LinkedIn lost up to 60% of their search traffic. Not because they stopped ranking — they rank fine. They lost it because AI started answering people's questions directly. Instead of clicking through to a website, people just get the answer from ChatGPT or Gemini and move on.
If LinkedIn is scrambling over this, your small business should probably pay attention.
How Search Broke
Used to be simple. Someone needed a contractor or a coffee shop, they'd Google it, click a website, maybe call. That chain is breaking.
Now they ask their phone: "best contractor in Paso Robles?" And ChatGPT just... answers. Pulls from reviews, directories, whatever it can find. No website visit needed. The customer gets their answer and moves on. Your site was never in the picture.
80% of Google searches now end without anyone clicking anything. ChatGPT handles 2.5 billion questions a day but sends 190x less traffic to websites than Google does. Your website still exists. Fewer people bother going there.
What LinkedIn Did
When LinkedIn saw the drop, they panicked. Built a cross-functional AI Search Taskforce — SEO, PR, editorial, product, paid media, brand, all of it. Threw out their old SEO metrics entirely. Published a 16-page guide on getting mentioned by AI instead of getting clicked on.
Their new strategy boils down to: stop chasing clicks, start chasing mentions.
If a company with LinkedIn's resources needs a taskforce for this, you're not going to out-SEO the problem. Different approach.
Three Free Things You Can Do
Claim your Google Business Profile. Seriously. Fill it out, add photos, respond to reviews, post updates. AI pulls from these profiles constantly. For local businesses, this matters more than your actual website right now.
Answer real questions publicly. On your blog, on LinkedIn, wherever. Not "welcome to our website" fluff — actual questions your customers ask. "How much does a kitchen remodel cost in SLO County?" "What's the difference between X and Y?" AI quotes direct answers to real questions.
Be memorable offline. Sponsor the Little League team. Show up at the farmers market. Do good work and ask happy customers for reviews. When someone asks ChatGPT "who's the best plumber in Arroyo Grande" and it pulls from Google reviews, you want your name in there.
This shift is accelerating. ChatGPT referrals grew 52% last year. Gemini grew 388%. Google's putting AI Overviews in front of 2 billion people a month.
But people still need contractors, coffee shops, accountants, yoga instructors. They're just asking different sources now. Show up where those sources look, and you'll be fine.
Want to talk through what this means for your business? Give me a call. No pitch.