Where Did All My Web Traffic Go?

Have you looked at your website traffic lately and thought, “Something feels off”?

Maybe traffic is down—but no one can quite explain why.
Maybe leads feel softer, even though marketing hasn’t stopped.
Maybe your sales team is working harder, following up longer, and still converting less.

So… what’s really going on?

• Is this a sales issue?
• A marketing issue?
• Or something bigger that’s happening before either team ever gets involved?

That’s exactly what I set out to explore in this Head-to-Head conversation with Greg Bray, President of Blue Tangerine and co-host of the Builder Marketing Podcast. *We also discuss the upcoming Builder Marketing Summit coming up on September 23-24, 2026 in Dallas, TX.

And here’s the spoiler:
Sales isn’t broken—but the way buyers are finding you has fundamentally changed.

If Buyers Are Still Searching, Why Are Fewer Leads Reaching Sales?

This is one of the biggest disconnects builders are facing right now.

• Buyers haven’t stopped researching homes.
• They haven’t stopped comparing builders.
• They haven’t stopped asking questions.

What has changed is how they’re getting answers.

With AI-powered search experiences—like Google’s Gemini—buyers are increasingly getting information without ever clicking through to a website. That means fewer visits, fewer form fills, and fewer chances for sales teams to engage early.

So when traffic drops, it feels like demand has disappeared—when in reality, visibility has.

This shift is subtle, but its impact on sales is anything but.

Why Does Sales Always Feel It First?

Sales teams are often the first to raise their hand and say, “Something’s not right.”

• Appointments slow down.
• Lead quality feels inconsistent.
• Conversion ratios start slipping.

And too often, the assumption is: “Sales just needs to close better.”

But as Greg and I discuss in the episode, sales are downstream of visibility. When fewer buyers reach your site—or reach it later in their journey—sales inherit the problem.

That’s why this isn’t a conversation about marketing tactics. It’s a business performance conversation.

What’s Really Changing in Buyer Behavior?

Another big question we unpack in this episode:

How are buyers showing up differently before sales ever meets them?

Today’s buyers often arrive:

• More educated (or mis-educated) by AI answers which makes buyers more confident in their assumptions

• Further along in their decision-making, or stuck with incomplete context

This changes the sales conversation dramatically.

• Discovery looks different.
• Follow-up looks different.
• And assumptions about readiness can no longer be taken at face value.

Sales teams aren’t just selling homes anymore—they’re re-framing information buyers think they already understand.

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Is SEO Dead? Or Just Not Enough Anymore?

This is where the conversation gets especially important for leadership.

No—SEO isn’t dead.
But it also isn’t sufficient on its own.

We talk about why Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is becoming just as critical as traditional SEO—and why this isn’t about chasing buzzwords.

This is about revenue protection.

• Visibility drives traffic.
• Traffic drives opportunity.
• Opportunity drives sales.

When visibility erodes, sales performance follows—often months later.

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So What Does Alignment Really Look Like Now?

Here’s the question I want every builder to ask:

Are sales, marketing, and leadership truly aligned on what success looks like today?

Alignment now means:

• Shared expectations around lead quality
• Shared ownership of conversion outcomes
• Shared understanding of how buyers are finding (or not finding) you

When teams operate in silos, sales absorbs the pressure.
When teams align, solutions surface faster.

And that’s one of the biggest takeaways from this episode.

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Why You Should Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation

This Head-to-Head isn’t about quick tips or surface-level fixes.

It’s a full-length, conversational deep dive that connects the dots between:

• AI-driven search
• Buyer behavior
• Website traffic
• Lead quality
• Sales performance

Watch the embedded video above
Or listen to the podcast version if you’re on the go–search Head-to-Head by New Homes Solutions wherever you get your podcasts.

The clarity comes from hearing the connections, not just the sound bites.

To register for upcoming live Head-to-Head events, please visit: NewHomesSolutions.com/Head-to-Head.