The Scariest Thing This Halloween? Google’s Search Results

Hello there,

🎃 Halloween’s right around the corner and while ghosts and ghouls are busy haunting houses, SEOs are dealing with something even scarier: disappearing clicks, moody algorithms, and restless clients asking “What happened to my traffic?”

This week we will dive into two stories that capture the spirit of modern search fright: Reddit’s outrage over Google’s declining results and a new report showing how AI search is collapsing the B2B funnel faster than a vampire dodging daylight.

But don’t panic. Grab your flashlight (or schema markup) and we’ll help you navigate the shadows.

  👻 Don't let Google updates scare you. Start a 7-day free trial, or book a demo to discover how easy it is to wow your clients and close more deals—faster! Get started today! 👻

  ⭐ Adaptify Bi-Weekly Highlights ⭐ When Reddit Roasts Your SERPs

The SEO community’s been brewing something spooky in its cauldron this week and it’s a spell for… frustration.

Over on Reddit’s r/SEO, a viral thread with dozens of comments lit up with complaints that Google’s results feel haunted.

The sentiment is clear: what used to be a treasure hunt for information now feels like a funhouse of ads, recycled content, and AI noise. Many practitioners are blaming Google’s rapid integration of AI-generated overviews and spam-heavy filters for “burying” genuine results.

This isn’t just a Reddit rant that should be shrugged off lightly, it’s a pulse check on user trust. When searchers stop believing that Google can find the “good stuff,” the entire SEO ecosystem feels it. For agencies, that means your clients might start asking harder questions like, “Why are we ranking but not seeing clicks?” or “Why does our content disappear after a few weeks?”

As agencies, you’re feeling the ripple effects of this shift firsthand as clients are watching their impressions climb while clicks stay flat. That’s why we’ve been moving early toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) reporting, the next evolution of SEO visibility.

While most platforms stop at keyword rankings, Adaptify’s AI Brand GEO goes deeper, tracking how often your clients’ brands are mentioned inside AI-generated answers across the major models. It highlights where they already appear, which queries trigger those mentions, and what adjacent topics are worth targeting next.

The goal is simple: when Google’s results start to feel like a haunted maze, your clients shouldn’t vanish in the fog. GEO helps ensure they’re visible not just in the blue links but in the answers themselves, where decisions increasingly happen. It’s another layer of assurance that even as search evolves, your agency’s strategy stays one step ahead.

So what is the best defense against these algorithmic ghosts? Double down on clarity, authority, and usefulness. Write content worth citing, not just ranking. Think schema markup, detailed comparisons, and transparent expertise. That's what both searchers and AI crawlers will cling to when the fog rolls in.

Before Halloween ends, remind your clients that the real monster isn’t AI, it’s irrelevance. Keep their content alive by making it human, structured, and genuinely helpful.

AI Search Is Rewriting the B2B Funnel

If you thought Google’s haunted house was scary, MarTech just dropped a report that might send a chill down every agency’s spine. AI-driven search isn’t just reshaping rankings, it’s collapsing the classic B2B buyer journey altogether.

According to Gartner, by 2028 nearly 60% of B2B transactions will happen through conversational AI tools. That means the old “awareness → consideration → decision” funnel is getting devoured by something new: AI that already knows what the buyer wants.

Instead of hopping across five websites, buyers can now ask a single question and get a full, AI-summarized answer that is often complete with comparisons, pricing, and reviews. In early tests, AI search is already driving up to 6% of all B2B sessions, and that number’s rising fast.

So what does this mean for agencies? Traditional organic traffic metrics are becoming less reliable indicators of success. Authority and schema clarity are now starting to outweigh keyword rank. Your job isn’t just to rank, it’s to make sure your clients’ insights get quoted by the AIs that write the answers.

If the funnel feels like a ghost town, don’t panic.

This is your cue to adapt content for AI visibility: clean markup, tight messaging, and rich, scannable structure. Think of it as SEO’s evolution from shouting into the void to being whispered to a potential buyer by the algorithm itself.

  💡 Agency SEO Tip of the Week: Want to future-proof your content strategy? Add an AI Visibility column to your next SEO audit. Instead of just tracking keyword position, look at:

Treat every audit like a séance for visibility: summon clarity, banish confusion, and make sure your clients stay seen in both search and AI overviews.

  🧙‍♀️ Product Update: No Tricks, Just Treats

We’ve got something sweet brewing this week. Agencies can view our public roadmap directly inside Adaptify! Just head to Get Help at the top of your screen and then scroll all the way to the bottom. There you’ll find a transparent look at what’s coming next complete with notes.

And speaking of what’s next, a smarter Keyword Dashboard is on the way. It’s being reworked to better understand user feedback, offer more customizable options, and make keyword management easier to navigate. In short it will make finding the right keyword feel a little more treat than trick.

Keep an eye out for a special announcement in the coming weeks.

  👻 No Tricks, Just Rankings

Search may be getting spookier, but your strategy doesn’t have to. As long as your clients’ content stays useful, structured, and authentic, no AI ghost can take them out of sight.

So light your candles, sharpen your schema, and we’ll see you on the other side of the algorithm.Need a guiding light in the dark? Schedule a demo or visit Adaptify.ai today!

Happy Halloween from all of us at Adaptify.

🕷️ Now go make your clients’ rankings rise from the grave.

Best,

Dominic, Hans, Bethany

Automate your Agency (by Adaptify SEO)