Generative AI platforms are exploding, as extra individuals use these instruments for search. And whereas this implies AI referrals to publishers are rising too, it’s not practically sufficient to make up for the losses in Google search referral visitors that many are experiencing.
However some publishers are seeing first rate visibility in AI platforms, significantly ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode. AI platforms depend on conventional search indexes — like Google and Bing — which implies abiding by the identical basic guidelines as conventional search engine optimization, and guaranteeing content material is definitely accessible and comprehensible by AI crawlers, based on Semrush’s “AI Visibility Index” report that got here out final month.
One of the best ways publishers can really enhance their AI visibility is to get a licensing cope with AI platforms – particularly since publishers are unlikely to see comparable referral visitors to the pre-AI days, based on Semrush president Eugene Levin. The licensing offers between publishers and AI corporations usually promise publishers prominence in AI search outcomes, serving to them get in entrance of eyeballs with the attribution.
Right here’s latest knowledge that illustrates the present state of AI search, and what it means for publishers.
Generative AI search platforms are rising
There’s no query that generative AI platforms are rising. Google nonetheless reigns supreme when it comes to total market share of search platforms — ChatGPT remains to be small in comparison with Google’s 15 billion searches, about 5 billion of which set off AI Overviews, based on Levin.
Right here’s the year-over-year progress for main generative AI platforms when evaluating desktop and cellular internet visits from September 2024 to September 2025, based on Similarweb knowledge:
- ChatGPT grew 90.3% from 3.1 billion to five.9 billion.
- Perplexity grew 134.5% from 72.3 million to 169.5 million.
- Claude grew 123% from 70.4 million to 157 million
- Copilot grew 169.2% from 37 million to 99.6 million.
- Anthropic grew 80.3% from 7.1 million to 12.8 million
- Meta grew 42.3% from 7.8 million to 11.1 million.
AI referrals are rising — however not bringing in notable visitors
In accordance with Similarweb knowledge, massive information publishers are seeing a year-over-year enhance in referrals from generative AI platforms (not together with Google’s AI Overviews or AI Mode), although it nonetheless makes up lower than 1% of their total visitors.
From September 2024 to September 2025, AI referral visitors grew:
- 99.4% at The New York Instances
- 173% at CNN
- 213.6% at Fox Information
- 503.9% at Individuals
- 503.9% at USA Right this moment
The referral visitors volumes fluctuate month to month however usually are trending up, mentioned David Carr, senior insights supervisor at knowledge analytics firm Similarweb.
SEOClarity has tracked over 16.5 million visits from the highest 4 AI search engines like google and yahoo previously 9 months, and estimates that each click on pushed by an AI search result’s fueled by about 20 searches (from throughout completely different sources) by the AI platform — which helps clarify the rise in referral visitors some publishers are seeing.
In accordance with SEOClarity’s “AI Search Pattern Report” out final month, about 3.5 % of all searches are going down on ChatGPT, and about 28 % of ChatGPT AI responses cite at the least one supply.
From SEOClarity’s “AI Search Pattern Report”
Regardless of the expansion, AI visitors isn’t driving conversions
Regardless of the speedy progress, generative AI search platforms aren’t driving conversions (taking an motion after visiting a website, akin to making a purchase order or signing up for a e-newsletter), based on knowledge from BrightEdge. Natural search remains to be the first driver for conversions. BrightEdge discovered that AI search accounts for lower than 1% of referral visitors. Most of these referrals are coming from ChatGPT. Google wasn’t included within the survey.
AI search serves as a analysis channel, with “near-zero” direct conversions tracked by BrightEdge, based on a report out final month. Nonetheless, which means that AI search could possibly be beneficial for top-of-funnel discovery for publishers, who can convert audiences by direct channels.
Some publishers are sustaining visibility in AI search
Publishers are regularly cited in two main AI platforms (ChatGPT and Google AI Mode), in classes akin to enterprise {and professional} providers, client electronics, style and attire, and monetary providers, based on Semrush knowledge.
This exhibits that these platforms prioritize editorial content material as sources, and publishers are showing in entrance of generative AI search customers.
However the knowledge additionally exhibits a major distinction in how generative AI platforms supply info. For instance, for enterprise {and professional} providers, ChatGPT largely cites Reddit (141.2%) and Wikipedia (151.9%), with every referenced greater than as soon as per immediate on common. Business-specific sources like TechRadar (29.83%) and Forbes (23.82%) additionally function prominently.
In the meantime, Google AI Mode largely cites LinkedIn (24.1%), adopted by Google’s personal properties (21.9%) and Yelp (21.4%).
“Publishers play an essential function within the authority of sure subjects. AI has to depend on the authority of sure media shops,” Levin mentioned.
Nonetheless, because the research exhibits, AI is extra prone to pull info from user-generated content material from sources like Reddit and YouTube. This explains, partly, why publishers are seeing much less referral visitors total, Levin mentioned.
“As the combination of sources have modified, conventional media corporations have gotten much less visitors,” he mentioned. “It’s a redistribution [of referral traffic] due to AI… Reddit gained extra [traffic growth] than all the media corporations mixed [in the report] have misplaced.”
