The Digester

Top Tech Publications Lose 58% of Google Traffic Since 2024

Mar 4th 2026

Ahrefs estimates show ten major English language tech sites dropped from a combined 112 million US organic Google visits at their peaks to 47 million in January 2026, a loss of 65 million monthly visits or 58 percent, with the steepest falls starting in mid 2025 as Google rolled out AI Overviews.

  • Ten major tech publications saw combined US Google organic traffic fall from 112 million at their peaks to 47 million in January 2026, a 65 million monthly visit drop and 58 percent decline.
  • Four sites lost at least 85 percent of traffic, led by Digital Trends at 97 percent, with ZDNet, The Verge and HowToGeek down about 90 to 85 percent.
  • CNET, Tom's Guide, Wired and TechRadar lost between 47 and 74 percent, while Mashable and PCMag fell 30 and 41 percent respectively.
  • The steepest declines began in mid 2025 and coincide with Google's expansion of AI Overviews into more query types.
  • The same pattern appears outside tech, with NerdWallet down 73 percent and Healthline down 50 percent.
  • Possible drivers include AI Overviews reducing clicks on informational queries, Reddit gaining rankings for 'best X' keywords, and users shifting to AI assistants, although causation is not proven.

Sources

growtika.com