Did Google's AI answers cut your website traffic? How to check, and what to do

You need access to your site in Google Search Console. If you've never set it up, do that first. It's free, and it's the only place Google shows you this data.

You'll use two reports: the main Performance report, and the Generative AI performance report Google added in 2026.

1. 1Open Search Console and click Performance, then Search results.
2. 2Click the date filter, choose Compare, and pick the last 3 months against the 3 months before. If your business is seasonal, compare against the same months last year instead.
3. 3Tick Total clicks, Total impressions and Average CTR so all three show on the chart.
4. 4Click the Pages tab and sort by the click difference to see which pages lost the most.

Write down three numbers for your biggest losing pages: impressions before and after, and clicks before and after.

Impressions about the same, clicks down, CTR down

People still see your page in results but click less. This is the pattern you'd expect when an AI Overview or another answer on the page answers the question first. It's most common on "what is" and "how do I" pages.

Impressions down and clicks down

Google is showing you less. AI answers aren't the main cause here. Look at rankings, indexing and the update dates in Step 4.

A sudden drop on one day

Usually technical: a site change, a page set to noindex by mistake, a robots.txt edit, a broken redirect or a new site launch. Check Step 5 first.

Only a few pages dropped

Look at those pages' search queries (click the page, then the Queries tab). Often one or two questions moved to an answer box or a competitor.

Google added a report for its AI features in 2026. It rolled out to all websites worldwide on 31 August 2026. Open it from the Generative AI performance report link in Google's help page, or look for it under Performance in Search Console.

What it shows, according to Google:

• Impressions only. How many times a link to your site was shown inside AI Overviews or AI Mode. It doesn't show clicks.
• By page, country, date and device.
• Nothing if you're too small. If your site hasn't had enough impressions in AI features, the report doesn't appear.

How to use it: check whether the pages that lost clicks in Step 1 show up here. If they do, AI Overviews are showing your page as a source, and people are reading the summary instead of clicking. If they don't appear at all, AI may be answering from other sites, or your losses have another cause.

Google lists its ranking updates on the Search Status Dashboard. The 2026 updates so far, with start dates:

• March 2026 spam update: 24 March
• March 2026 core update: 27 March (about two weeks)
• May 2026 core update: 21 May (about 11 days)
• June 2026 spam update: 24 June
• August 2026 spam update: 18 August
• September 2026 spam update: 24 September (about two weeks)

If your drop lines up with one of these, the cause is likely the update, not AI answers. Google's advice after core updates is to look at how helpful and trustworthy your content is, not to make quick technical changes.

In Search Console:

1. 1Open Indexing, then Pages. Has the number of indexed pages fallen? Click the reasons under "Why pages aren't indexed".
2. 2Paste your most important page into the search bar at the top and run URL Inspection. Check it says the page is on Google and that Googlebot can fetch it.
3. 3Check your robots.txt hasn't changed. Our AI crawler checker reads it for you and also shows Googlebot.
4. 4Run the page speed checker if you changed your theme or added heavy apps recently.

You can't stop Google showing AI answers, and blocking it isn't a good trade. Google's preview controls, like nosnippet, limit what's shown from your page in AI features, but they also shrink your normal search result. What works better:

• Give people a reason to click. A summary can tell someone what a root canal is. It can't book them in, show your prices, show photos of your work or let them use a calculator. Put those things near the top of the pages that lost clicks.
• Answer the next question, not just the first. If AI answers "what is a CA audit", your page should own "how much does a CA audit cost in Pune and what do I need to bring".
• Be one of the sources. Pages that AI Overviews link to still get some clicks. Google says people who click from AI Overviews tend to stay longer. Clear answers, real experience and up-to-date details make you more likely to be cited. Our AEO guide covers this.
• Measure enquiries, not just visits. Fewer visitors who already know what they want can still mean more calls. Track calls, forms and bookings alongside clicks.

Your numbers will be different. The method is the same: compare impressions, clicks and CTR page by page.

[[faq:[["Does Search Console show clicks from AI Overviews?", "Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in the normal Performance report under Web, but not separated out. The Generative AI performance report shows impressions only."], ["Why can't I see the Generative AI report?", "Google says it doesn't appear when a site hasn't had enough impressions in AI features. Smaller sites may not see it yet."], ["Should I block Google from using my content in AI Overviews?", "Usually not. The controls that do this also limit your normal search snippet, and you'd lose the chance to be cited as a source."], ["My traffic dropped but I don't have Search Console. What now?", "Set it up today. Meanwhile, check your analytics for which pages lost visitors from Google."], ["Is SEO still worth it if AI answers questions?", "Yes, but the goal shifts. Pages that help people act, such as booking, buying, comparing prices or finding you, still get clicks, and AI answers still need sources to cite."]]]