Web traffic patterns are not vanishing

Recent digital analytics indicate an interesting trend: for many online properties, overall visitor numbers hold steady, yet page views per session sometimes slip. On one hand, Google insists total traffic isn’t shrinking, just moving around (Google, 2025)[1]. On the other, studies like SparkToro’s zero-click report suggest more searches end without a click to an external site (SparkToro, 2025)[2]. For anyone counting on digital audiences, these patterns are worth a closer look.

Traffic is stable

• Migration to mobile
  In February 2024, almost 64 percent of global web use happened on smartphones and tablets, up from under half five years ago. (Exploding Topics, 2025)[3]
• Rise of voice assistants and conversational interfaces
  By the end of 2024, over 8.4 billion voice-enabled devices will have had found their way into homes around the world. Many of those look up weather reports and cooking tips without ever opening a browser. (Statista, 2024[4])
• Fragmentation of media consumption
  “Just over half” of U.S. adults said they at least got news from social media. That tells me user attention is spread across apps and feeds, not just classic websites. (Pew Research Center, 2024[5])

Viewed together, these shifts feel less like a traffic drought and more like new routes opening up.

Shifts in click-through behavior

• Zero-click searches
  Research indicates that a significant portion of Google searches conclude without a click to an external site. As reported by SEMrush, data from 2020 suggested that around sixty-five percent of Google searches ended this way, reflecting a continuing trend where users find their answers directly on the search results page. (Semrush, 2024[6])
• Declining click-through rates on Bing
  Even though Bing queries rose fifteen percent year over year in early 2023, the percentage of searches leading to external pages fell by eight percent (SQ Magazine, 2023)[7].

It’s not about losing interest in content, but about users getting quick answers or sticking around on the search results themselves.

How to stay on the map

• Embrace a mobile-first and conversational experience
  Focus on fast-loading pages and format answers so voice assistants and chatbots can pull them in a flash.
• Invest in authoritative, in depth content
  Create resources that answer real questions, complete with examples, data visuals and quotes from experts to earn trust across channels.
• Leverage AI-powered analytics and search tools
  Set up live dashboards that flag shifting user behaviors and predictive alerts that help you tweak your content before drop-offs happen.
• Diversify traffic sources
  Review referral paths from social commerce, email series, partnerships and other touchpoints. Then double down where you see the most engagement.

Web traffic isn’t disappearing, it’s exploring new paths. The next time you notice clicks slipping away, pause and ask yourself which discovery channel those users have found instead.

References:
[1] Google. “AI in Search is driving more queries and higher quality clicks.” https://blog.google/products/search/…

[2] SparkToro. “Zero Clicks Does Not Mean Zero Sales.” https://sparktoro.com/blog/zero-clicks…

[3] ExplodingTopics. “Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices (July 2025).” https://explodingtopics.com/blog/mobile-internet-traffic

[4] Statista. “Number of digital voice assistants in use worldwide from 2019 to 2024 (in billions)*” https://www.statista.com/statistics/973815/us-smart-speaker-user-population/

[5] Pew Research Center. “Social Media and News Fact Sheet” September 17, 2024 https://pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/

[6] Semrush. “What Are Zero-Click Searches & How Do They Impact SEO?” May 10, 2024 https://www.semrush.com/blog/zero-click-searches

[7] SQ Magazine. “Bing vs. Google Statistics 2025: Market Share, AI, and User Trends.” July 22, 2025. https://sqmagazine.co.uk/bing-vs-google-statistics