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Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

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Website traffic is down across B2B industries… but it’s not all bad news. Learn what’s changed in SEO, AI search, and referrals — and how your firm can still thrive by building a geo-optimized, story-driven website.

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Webinar Series

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Tactical Tuesday

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Already a Client and Have Questions?

Send Us an Email to help@countingworkspro.com

Or call our team at 1-800-442-2477.

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Webinar Series

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Guide

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Marketing & Client Acquisition

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

December 23, 2025
/
10
min read
Lee Reams
CEO | CountingWorks PRO

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Marketing & Client Acquisition

Why Your Website Traffic Is Down (and Why It’s Not the End of the World)

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

December 23, 2025
/
10
min read
Lee Reams
CEO | CountingWorks PRO

A tax firm owner told us recently, “Our website traffic dropped 40% this summer… but the phone hasn’t gone silent. What gives?”

It’s a great question — and one we’re hearing more often.

If you’ve been staring at your analytics wondering why your once-steady stream of visitors has slowed to a trickle, you’re not alone.

The truth: the ground under B2B search is shifting. But this isn’t a story about decline… it’s a story about evolution.

The Great B2B Traffic Slide

Let’s start with the data.

Neil Patel recently reported that average B2B website traffic has dropped sharply year-over-year, with some sectors down more than 20–30%. His analysis points to a few culprits:

  • Google’s AI Overviews and Gemini are answering questions before anyone clicks
  • ChatGPT and other AI tools are siphoning “informational” searches that used to drive blog traffic
  • And many companies simply stopped blogging, which Patel calls “cutting off your long-tail oxygen supply”

In other words… the top of the funnel isn’t gone — it’s just moved.

According to Similarweb, referral traffic to publisher and business sites dropped over 15% from 2024 to 2025 as AI summaries and zero-click results expanded.

For professional services, that hit lands hardest on firms whose websites all look, sound, and feel… identical.

Cookie-Cutter Sites Are the Biggest Losers

If your homepage reads like a template (“We provide quality tax services for individuals and businesses”), you’re waving a white flag to the algorithms.

Generic copy doesn’t build authority.

Generic design doesn’t get clicks.

Generic positioning doesn’t earn local trust or backlinks.

In today’s AI-search world, context and personality are currency. Search engines — and humans — want to know: Why you? Why here? Why now?

That’s why firms running on the same “5-page brochure” setup are seeing the steepest declines. They’re invisible in a world that rewards expertise, relevance, and story.

Related: Where Did My Website Traffic Go?

It’s Not Just Search… It’s Geography

AI search is personalizing results by location and intent. That means:

  • A small firm in Denver with geo-tuned pages (“Tax Planning for Colorado Contractors”) will outrank a generic national site every time
  • Local Google Business Profiles and review freshness are now major visibility factors
  • “Near me” searches have increased 200% + over the past five years (Think with Google)

So even though your overall traffic might dip, your qualified local traffic — the people most likely to hire you — can actually grow if you’ve built for it.

That’s the quiet upside: firms who adapt early are winning higher-value leads with fewer, better clicks.

The New Reality of Referrals

Referrals used to come mostly from people… now, they also come from platforms.

Think about it — potential clients are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI things like:

“Who are the best accountants near me?”

“Can you analyze this firm’s strengths and weaknesses?”

“Should I hire this CPA or another?”

AI tools are becoming the new referral engine.

And even when a referral is human — “My friend said to call you” — that person often double-checks with AI before deciding. They’ll paste your firm’s name into ChatGPT and ask for insight… which means the bot pulls whatever data it can find about you from your website, your reviews, and your overall digital footprint.

If your site doesn’t feed these engines with clear, differentiated content — your story, your niche, your expertise — the AI has nothing compelling to say about you.

So while traditional referrals still matter, AI referrals are quietly replacing and reshaping how trust is transferred. That’s why a comprehensive, story-driven, content-rich website isn’t optional anymore… it’s your new referral partner.

