Sign in Subscribe

HubSpot's Traffic Loss: What It Teaches Us About AI Overviews and Topical Authority

HubSpot's Traffic Loss: What It Teaches Us About AI Overviews and Topical Authority

HubSpot, a leader in inbound marketing, has recently experienced a traffic decline, highlighting the significant impact of AI overviews and the critical importance of topical authority in today's SEO landscape. This article explores the potential causes behind HubSpot's traffic dip, focusing on the rise of AI-powered search results and the necessity of establishing comprehensive expertise in specific subject areas. Learn how to adapt your SEO strategy to thrive in the age of AI.

1. Understanding HubSpot's Traffic Decline

HubSpot's blog has historically been a major source of organic traffic.

A blogger creates engaging content
A blogger creates engaging content to drive organic traffic.

However, recent data indicates a noticeable decrease. According to Semrush data, organic traffic appears to have declined sharply, dropping from 13.5 million in November to 8.6 million in December.

While attributing this decline solely to AI overviews would be an oversimplification, several factors likely contribute:

  • Algorithm Updates: Google's algorithm is constantly evolving. In fact, Google released a pair of algorithm updates – the December 2024 core update and December 2024 spam update. These updates are designed to improve search quality, but can inadvertently affect even well-established sites.
  • Increased Competition: The marketing software landscape is becoming increasingly crowded.
  • Changes in User Search Behavior: Users are becoming more sophisticated in their search queries, and they are increasingly using voice search and mobile devices.
  • Technical SEO Issues: Technical SEO issues, such as slow page speed, broken links, or mobile unfriendliness, can negatively impact a website's ranking and traffic.

2. The Rise of AI Overviews and Their Impact

AI overviews, powered by Google's advancements in artificial intelligence, represent a significant evolution in the search experience. Instead of simply providing a list of links, Google now attempts to directly answer the user's query by generating a concise summary of information gathered from various sources across the web.

These AI-powered summaries are typically displayed at the top of the search results page, often in a visually appealing format with bullet points, images, and links to the source websites.

AI overviews have the potential to significantly impact website traffic, primarily by reducing clicks to websites. By providing direct answers to user queries, AI overviews can reduce the need for users to click through to individual websites. This contributes to the "zero-click" search phenomenon.

Let's consider some examples of how AI overviews might appear for marketing-related queries:

  • Query: "What is content marketing?" An AI overview might provide a concise definition of content marketing, highlighting its key components (creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content) and its goals (attracting and engaging a target audience). It might also include links to authoritative sources, such as the Content Marketing Institute or HubSpot's own blog.
  • Query: "How to improve website SEO?" An AI overview might offer a bulleted list of key SEO strategies, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and technical SEO. It might also include links to relevant articles and resources that provide more detailed guidance on each strategy.

In these scenarios, HubSpot's content, while potentially used as a source for the AI overview, might not receive a direct click from the user.

3. Topical Authority: The Key to Survival in the AI Era

Topical authority goes beyond simply ranking for individual keywords. It represents a website's comprehensive expertise and coverage of a specific subject area. A website with strong topical authority is seen as a trusted and reliable source of information on that topic.

The difference between keyword ranking and topical authority is significant. A website might rank highly for a specific keyword but lack the depth and breadth of content to be considered a true authority on the subject.

In the age of AI overviews, topical authority is more critical than ever. AI algorithms are designed to identify and prioritize information from authoritative sources. Websites with strong topical authority are more likely to be considered trustworthy and reliable by AI algorithms, making their content more likely to be used in AI overviews.

Building topical authority requires a strategic and consistent approach to content creation and SEO. Here are some key strategies:

  • Content Clustering: This involves creating interconnected content around core topics. Start with a pillar page that provides a comprehensive overview of the topic, and then create supporting content (cluster content) that delves into specific aspects of the topic in more detail. Link the cluster content back to the pillar page to create a cohesive and interconnected content ecosystem.
    • Example: HubSpot could create a pillar page on "Inbound Marketing." Cluster content could then cover topics like "SEO for Inbound Marketing," "Content Marketing for Inbound Marketing," and "Social Media for Inbound Marketing," all linking back to the main "Inbound Marketing" pillar page.
  • Comprehensive Content: Aim to cover all aspects of a subject in depth. Don't just scratch the surface; provide detailed explanations, examples, and insights that truly answer user questions.
  • Internal Linking: Connect related content on your website through internal links.
  • E-E-A-T: Demonstrate Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is a key ranking factor for Google. As Google calls trust the most important member of the E-E-A-T family, for ecommerce businesses, trustworthiness means your online payment is secure, customer service is reliable, and product reviews are honest.
  • Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords and topics that your target audience is searching for.

4. Lessons Learned from HubSpot's Experience

HubSpot's experience underscores the need for a proactive and adaptable SEO strategy. The rise of AI overviews is a game-changer, and businesses need to embrace AI and understand its impact on their traffic and rankings. As Google rewards proactive SEO practices, Google likes to see site owners take the time to update their content and page experience and improve upon it for users.

In the age of AI, it's more important than ever to focus on user intent and value.

Relying solely on organic search traffic is a risky strategy. HubSpot's experience highlights the importance of diversifying traffic sources. Explore alternative channels, such as social media, email marketing, paid advertising, and referral programs, to reduce your dependence on organic search and build a more resilient online presence.

5. Conclusion

HubSpot's traffic loss highlights the evolving SEO landscape. Building topical authority and adapting to AI-driven search are crucial for sustained online visibility. Focus on comprehensive, valuable content and diversify your traffic sources to thrive in the future of SEO. The key is to adapt, evolve, and focus on providing real value to your audience.