AI answers cut clicks at some sites, not all
A $6 million skincare brand went bankrupt after a website move left old pages dead. Also this week: the clearest numbers yet on what Google's AI answers do to your clicks.
Why your traffic moved
SEOs push back on a link score changing December 1
Ahrefs' new Domain Rating model lands December 1, and the week ended with people openly doubting it. Glen Allsopp says subdomains now get their own rating, the pool of domains counted has halved to about 132 million, and the score matches Google rankings more than 2.5 times better. Noel Ceta says he has a site scored DR1 with no links built getting 1,500 clicks a day.
Unfortunately, DR can easily be manipulated.
Who this affects: Anyone who watches a tool's score for their site.
- Do nothing, this is one tool's number, not a Google ranking.
Getting into AI answers
AI answers cut clicks at some sites, but not all
Glenn Gabe went through Search Console data after AI Overviews (the AI written answer at the top of results) launched in France on July 22, 2026, and found three sites lost clicks while two stayed stable. Cyrus Shepard's site opted out of being cited in Google's AI answers and found it touched over 20% of traffic, because being cited also lifted normal organic clicks.
Turns out Google AI citations are far more important than we thought
Who this affects: Everyone with a website that gets search traffic.
- Compare Search Console clicks before and after AI answers launched locally.
- Our take: do not block AI answers, citations also lift normal clicks.
ChatGPT is close to showing how often it mentions you
OpenAI's business analytics tool looked closer to launch this week, with wording spotted inviting owners to "Claim your business in ChatGPT". Edward Sturm says it measures impressions and clicks, lets you add your latest products, and is still labelled a work in progress. Barry Schwartz describes it as ChatGPT for Business with analytics, impressions and mentions.
Is this the first iteration of a ChatGPT Search Console?
Who this affects: Any business that customers might ask a chatbot about.
- Our take: nothing to claim yet, so just watch for launch.
Maps and your listing
Google is adding booking buttons to listings, and some break
Google is now automatically adding booking links to Google Business Profiles (the free listing on Google and Maps) in Search and Maps, and in some cases those links error out. Joy Hawkins says her colleague Brandon Schmidt found a "Book Online" link on a home care business with no booking software set up, and links that go to Google's maps/reserve program show a 500 error.
Who this affects: Any local business with a Google listing, especially services.
- Search your business name, click any booking button, see where it goes.
- Add your own booking link in your profile to take control.
Do not do this
A botched website move pushed one business into bankruptcy
Melbourne entrepreneur Briony Kennedy faced bankruptcy after her $6 million skincare company Adorn Cosmetics collapsed following a failed website move to Adobe's e-commerce platform, with Adobe declining to comment. Harpreet lists the failures: no redirects (old page addresses pointed at new ones) and paid ads sending people to dead 404 pages.
web dev agency not setting up redirects
Who this affects: Anyone about to change website platform, and anyone selling online.
- Before any site move, map every old page to its replacement.
The short list
Ads are now woven into Google's AI answers
Google's multiturn ads are now live in AI Mode.
A huge pile of bulk AI pages keeps growing
Facebook's answers directory has grown to 6.4 million automated AI-written pages and is expanding each day, ranking across normal results and AI answers. Glenn Gabe calls it scaled content abuse.
Frequently asked questions
What is changing with Ahrefs' Domain Rating on December 1?
Ahrefs is launching a new Domain Rating model where subdomains get their own rating, the pool of domains counted has been cut in half to about 132 million, and the score matches Google rankings more than 2.5 times better than before.
Should I block my site from AI Overviews to protect my traffic?
No, blocking AI answers may hurt more than help. When a site opted out of being cited in Google's AI answers, it lost over 20% of traffic because being cited in AI answers also lifts normal organic clicks.
What went wrong with the Adorn Cosmetics website move?
The company failed to set up redirects (automatic forwarding of old page addresses to new ones) during the move to Adobe's platform, and paid ads sent people to dead 404 error pages instead of working links.
How should I prepare before moving my website to a new platform?
Map every old page to its replacement before the move so that links and search engines can find your content in its new location.
What should I do if Google adds a booking button to my business listing that doesn't work?
Search your business name and test any booking button to see where it leads, then add your own booking link in your Google Business Profile to take control of the customer experience.