Flat Traffic, No Budget? Run Small SEO Tests First (the 30-Day Method From Ziff Davis)
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Traffic's flat. The budget is a rounding error. And someone in the meeting just said "let's redo the whole site."
Please don't.
Jonathan Berthold, VP of Revenue at Ziff Davis, told Search Engine Journal on Oct 27, 2026 exactly what he tests first. Spoiler: it's small, it's cheap, and it's aimed at people with their wallet already out.
Quick words (one line each):
Top of funnel: "what is" searches from people just learning.
Bottom of funnel: searches from people ready to buy or hire.
Impressions: how many times your page showed up in Google results, clicked or not.
Search Console: Google's free dashboard showing your searches, impressions and clicks.
Topic gap: buying topics your competitors cover and you don't.
Why the old playbook stalls
Berthold's point: top-of-funnel traffic is being taken by LLMs, AI Overviews and AI Mode, and it "doesn't really convert." The people still clicking through are closer to buying. So that's where you test.
Step 1: Look before you test
Before touching anything, figure out why traffic is flat (Berthold). Then:
Run a topic gap check.
List the buying searches you don't have a page for.
Use AI to study the pages that already rank for those searches, find where competitors aren't, and decide what unique view you add.
Step 2: Ignore the volume number
Berthold doesn't trust search volume much. A search a tool calls "0" or "10 a month" can be worth it.
His examples:
A fiberglass conduit maker: 10 searches a month, 2 visits, and one of them was a shot at a half-million-dollar contract.
"I need a plumber to fix my toilet": low volume, urgent, ready to buy.
Semrush adds the filter (Oct 20, 2026): business relevance first, then ask "is there a path to conversion?" No path, no page.
Step 3: Pitch it as "what we'll learn"
Need a boss or client to sign off? Berthold says sell the test as "what we'll learn," not "we hope this works."
Write it like this:
We'll test: 3 new pages for these buying searches.
We'll learn: whether these searches bring leads.
Then we'll: build more if yes, stop if no.
Step 4: Start small
Testing on a whole website can tank all organic traffic (Berthold). So:
Build or change 1-3 pages.
Leave the rest of the site alone.
Write down the start date.
Step 5: Wait about a month
An SEO test needs about 30 days, 60 at most (Berthold). You won't see anything in a week.
Watch impressions first. They move before clicks.
Then clicks.
Then leads.
Paid ads are different: Berthold uses two-week windows, or spends 2-3x the target cost per conversion before deciding.
Step 6: Don't fall for the early bump
Berthold warns that early wins are often fake:
A freshly changed page often jumps, then settles.
Rank tracker bots muddy Search Console data.
Wait out the full window before you celebrate.
Step 7: Repeat, then roll out
One win is a maybe. Two is a pattern.
Run the same change on a second small set of pages.
Same 30 days, same checks.
Both worked? Now roll it out wider.
Step 8: Test what happens after the click
Berthold says most people only chase traffic. Split-test the landing page and the steps to sign up. Small conversion gains add up.
Bonus: turn AI citations into an outreach list
Berthold's step most companies skip: find the sites AI cites for your buying searches that mention competitors but not you. Contact them. Most companies track AI visibility and never take this step.
Do this today
List 5 buying searches you have no page for.
Cross out any with no path to a sale.
Pick 3 and build one page each.
Put a date 30 days out on your calendar.
Check Search Console impressions on that date.
Related reading
Sources
Don't worry if this seems like it's a pain in the ass for someone who doesn't build websites. That's because it is. The good news: just click the link below, pull the trigger, and we'll take care of the rest.
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