Reddit has publicly linked a decline in Google-referred traffic to the way AI-powered search features change user behaviour. In its latest earnings update, the company said search traffic in October fell by more than 1 million referrals on average per week, and CEO Steve Huffman said Google’s AI Mode does not drive traffic to websites.

While the comments come from Reddit, the issue is broader than one platform. For European businesses that rely on Google Search for discovery, leads, product research or content distribution, the statement adds to concerns that AI-generated search results may answer user questions directly without sending visitors to the original source.

What happened

According to reporting by The Verge, Reddit discussed weaker Google-referred traffic during its Q3 2026 earnings call. Huffman said part of the problem is linked to Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews, which change how search results are presented and how users interact with them.

The confirmed facts in the source are limited but important: Reddit reported that search traffic in October had dropped by more than 1 million referrals on average per week, and its CEO explicitly said Google’s AI Mode does not drive traffic. That is a company statement, not an independently verified industry-wide measurement, but it aligns with wider concerns already raised by publishers and website owners about AI search interfaces.

Why it matters for European businesses

This development matters because many European companies still depend heavily on Google for inbound traffic. That includes media publishers, B2B firms using content marketing, e-commerce businesses targeting high-intent searches, SaaS providers, and service companies generating leads through SEO.

If AI search features keep more users inside Google’s own interface, businesses may see weaker click-through rates even when their content remains visible or influential in search. In practice, this can reduce visits to websites, lower lead volumes, cut ad inventory for publishers, and make standard SEO performance metrics less predictable.

For marketing teams, the shift is not only about rankings. It is about whether visibility still turns into measurable website sessions, enquiries, newsletter sign-ups or sales. A business can appear in the search journey yet receive less direct traffic than under the traditional “ten blue links” model.

European SMEs may be especially exposed if they rely on a small number of acquisition channels. Businesses with limited paid media budgets often use search content as a cost-efficient growth channel. If AI summaries absorb more of the user journey, that model becomes less reliable.

Who may be affected

• Publishers and content-driven websites
  Companies that monetise audience attention through subscriptions, advertising or sponsored content may see fewer visits from informational searches.
• E-commerce businesses
  Online retailers may face weaker traffic from category, comparison and product research queries if users get enough information directly in AI-generated search experiences.
• B2B lead-generation teams
  Businesses using guides, landing pages, case studies and educational content to attract prospects may need to reassess how much organic search still contributes to pipeline creation.
• Digital agencies and SEO teams
  Agencies may need to update reporting, client expectations and optimisation strategies as search visibility and website traffic become less tightly linked.
• Founders and SMEs with narrow acquisition mixes
  Companies that depend heavily on unpaid search traffic may be more vulnerable than brands with diversified channels such as email, partnerships, communities and paid acquisition.

What companies should consider

• Review dependence on Google organic traffic
  Check what share of leads, sales or enquiries comes from search, and identify pages or query types that may be most exposed to AI-generated answers.
• Track outcomes beyond rankings
  Measure click-through rates, assisted conversions, branded search growth, lead quality and revenue impact rather than treating ranking position as the main KPI.
• Strengthen owned and direct channels
  Invest in email lists, customer communities, CRM-based nurturing, repeat purchase programmes and direct brand demand so the business is less exposed to search platform changes.
• Focus on content with clear commercial intent
  Informational content may face the strongest pressure from AI summaries. Businesses may benefit from reinforcing pages tied to product selection, trust signals, case evidence, implementation details and purchase decisions.
• Adapt SEO to AI-influenced search behaviour
  Structured content, strong brand authority, original expertise and clearly attributable information may matter more as search engines and AI systems extract and summarise content.
• Reassess publisher and partner traffic assumptions
  If referral traffic becomes less dependable, businesses should revisit media, affiliate and content partnership models that assume stable search-driven audience flows.

Reddit’s comments do not prove the exact scale of impact across every sector, but they reinforce a practical message for European businesses: search visibility is no longer the same as website traffic. Companies that depend on SEO should prepare for a search environment where AI-assisted discovery may still influence buying decisions while sending fewer users to the original site.