HubSpot’s recent SEO decline has sparked a lot of chatter, but as always, the loudest takes tend to be the least informed.
Let’s break down what actually happened, why it’s not some AI-induced apocalypse, and why every time a big site loses rankings, we don’t need to declare SEO “dead.”
1. HubSpot lost rankings on vanity keywords
First off, what did HubSpot actually lose?
A big chunk of the drop came from vanity keywords—things like quotes, emojis, and other broad, high-volume search terms.
These aren’t high-intent, business-driving keywords. They’re just nice-to-have rankings that make traffic charts look good.
Losing them might sting from a numbers perspective, but in terms of actual impact? Not as dramatic as it might seem.
2. This has nothing to do with AI overviews
One of the first knee-jerk reactions when people see traffic declines these days is to blame AI Overviews (Google’s new AI-generated answers).
But here’s the thing:
- AI Overviews haven’t even rolled out fully yet.
- Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs don’t measure AI Overview impact because, well, no one actually knows how to quantify it yet.
- The drop you’re seeing on HubSpot’s traffic charts? It’s not about AI stealing clicks—it’s about Google’s core update rebalancing rankings.
3. The December core update is the real story
SEO is never about looking at one site in isolation.
If you zoom out and look at broader trends, you’ll see that Google’s December 2023 core update hit a ton of sites—not just HubSpot.
A pattern emerged where Google shaved off a lot of loosely relevant keywords from sites that didn’t have enough topical authority to justify ranking for them.
And that’s exactly what happened to HubSpot.
They had a ton of rankings in areas where they weren’t necessarily the best or most authoritative source.
When Google tightened things up, those rankings dropped.
It’s not an “SEO is dying” moment—it’s just Google doing what Google does.
4. “SEO is Dead” takes are lazy (and wrong)
Every time a big site loses rankings, someone jumps in with “SEO is dead.”
It’s like a reflex at this point.
But here’s the thing—if SEO were dead, why did Zapier just gain a ton of keywords while HubSpot lost them?
SEO isn’t dead. It’s shifting.
And in this case, it’s rewarding sites that have stronger topical relevance and authority.
So no, Google didn’t kill SEO.
If anything, it just reminded everyone that you can’t rely on old rankings forever.
The bottom line
HubSpot’s SEO drop isn’t about AI, it’s not a death knell for SEO, and it’s not even that surprising when you look at the bigger picture.
It’s just Google refining rankings, as it always does.
So, before you panic—or worse, declare SEO dead—take a step back.
Look at the trends.
And maybe, just maybe, don’t assume the sky is falling every time a big site loses a few vanity rankings.
Achieve results with us
Our advice to our clients and partners to help them start achieving real results:
- Always create content for your ideal human user
- Ensure all content has a high level of uniqueness and originality
- Build your reputation offline as well as online
- Optimise for Google but not too much
- Keywords are your guide, exact match is folly
- Make sure your website is a high-performance asset
- Eliminate errors and search robot crawling issues
- Think about user experience, the customer journey and measurement
- Be in for the long game
The Whippet Digital team has spent almost 20 years studying search engines, social media platforms, content, and digital marketing. If you need help with some of the technical aspects of SEO, we can help with audits, on-page SEO, link building, local SEO, keyword research, and more. And we specialise in SEO strategies for SaaS businesses.
Discover our full range of SEO services or book a free consultation to see how we can tailor our services to your needs.
