{"id":207153,"date":"2025-11-27T10:29:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T10:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/?p=207153"},"modified":"2025-12-01T19:57:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T19:57:34","slug":"5-key-gen-ai-data-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/geo\/5-key-gen-ai-data-points\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Gen AI Data Points That Will Shape 2026 and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I sat down with Baruch Toledano<\/b>, our VP of Digital Marketing Solutions, to chat about a talk he gave in our New York office on the evolution of AI search. The event was attended by leading industry professionals, including Ethan Smith, CEO at Graphite.<\/p>\n

While I can\u2019t share the entire presentation, I wanted to highlight a big takeaway that could change how you think about SEO and GEO moving forward.<\/p>\n

1. ChatGPT\u2019s dramatic rise to stardom<\/h2>\n

We all know that ChatGPT\u2019s rise has been nothing short of staggering. Over the past two months, it’s become the sixth most-visited website in the world<\/b>, overtaking some long-established digital giants. Data shows that as other giants have shown negative growth, ChatGPT is in the driver\u2019s seat, growing 12% MoM.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a clear indication that consumers are now incorporating GenAI tools<\/a> into\u00a0their everyday information-seeking and problem-solving routines.<\/p>\n

\"ChatGPT<\/p>\n

So why are people flocking to GenAI tools like ChatGPT? It\u2019s because they feel human. ChatGPT is conversational by design, letting anyone ask almost anything and get a clear, organized answer in seconds. It turns the world\u2019s collective knowledge into something instantly usable and personal.<\/p>\n

Instead of digging through endless blog posts or links, users get exactly what they\u2019re looking for right away. That simplicity and immediacy make the experience addictive. It\u2019s like having an always-on assistant with broad knowledge and also knows how to explain it.<\/p>\n

For search marketers who create content around user journeys, this raises a question\u2026<\/p>\n

How has the user experience changed and what does that mean for digital marketing in general?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore that.<\/p>\n

2. Users are engaging in new, richer ways<\/h2>\n

If you look at how people are using ChatGPT today, it\u2019s clear that behavior is evolving fast. Our data shows that nearly half of all files uploaded to ChatGPT are images<\/b>, showing that users are blending text and visuals in their prompts.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

This is a big shift from how we\u2019ve traditionally used search engines. Search engines help you find information in documents. Gen AI, on the other hand, does so much more. People now ask it to brainstorm ideas, edit copy, summarize PDFs, plan vacations, or analyze images. It\u2019s interactive, conversational, and visual.<\/p>\n

As the user journey changes, perhaps we should rethink some of our KPIs.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s jump into where referral traffic is going.<\/p>\n

3. Citations are shifting, and referral traffic is shifting with them<\/h2>\n

Similarweb data<\/a> shows that ChatGPT\u2019s citation patterns are changing rapidly. A few months ago, Wikipedia and Reddit dominated the sources it referenced. Today, our AI Brand Visibility tracker<\/a> shows their share is shrinking as ChatGPT starts pulling from a wider variety of content types.<\/p>\n

\"AI<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s having a measurable impact on traffic. Reddit, for instance, saw a 23% drop in traffic from ChatGPT in just one month.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Reddit<\/p>\n

More than a technical shift, it\u2019s a sign that AI-driven discovery is rewiring how people reach websites. Content that earns citations from AI systems<\/a> is quickly becoming a new visibility metric.<\/p>\n

The bigger story? Users are interacting with GenAI platforms in ways we\u2019ve never seen before, and where they end up is currently unpredictable. More than just searching for information, they\u2019re conversing with their search engine. And that opens a whole new chapter for search marketing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a search marketer, this might sound alarming. If users are asking AI for answers directly, and we don\u2019t know where traffic is ending up, where does that leave us?<\/p>\n

The most interesting piece of data shows that ties everything together is that search isn\u2019t disappearing, it\u2019s expanding.<\/p>\n

4. The pie is growing. ChatGPT users still rely on Google<\/h2>\n

Despite ChatGPT\u2019s explosive growth, it hasn\u2019t replaced traditional search. In fact, 99.6% of ChatGPT users still use Google.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"ChatGPT<\/p>\n

So rather than thinking of AI chat and search as competitors, we should see them as complementary. Together, they\u2019ve created a bigger, more complex discovery ecosystem. The pie isn\u2019t shrinking, it\u2019s growing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople aren\u2019t choosing between ChatGPT and Google. They\u2019re using both, and often in the same session.\u201d \u2014 Baruch Toledano<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, even if you take AI Overviews<\/a> into account, transactional searches are still available on Google.<\/p>\n

5. AI Overviews dominate informational searches, but ecommerce remains open territory<\/h2>\n

Google\u2019s AI Overviews have changed how people find information, especially for topics like travel, health, and education. For these informational<\/b> queries, zero-click searches<\/a> have skyrocketed because users are getting everything they need right on the results page. For instance, \u2018things to do\u2019 searches hit a staggering 80% zero click rate.<\/p>\n

\"Zero-click<\/p>\n

But when it comes to transactional<\/b> or ecommerce<\/b> searches, it\u2019s a different story. AI Overviews rarely appear there, meaning people still click through to brand and product pages to make decisions. That\u2019s an opportunity for SEOs. The lower funnel remains clickable territory.<\/p>\n

In other words, users are treating AI and non-AI results differently. They use AI to explore ideas and clarify information, but traditional search engines are still where the transactions happen.<\/p>\n

In other words, each step is part of the same journey and both demand unique content strategies.<\/p>\n

What does that mean for marketing? Be everywhere in the journey<\/h2>\n

As user behavior evolves, it\u2019s natural for marketers to wonder what this means for the role of search. As people chat with AI tools, upload images, and explore in new ways, it may feel like traditional SEO is being rewritten. But rather than shrinking, the opportunity is simply expanding.<\/p>\n

Baruch summed it up perfectly. The pie is growing.<\/b> People use different platforms for various purposes. Some start with ChatGPT for inspiration, hop over to Google for validation or comparisons, and then land on a brand\u2019s website to make a purchase. The path is no longer linear. It\u2019s fluid, looping, and multimodal.<\/p>\n

So what does that mean for marketers? It means we can\u2019t think channel-by-channel anymore. Visibility now has to span the entire<\/i> discovery journey.<\/p>\n

How to Adapt<\/b><\/h3>\n