The September traffic crash fully reversed
Sites that dropped to almost nothing in Google in early September were back to normal by the 13th, and Google never said a word about either direction. Meanwhile research handed to a publisher group says Google's AI answers just cut clicks to the sites they quote.
Why your traffic moved
The early September ranking crash has now fully reversed
The unannounced Google ranking change that hammered some sites around September 4 completely reversed around September 13, so the week ended where it started for most. Barry Schwartz called it a wild update followed by a complete reversal, and Google never confirmed either move. If your traffic dipped and came back, nothing on your site caused it.
Wild Google Search ranking update hits for some around 9/4 but then a complete reversal around 9/13
Who this affects: Anyone who saw Google traffic drop or bounce back this month.
- Do nothing, the drop reversed on Google's side, not yours.
You can hold your rankings and still lose traffic
Aleyda Solis compared Google results pages from September 2025 with this month and says the first page went from 7 to 8 normal results and 1 to 2 extra features, to roughly 4 to 5 of each. The extras are AI Overviews, shopping packs, related questions and local packs, plus more ads. Shops seeing year over year drops without losing positions have their explanation.
Now it's 4-5 organic search ranked pages vs 4-5 search features.
Who this affects: Online shops and any site whose rankings held but clicks fell.
- Compare clicks year over year in Search Console, not just positions.
Getting into AI answers
Research says Google's AI answers just take clicks away
Jason Kint says he was sent research showing Google's AI Overviews (the AI written answer at the top of results) did not improve satisfaction or visit quality, they only reduced clicks to the sites they quote. Lily Ray's response: everything we already knew was true is true.
they just reduced clicks to their sources
Who this affects: Every site that gets visitors from Google search.
- Our take: track clicks, not rankings, in Search Console monthly.
- Our take: build email and repeat visits, not just search traffic.
Google is testing paying sites when its AI uses their content
Google is running a test that pays publishers when their content is used in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini, run through Search Console as an "AI contribution" pilot. Barry Schwartz reports it, and notes the pilot was first spotted back in April. It is a limited test, so there is no sign-up button for most site owners yet.
Who this affects: Anyone who publishes articles that Google's AI answers might quote.
- Our take: watch Search Console for a pilot invite, nothing else.
Do not do this
Pumping out hundreds of pages a day tends to catch up with you
One SEO says a site publishing 200 articles a day, with just over 23,000 now live, is heading for a fall, and that its existing authority only delays the drop by maybe 8 to 12 months. Lily Ray says the setup is never the problem, what it produces is, and she is collecting case studies of AI content that ranked at first then tanked several months later.
The problem is never the programmatic setup, it’s what the programmatic setup is generating.
Who this affects: Anyone publishing pages in bulk from a template or a tool.
- Count pages nobody reads and either improve them or delete them.
- Our take: publish fewer articles you would happily show a customer.
The short list
Google profiles now open at 10,000 followers
Google lowered the bar for Search profiles from 100,000 to 10,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube, and added multiple profiles per account plus better article layouts.
Free product listings are gone in Europe
Google dropped free product listings across many European regions, so shops selling into the EEA now need paid shopping ads to appear in those product spots.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my Google traffic drop in early September and then come back?
Google made an unannounced ranking change around September 4 that hurt some sites, then completely reversed it around September 13. Google never confirmed either move, so the drop and recovery happened on Google's side, not because of anything on your site.
How can my rankings stay the same but my traffic goes down?
Google's search results pages now show fewer regular results and more extra features like AI Overviews, shopping packs, related questions, and local packs. Even if your ranking position holds, you get fewer clicks because more space on the page goes to these other features and ads.
Does Google's AI Overview feature help sites get more visits?
Research shows that AI Overviews do not improve user satisfaction or visit quality. They only reduce clicks to the sites whose content they quote, so publishers lose traffic when Google uses their information in these AI answers.
Is Google paying publishers when their content appears in AI answers?
Google is running a limited test through Search Console called an "AI contribution" pilot that pays publishers when their content is used in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini. The test started in April but most site owners do not have access to sign up yet.
What happens if I publish hundreds of pages very quickly?
Publishing pages in bulk from templates or tools tends to catch up with sites eventually, with existing authority only delaying the ranking drop by maybe 8 to 12 months. The issue is not the setup itself but the quality of what gets produced, and AI-generated content that ranks at first often tanks several months later.