The 2025 State of B2B Search

#The Numbers Nobody's Talking About

Google search volume for B2B queries has declined 25% since 2023.

If you've been watching your organic traffic drop and wondering what went wrong, here's the answer: nothing. Your SEO is probably fine. The search behavior itself is changing.

#Where the Traffic Went

#AI Assistants

ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are handling queries that used to go to Google. When a buyer wants to compare CRM platforms, they're asking an AI to synthesize the options rather than clicking through ten different websites.

#AI Overviews

Google's own AI Overviews now answer questions directly at the top of search results. Users get their answer without clicking through. Your ranking hasn't changed, but your click-through rate has collapsed.

#Closed Ecosystems

More research is happening inside platforms. LinkedIn, G2, and specialized communities are capturing intent that used to flow through search.

#The Data

Our analysis of 200 B2B websites shows:

Traffic is down, but conversions are holding. The visitors who still come through search are more qualified than before. The casual researchers have moved to AI.

#What This Means

#SEO Isn't Dead, But It's Changing

Keywords still matter for the queries that AI doesn't fully satisfy. Complex, nuanced, high-stakes decisions still drive search traffic. But the volume of simple queries is evaporating.

#AI Visibility Is the New Frontier

That 8% of traffic now coming from AI-referred visits? It's growing 40% month over month. Early movers in AI optimization are capturing disproportionate share.

#Quality Over Quantity

With fewer total visitors but similar conversion rates, each piece of content needs to work harder. Depth and differentiation matter more than ever.

#Adapting Your Strategy

1. Track AI referrals - Add UTM parameters to understand AI-sourced traffic
2. Audit AI visibility - Know what AI systems say when buyers ask about your category
3. Consolidate content - Merge thin pages into comprehensive resources
4. Build for answers - Create content that directly answers specific questions

#The Bottom Line

The decline in search traffic isn't a failure of your marketing. It's a structural shift in how information is consumed. The winners in 2025 will be those who recognize this shift and optimize accordingly.

The traffic didn't disappear. It moved.

Want to understand where your buyers are really researching? Get a custom analysis.