Two Firms, Two Outcomes

Firm A and Firm B both serve small businesses in Phoenix.

  • Firm A built its site in 2019. It hasn’t been updated since. It lost 35% of its traffic this year. Leads? Down 25%.
  • Firm B rebuilt its site in 2024 with a clear geo-story (“We help Arizona entrepreneurs grow smarter”), niche-specific pages, and a weekly blog answering local business questions. Traffic down 10%, leads steady — some months, even higher.

Same market. Same competition. Different story.

How to Win in the New Geo + AI Search World

Here’s what’s working for firms that are still growing even as overall traffic dips:

1. Build Your Geo + Niche Narrative

Stop thinking in keywords and start thinking in stories.

Tell Google (and your audience) who you are, where you are, and who you serve.

Example: “We help Orange County real estate investors minimize tax surprises” instead of “We do tax prep.”

2. Keep Blogging (Seriously)

Neil Patel notes that companies that blog at least twice a month retain up to 60% more traffic than those that don’t.

Your blog feeds both AI and humans: it builds authority, gets quoted in AI snippets, and creates fresh signals search engines crave.

3. Optimize for Local Signals

  • Claim and polish your Google Business Profile
  • Add structured data (LocalBusiness schema)
  • Encourage new reviews — freshness matters
  • Create city- or niche-specific pages and link them together

4. Refresh Your Brand Personality

The easiest way to fight “cookie-cutter fatigue”? Sound human.

Write in your own voice. Show the people behind the firm.

Use real photography. Share testimonials and client wins.

5. Measure What Actually Matters

Traffic is a vanity metric if it’s not converting.

Instead, track:

  • Local visitors who call or fill out a form
  • Referral visitors who become clients
  • Visibility in local maps and search packs

Related: Leads and Nurturing: Turning First Clicks into Paying Clients

This Isn’t Decline… It’s a Filter

Think of it this way: AI search and geo intent are filters. They’re stripping away noise and rewarding firms with substance, presence, and story.

Traffic down doesn’t mean demand down.

It means unqualified traffic is being replaced by qualified visitors.

So if your analytics dip but your leads stay strong… congratulations. You’re already adapting.

If both are sliding, the fix isn’t more ads — it’s a smarter narrative.

What to Do Next

If your website traffic has taken a dive, don’t panic… but don’t wait, either.

Now’s the time to audit your site, rebuild your story, and re-optimize for the geo + AI world.

How to Localize Your CPA Website

The End of Cookie-Cutter Websites: How Narrative Wins

Building a Brand Story That Converts Referrals into Clients

Final takeaway:

Search hasn’t died. It’s evolved.

And in this new era, visibility belongs to firms that sound real, look local, and show expertise.

Be one of them.

Lee Reams
CEO | CountingWorks PRO

As the founder and CEO of CountingWorks, Inc, Lee is passionate about helping independent tax and accounting professionals compete in the modern age. From time-saving digital onboarding tools, world-class websites, and outbound marketing campaigns, Lee has been developing best-in-class marketing solutions for over twenty years.

Lee Reams
CEO | CountingWorks PRO

As the founder and CEO of CountingWorks, Inc, Lee is passionate about helping independent tax and accounting professionals compete in the modern age. From time-saving digital onboarding tools, world-class websites, and outbound marketing campaigns, Lee has been developing best-in-class marketing solutions for over twenty years.

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Create a year-long tax planning strategy for a freelancer earning $75,000 with multiple 1099 clients.

Below is a personalized, year-long tax planning strategy developed by CountingWorks, Inc., specifically for a freelancer earning $75,000 with multiple 1099 clients....

1. Establish a Robust Recordkeeping System

  • Dedicated Business Accounts: Open a separate business bank account and credit card to clearly define your income and expenses. This step not only simplifies your tax documentation but also aligns with our best-practices at CountingWorks.
  • ...

2. Manage Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments
...

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