Organic traffic fell 3% in 2024, pushing visit costs up 9% YoY and 19% over two years. Engagement dropped, 40% of visits faced frustration, and conversions sank, hitting paid channels hardest.
Global website traffic declined in 2024, with unpaid visits shrinking by 3%. This shift pushed brands to rely more on paid channels, driving up the cost per visit. Marketers saw a 9% increase in visit costs YoY and a 19% surge over two years. According to eMarketer, ad budgets are under pressure, forcing brands to rethink their strategies. The challenge now is maximizing returns as acquisition costs continue to rise.
User attention is slipping, making engagement tougher than ever. New visitors viewed 1.8% fewer pages, while returning users' session depth dropped 6.4%. ContentSquare data shows a 3% decline in time on site, highlighting a growing challenge. As digital noise increases, brands need sharper, more compelling content to keep users engaged and active.
40% of visits in 2025 were impacted by frustration, from slow pages to errors. JavaScript issues affected 19% of visits, while slow load times hit 15%. Users faced friction with multiple clicks, rage clicks, and low page activity. Reducing these pain points could improve engagement and keep visitors from bouncing before converting.
Conversion rates fell across the board, with paid social hit hardest at -12%. Overall, conversions dipped 6%, and new visitor conversions fell to 1.9%. With acquisition costs rising, optimizing every touchpoint is key. Forward-thinking brands are doubling down on seamless user journeys to turn clicks into conversions.
Are brands prepared to fight rising acquisition costs?
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