Social Media Tops SEO as SMBs’ Leading Traffic Source: Survey

Social Media Overtakes Search in Driving SMB Traffic

Social media has taken the lead in directing traffic to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) over traditional search engines. Understanding the significance of AI-generated referrals has become a key focus for many businesses, with competitors emerging in AI summaries as a new challenge, as per the latest survey data from WordStream by LocaliQ.

Embracing AI Summaries

Why It Matters: SMBs now recognize AI summaries as a crucial channel that influences early consumer decisions and guides them toward competing products. The clear trackability of AI referrals is convincing businesses to optimize their strategies for this growing trend.

Google Traffic Declines

Impact of Google Updates: A significant 40% of SMBs have experienced a decrease in traffic due to Google algorithm updates and AI-driven search. Larger companies have been hit the hardest, with nearly half reporting traffic declines. However, the majority of SMBs (72%) still believe that their SEO efforts are effective.

Social Media Dominance

Social Media Trumps Search: Sixty-four percent of SMBs consider social media as their primary source of web traffic, surpassing organic search at 52%.

• Solopreneurs and micro-businesses prioritize social media as their main traffic driver.
• Surprisingly, 35% of businesses without a website rely solely on social media and online marketplaces for generating leads.

The Rise of AI

Attention on AI: While AI search is not currently the leading traffic source, SMBs are increasingly monitoring AI-generated referrals and mentions:

• 50% of SMBs track AI referrals.
• 70% of larger SMBs engage in similar monitoring practices.
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) awareness is growing across businesses of all sizes.

One common frustration for SMBs is the appearance of competitors in AI summaries instead of their own businesses. However, these models often include sources beyond Google's top 10, offering smaller brands a unique opportunity for visibility they might not otherwise achieve.

The Significance of Core Webpages

Key Webpages: Essential pages that SMBs focus on for AI traffic optimization include:

• Homepages (57%)
• Product or service pages (48%)
• Contact pages (34%)

Adapting to the AI Landscape

Strategies for AI Visibility: SMBs are implementing actions that align with fundamental SEO principles to enhance their AI visibility:

• Utilizing clear and descriptive headlines (35%)
• Improving content readability (26%)
• Addressing technical aspects such as website speed and mobile performance (24%)
• Larger SMBs are focusing on building external brand mentions (33%) and incorporating structured data (30%)

Insights from the Survey

Data Background: WordStream by LocaliQ conducted a survey involving over 300 U.S. small businesses spanning 24 industries. The responses were sourced from companies with and without websites, ranging from sole proprietors to organizations with up to 100 employees.

Access the full report here: The Big SMB Website Trends Report: SEO, GEO, & the Future of Traffic

Explore a wide array of over 200 online tools on MATSEOTOOLS, including SEO, Dev, Text, Image, PDF, CSV, and Conversion/Calculator tools, to enhance your online presence and drive optimal traffic to your SMB.