Short answer
When AI summarises the answer, fewer people click through: Pew found 8% clicked a result with an AI summary versus 15% without. In B2B, a buyer may form a shortlist without visiting any vendor site. That shifts value from traffic to being named, and makes attribution harder.
Adapt
- Track share of AI answers, not just sessions
- Ask "how did you hear about us?" on forms
- Watch branded search and direct traffic for lift
- Make every cited page convert well
Questions
Is traffic still worth chasing?
Yes, but visitors who do click are often further along. Optimise for quality.
Facts checked against the sources below on 12 October 2026. Platforms change quickly: if something here no longer matches what you see, tell us and we will update it.
