Social Media Tops Search in New SMB Traffic Trends
Social media is now the top traffic source for many small and medium-sized businesses. SMB traffic trends show that social channels outperform search and influence early customer decisions. Many owners also track AI referrals because these insights help shape marketing strategies.
Small businesses increasingly view AI summaries as an important new channel. These summaries affect early buying behavior. As a result, customers may see competing brands before they reach a business website. This shift encourages SMBs to optimize for AI platforms, not just search engines.
However, not all trends are positive. Many SMBs report losing traffic from Google updates. Around 40% say the changes reduced their visibility. Larger companies felt even more impact, with almost half noticing declines. In addition, AI driven search changes continue to reshape user journeys. Even so, most SMBs still feel confident in their SEO efforts and call them effective.
Social Traffic on the Rise
Social platforms remain a strong driver of leads. Sixty four percent of SMBs listed social as a top source, compared to 52% for organic search. Solopreneurs and micro businesses rely on society even more. Interestingly, some businesses without websites say social platforms already give them enough reach.
AI attention is also growing. Half of SMBs track AI referrals and mentions, while larger ones do so at even higher rates. This shift shows rising GEO awareness across industries.
What SMBs Are Doing Next
Businesses focus on practical steps to stay visible. They use clear headlines, improve readability, and fix technical issues like speed and mobile performance. Larger companies also add structured data and build brand mentions. These simple efforts help core pagesb such as home, product, and contact pages earn more AI visibility.
