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What's up! Kyle here.
There's a chart making the rounds right now from Ahrefs (one of the largest SEO data platforms in the world, we use it every day) that every dentist needs to see.
Over the past 10 months, Google's share of web traffic dropped from 35.11% to 30.53%. That's a significant decline across roughly 75,000 websites in their data set.
The knee-jerk reaction from the marketing world has been "AI search is eating Google alive!" ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's own AI Overviews, all of it replacing traditional search.
While that’s partially true, here's what the data actually says.
AI search traffic jumped marginally. AI search is zero-click by nature. It answers questions, it doesn't send people to websites. So while AI is absolutely changing how people get information, it's not where the lost traffic went.
Social went from 7.67% to 8.24%. A small bump.
But…paid search went from 13.99% to 17.15%. That's a jump of over 3 full percentage points. That's where the action is.
What's happening is pretty straightforward. Organic clicks on Google are declining because AI Overviews answer more questions directly on the results page. Businesses are losing that free traffic and compensating the only way they can, by paying for it. Google pushes AI Overviews, organic traffic drops, businesses give Google more money for ads to stay visible.
Neil Patel summed it up well this week. Paid search isn't dying. It's moving down the funnel. By the time a patient searches ‘dentist near me’ in 2026, they've likely already been informed by AI. They already know what they want. They're just looking for where to book. That means the clicks you do get from Google Ads are higher intent than they've ever been. Fewer tire-kickers, more people ready to sit in your chair.
Here's what this means for your practice.
If you're relying on organic SEO alone to drive new patients, the ground underneath you is shifting. SEO still matters, but it's no longer enough on its own.
If you're running Google Ads, this is actually good news. The patients clicking your ads right now are more ready to book than at any point in the last decade. Your job is to make sure the ad is sharp, the landing page converts and your front desk is ready to close.
And if you're combining Google Ads with Meta retargeting (like I talked about a couple weeks ago), you're playing the full funnel. Google captures the intent. Meta stays in front of them until they book. That one-two punch is how the fastest-growing practices are operating right now.
The practices still growing in 2026 aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who understand where the traffic is actually moving and are positioned to capture it.
Talk next week.
— Kyle / Founder, Search-To-Seat™
Reminder: We are running an offer for Search-To-Seat right now that’s pretty crazy. You get a one-month free trial. No strings attached. We’ll onboard you, install everything and get you rolling in full. After a month, you get to decide if you stay on with us or pass. Zero dollars required, don’t even have to put card info down. Email me to see if your practice is a fit.
