SEO, AI, and Growth: Publishers, Let’s Rethink Traffic

Affiliate publishing has changed dramatically in the past two years. Once-reliable SEO strategies that delivered steady traffic and conversions have become far less predictable. Constant algorithm updates and the rise of AI-powered search mean many publishers are already seeing sharp drops in visitors and revenue. 
 
Let’s take a closer look at what's happening, the learnings for affiliate publishers, and how you can build a more resilient growth strategy.  

Spoiler: the key is a mix of smarter conversion tracking, clearer performance reporting, and diversification across traffic sources. 

SEO alone is no longer enough 

Let’s not pretend AI overviews are the first disruptive force to hit publisher traffic. 

Google's 2023-24 updates completely reshaped search results pages, with affiliate sites hit particularly hard. Traffic and revenue for some publishers dropped by as much as 90% in a single day. The once dominant forms of review-heavy, price comparison and coupon content were among the most affected. 
 
In one study of 671 travel publishers, 78% lost organic traffic after Google's Helpful Content Update, with nearly one in three losing over 90%. Even large, established content brands weren't immune to damage. 
 
Organic traffic is still valuable, but it's no longer the bedrock it once was. Building an entire revenue stream on SEO is a risky bet right now. 

AI search is changing user behavior 

Back to present day, and AI-driven search features like Google's AI Overviews and Bing's AI results are reshaping how users interact with search engines.  

While your content might appear in AI summaries more often, users often get the answers they need without clicking through, which is something we've seen first-hand in wecantrack's data. 

Below, you can see the effect of AI overviews on web traffic. Impressions are up, and clicks are down.

For affiliates, that means fewer visitors reaching your pages, meaning far fewer opportunities to drive conversions. Because affiliate revenue depends on link clicks and post-click actions, this shift directly challenges the old SEO-first growth model. 

Diversifying your traffic sources 

To protect revenue, publishers must look beyond SEO. A mix of traffic sources spreads risk and creates more predictable income. 

A reminder: 
 
- Paid search captures high-intent users at the moment of decision. 
- Display and video ads support audience building and retargeting. 
- Social media drives both discovery and direct conversions. 
- Owned channels like email keep audiences connected long after they leave your site. 
 
But diversification without measurement is dangerous. If you can't see which channels are driving profitable conversions, you risk wasting your money. Tracking is the link between diversification and success. 

How wecantrack helps publishers adapt 

Wecantrack gives affiliate publishers clarity across all traffic sources by automatically tracking their sessions, clicks and conversions. It shows exactly where visitors are coming from and which actions generate revenue. 
 
By attributing conversions to their source, landing page, click page and UTM parameters, publishers gain a clear view of their highest-performing pages and campaigns. Key metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates (CVR) and earnings per click (EPC) become easy to monitor. 

Here’s an example of a view by channel:  

Wecantrack is easy to set up on your affiliate program. Here's how it works: 
 

1. Connect your affiliate networks: wecantrack integrates with 350+ networks via APIs and postbacks. This means every conversion is automatically reported in one simple dashboard.
2. Connect your websites: simply add the script or plugin to track visitors and outbound clicks and tie conversions back to their original sources.
3. Integrate with ad platforms: feed conversion data into Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Ads and more to optimize campaigns based on real conversions, not just clicks.
4. (Optional) Add UTM tracking templates: enrich your reporting with campaign names, creatives or audience segments.

This creates end-to-end visibility, from session to click to final conversion. As one long-term client put it:  

"Wecantrack gives us complete visibility on our acquisition channels and how to optimize our marketing spend and strategy. We were completely blind before, but wecantrack helps us gain visibility of our CLTV, which again enables us to make more strategic and data-driven decisions." 

"We don't exactly look at it as a tool that drives growth rather than a tool that allows us to be more efficient. Indirectly it allows us to grow because we have better traffic source visibility, and we can allocate budgets better." 

Maya Traykova, CPO, The Sole Supplier

Instead of juggling multiple spreadsheets or guessing which channels are profitable, you have one unified source of truth that interconnects all your platforms. 

A smarter growth playbook for 2025 

So, if focusing on SEO brings risks, what does a more resilient affiliate strategy look like? And what are some high-potential channels to consider focusing on in the near term?

• Balance your mix: SEO still has a role, but it can't carry growth alone. 
• Experiment with paid search: Google and Microsoft Ads remain key for high-intent traffic. The latter is often overlooked and offers lower CPCs in certain niches. 
• Test social discovery: TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest increasingly drive both traffic and sales thanks to effective retargeting and highly targeted campaigns. 
• Explore Reddit Ads: There is a growing opportunity to reach engaged, niche audiences in relevant subreddits via their targeted ad solutions. 
• Leverage your owned assets: Communicating with your audience via email and push notifications insulates you from external risks. 
• Measure everything: reliable attribution is essential to scale what works and cut what doesn't.

Final thoughts 

Affiliate marketing is evolving faster than ever. SEO volatility and AI disruption may feel like threats, but they're also opportunities for publishers who adapt. 
 
By diversifying traffic, connecting networks and websites, and using solutions like wecantrack to upgrade your attribution, publishers can explore new channels with confidence and grow sustainably. 
 
If you’re an Awin publisher keen to explore the power of wecantrack, speak to the team and find out more today.