Search & AI
Where the Traffic Went
AI search did not kill traffic. It rewrote the contract that produced it. The new terms reward two kinds of businesses and compress everyone else
May 16, 2026
AI search did not kill traffic. It rewrote the contract that produced it. The new terms reward two kinds of businesses and compress everyone else
Search gave us a shelf. AI gives us a sentence. That changes the reader’s role from inspector to receiver. When answers arrive instant and confident, judgment becomes easier to skip. And what we skip, we slowly lose. One page showed me the problem. It was a product review page. Nothing dramatic. No philosophy. Just a … Read more
AI visibility is source selection, not ranking position
Why AI Overviews feel wrong even when the facts are right