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Why Your Website Traffic Sucks Now (Hint: It’s Google!)
Has your website traffic dropped dramatically this year? You’re not alone. Google has been making some significant changes to its search results layout, leaving many businesses—especially dentists—scrambling. We’re going to share a few things we’ve observed that other SEOs aren’t discussing. We partnered up with Jepto to look at data from 4,000 dentist profiles, which will reveal the real impact of these changes.
Google’s Search Layout Shift: A New Reality for Dentists
Last year, Google completely overhauled its search results layout, which has resulted in less traffic being funneled to websites. While this shift has affected a variety of industries, the recent impact on dentists is particularly noteworthy. Here’s what we’ve seen:
Last year Google made it so there are no longer any website icons in local packs on desktop.
Mobile results are equally annoying, as they no longer list click-to-call buttons.
When you analyze Search Console data and exclude branded traffic, the drop in Google traffic becomes crystal clear.
We collaborated with Jepto, which provided data from 4,000 dentist profiles. The pattern is clear—there has been a consistent drop in website traffic.
Is Your Website Still Important?
You might be asking, “Does this mean my website isn’t as important as it used to be?”
The answer is no—your website is still the #1 way to control where you rank on Google. However, relying solely on website traffic to measure your SEO performance is risky.
If you’re not using call tracking or other forms of tracking, it’s possible that the drop in traffic could leave you unaware of how well your SEO is performing.
How We Track SEO Success
At our agency, we monitor multiple data points in our monthly reports for clients. By using tools like Jepto, we track not only website clicks but also call trends. This allows us to pinpoint when and why certain metrics dip, ensuring we’re always ahead of the curve.
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I am in Connecticut. When I searched dentists near me, I got the traditional view with website and directions button. when I queried dentists near New Haven I got the 3-pack you describe.
I am in Connecticut. When I searched dentists near me, I got the traditional view with website and directions button. when I queried dentists near New Haven I got the 3-pack you describe.