google update or something on our site?
We line up the date of the drop with confirmed Google updates, your own site changes and any tracking changes, then look at which pages, page types and queries lost clicks. A drop spread across the whole site that starts on an update date points to the update. A drop limited to certain templates or sections, or one that starts on a launch date, usually points to the site.
Can you recover traffic lost to AI Overviews?
Some of it, but not all. Simple informational clicks may not come back. We recover what’s recoverable through better titles, stronger content and technical fixes, get your pages cited inside AI Overviews with answer engine optimization (AEO), and shift focus to the commercial pages and leads that matter most. We also drive new growth by creating new content or updating existing pages to target true content gaps for Google keywords and AI search prompts.
How long does traffic recovery take?
Technical fixes after a site rebuild often show results within weeks to a few months. Recovery from a Google core update often takes until a later update. AI Overview impact is an ongoing shift, so we measure success in leads and revenue as well as clicks.
Is my traffic drop real?
Not always. Changes to how SEO tools collect data and changes to GA4 tracking can make traffic look like it dropped when it didn’t. We check Google Search Console and your analytics setup before recommending any changes.
Our traffic dropped after a site migration. How long should we wait?
A short dip after a migration is common while Google recrawls your new URLs. A large drop that lasts more than a few weeks usually means something went wrong, most often missing or broken redirects, pages blocked from indexing, or content that changed or disappeared. We check your redirects and Search Console’s page indexing report against your old URLs, so you know whether to wait or fix.
What should I tell leadership about a traffic drop?
Stick to what the data shows: how big the drop is in Search Console clicks, which pages and queries it hits, whether leads and revenue fell by the same amount, and what you’re checking next. Compare the same dates year over year so seasonal swings don’t look like a loss. We put this in a short summary you can share.
What do you need from us?
Access to Google Search Console and GA4, the date of any site changes or redesigns, and view access to your CMS. Crawl data and server logs help if you have them.
How much does traffic recovery cost?
A recovery analysis and plan is billed at our standard month-to-month rates, and many clients continue with a monthly retainer for implementation support. Retainers typically range from $1,500 to $5,000 per month.
Find Out Why Your Traffic Dropped
Book a free 30-minute call to talk through your traffic drop and what it would take to recover.
You’ll talk directly with founder Dan Kern, not a salesperson, and get a custom proposal after the call.
