Hey friends!

Did your website lose traffic last month?

Full disclosure: ours did too.

Over the past few weeks, there’s been widespread discussion around Google’s March 2026 Core Update and how heavily it impacted all websites, including membership websites on platforms like Squarespace, WordPress, Weebly, Shopify, and Wix.

Reddit and SEO forums are filled with comments like:
“Traffic dropped ~80%.”
“Impressions declined first, then clicks.”
“Google is rewarding brands and communities now.”

And honestly, MemberSpace is seeing the same thing many of you are seeing.

Despite what Google says, this doesn’t feel like just another algorithm update.

This feels like a major shift in how search itself works.

Google is aggressively moving toward AI-generated answers, AI Overviews, and what many people now call “zero-click marketing.”

In simple terms:
People search, get answers directly inside Google or AI tools like ChatGPT… and never actually click your website.

Instead, AI systems are increasingly mentioning brands by name.

That means someone may discover your company inside AI search results, remember your brand, then later search for you directly or visit your website another way.

The result?
Traditional SEO attribution is getting messy.

You may lose organic clicks while simultaneously increasing:

• branded searches
• direct traffic
• word-of-mouth awareness
• AI-driven brand mentions

Which also means analytics tools may no longer tell the full story of where new users and members are truly coming from.

Google also appears to be heavily prioritizing:

• trusted brands
• recognized entities
• topical authority
• Reddit discussions
• YouTube videos
• real opinions and experiences
• niche experts and communities

In short:
Search is shifting from ranking pages to ranking trust.

Because of this, we’re actively shifting our own strategy to better align with Google E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), AI search, entity-based SEO, and Google’s evolving algorithm direction.

More specifically, here’s what we’re now focusing on across individual landing pages and blog posts:

• Add first-hand insights and case studies
• Remove generic or repetitive copy
• Add screenshots, examples, and proof
• Improve internal linking between related topics
• Add FAQ sections to pages
• Improve page structure and readability
• Update older content more frequently
• Build stronger topical clusters
• Focus more on brand visibility and mentions
• Create content worth citing by AI systems

One additional recommendation:

Start asking new users and members how they heard about you during signup or onboarding.

Add a simple dropdown field during signup asking: “How did you hear about us?”

As zero-click marketing grows, this data may become incredibly valuable. You can even easily add this directly inside your MemberSpace dashboard.

Good luck, and honestly, I’d make adapting to this shift a major priority over the next couple of months.

The websites and brands that move fastest will likely have a huge advantage moving forward.

Talk soon,

Marvin
Chief Growth Officer
MemberSpace