New figures show most ChatGPT users continue to rely on Google, with search engines holding the largest share of online discovery.
Overlap between platforms
Data from SimilarWeb highlights the scale of user crossover. In August, 95.3 percent of ChatGPT users also visited Google. By comparison, only 14.3 percent of Google users visited ChatGPT. In total visits, ChatGPT drew about 5.8 billion sessions that month, while Google recorded 83.8 billion.
Other tracking firms, including Datos and SparkToro, estimate that traditional search engines still handle 95 percent of searches overall. Studies of user behavior add that even frequent ChatGPT users continue to cross-check answers with Google.
Traffic to publishers
Reports about referral traffic paint a mixed picture. Some analysts say ChatGPT referrals are flattening and that Bing is sending more visitors to certain sites. Yet others point to the opposite trend. Search Engine Land, for example, saw referrals from ChatGPT surge by more than 1,200 percent in August. Even so, the site received 37 times more visitors from Google organic search than from ChatGPT.
Revenue impact
For most websites, AI-driven traffic contributes little to revenue. Findings from the SEOFOMO AI Search Optimization survey suggest that generative AI accounts for less than 5 percent of site income, while organic search through Google still provides more than half. This revenue gap shows why search optimization remains central for publishers.
How AI depends on search
ChatGPT and other large language models still rely on search engines when current information is required. Tests by SEO specialists and reporting in The Information confirm that ChatGPT draws from both Bing and Google when grounding its responses.
The role of SEO
The underlying rules of visibility on the web have not changed. Crawlability, indexability, content relevance, authority signals, and popularity continue to decide which pages are found and cited. What shifts are the technical details: how different platforms read content, whether they support JavaScript, how they interpret user queries, and the weight they give to citations in AI answers.
Specialists stress that SEO has never been tied only to Google. Techniques have adapted as YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms became search channels. That same adjustment now applies to AI-driven services such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and embedded assistants.
Likely winners and losers
Analysts expect some sectors to feel the pressure sooner than others. Websites focused on recipes, how-to guides, affiliate rankings, and trivia could see fewer visits as AI tools deliver complete answers. Smaller outlets without strong brand identity may also be at risk.
By contrast, businesses in local services, finance, and health are likely to hold stronger ground. In those areas, users still look for trusted names, and AI tends to act more as a guide than a substitute.
Industry debate
Some practitioners note that Google has been reducing organic visibility for years by expanding paid placements. Others frame the present shift as another stage in a long cycle of change. For them, SEO continues to exist, but the focus is moving toward what some now call AI visibility optimization.
Takeaway
Generative AI tools are expanding fast, yet they have not displaced established search engines. Google remains the main source of traffic and revenue for publishers, while AI platforms open a new layer of distribution. For now, the task is to prepare content for both worlds.
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