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Google is no longer the reliable driver of traffic to Web sites that it was for two decades. There is little growth in search engine traffic anymore. AI is disrupting the search engine.

Consumers and businesses still search for inspiration and information on Web and apps, but they no longer automatically come to Google. Other platforms are gently beginning to take over that function.

It was not a casual one-off remark by a single visitor at Hubspot's European partner event Grow. On the stages, in the stands and in the corridors, this image was established over and over again. Visitors speak of it as a fact of the world, not a problem.

Hubspot users are not a bad thermometer in the Google world. The platform they use was founded in 2006 with inbound marketing as its main goal. That's SEO, blogs and social media. This is still central to the platform. Over the years, though, sales, service and CRM have been added.

Kieran Flanagan of the marketing platform said yesterday in London, "Google is being disrupted by AI. They are responding to that with the rollout of AI Overviews." Publishers aren't too keen on that, as Google is taking up even more "screen estate. Even more disturbing, however, is the fact that they no longer redirect traffic to Web sites but provide answers directly in the results screens. SEO marketers are getting it harder. They no longer get their message right. At least, outside of Europe. Because in Europe, AI Overviews does not exist.

His colleague Mark Barry(pictured) hangs a number on it: "By 2026, search traffic will be down 26 percent. There is no growth. Finding new customers through search engines is going to be difficult. There's more competition on the same channels."

So where is the traffic coming from? Social media, such as TikTok and LinkedIn, and proprietary marketing channels such as e-mail. The rise of AI search engines such as SearchGPT and Perplexity is also reported, but on a global scale they do not yet have substantial volume.

Google's advertising revenue did not grow as slowly as it did last quarter, just ten percent.

At Hubspot Grow, Webs of Eindhoven announced that it will merge with Trialta of Germany and Invise of Sweden. All three agencies are Hubspot experts. They see the demand for specialized marketing platforms growing rapidly. That is why they decided to join forces and offer an international answer. They are aiming for a fourfold increase in staff and sales growth to one hundred million euros. Acquisitions in other regions are not ruled out. The European ecosystem is still relatively small compared to the US.

© The Content Exchange, source News