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AI-assisted search is changing how some customers research products and brands, but the evidence does not show that it has replaced traditional search or caused the same traffic change for every business. The practical response is to make useful, trustworthy information discoverable in both classic search results and AI-generated answers, then measure visibility separately from visits, leads, and sales.
What AI-driven discovery changes for a business
Customers may ask longer, conversational questions, get an AI-generated summary, and compare more options before deciding whether to visit a business’s website. That creates another place where information about a brand can influence consideration; it does not mean every search ends without a click or that a business can rely on a single new optimization tactic.
Google reported that use of its service increased by more than 10% for query types that show AI Overviews in the United States and India, based on Google’s internal data from January 2025. That is a company-reported finding for those query types, not a measure of overall search usage or an independent estimate. Google’s explanation of AI in Search for businesses also describes how AI can support more complex questions.
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Consumer survey results point to a wider research process for some people. Gartner’s January 2026 release reported that 51% of respondents in a U.S. survey conducted July–August 2025 said their research habits had changed because of generative AI; among those reporting a change, 71% said they had changed how they phrased queries. In a separate U.S. survey conducted June–July 2025, 31% said AI summaries made them spend more time searching, while 16% said they spent less. These are survey responses, not observed traffic outcomes for individual companies. Gartner’s survey findings and recommendations describe both traditional and AI-assisted discovery.
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What the available traffic evidence does—and does not—show
There is no single settled result for business traffic. Different sources measure different populations and outcomes: browsing clicks, a platform’s aggregate search traffic, publisher referrals, survey answers, or search-result impressions. Those figures should not be treated as interchangeable or as proof that AI caused a particular company’s gains or losses.
| Evidence | What was measured | What it means for a business |
|---|---|---|
| Pew Research Center, July 2025 | Browsing by 900 U.S. adults during March 2025: a traditional result was clicked in 8% of Google visits with an AI summary, versus 15% of visits without one. A link cited in a summary was clicked in 1% of visits with a summary. | This is observed behavior for a specific sample, search engine, and month—not a forecast of every business’s click-through rate. |
| Google, August 2025 | Google said total organic click volume from Search was relatively stable year over year in August 2025 and described clicks as higher quality. | This is the platform’s account of its aggregate Search traffic, not an independent estimate of results for each site. |
| Reuters Institute, 2026 | Reporting Chartbeat data, the report found Google organic referrals to its 2,576-site publisher sample fell 33% globally between November 2024 and November 2025. It said the share attributable to AI Overviews was unclear. | This is publisher referral data, not a causal estimate for all sectors or businesses. |
Pew also found that 18% of all Google searches in its study produced an AI summary, and 88% of those summaries cited three or more sources. Both findings apply to the study’s U.S. browsing sample in March 2025. Google says AI summaries can lead people to ask more complex questions and that some quick-answer searches may not result in a click; neither observation establishes a universal traffic effect. Google’s account of Search traffic and clicks should therefore be read alongside independent browsing and publisher data, not as a substitute for them.
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Why product consideration may widen
AI-generated summaries can affect what people consider as well as whether they click. In Gartner’s U.S. survey conducted June–July 2025, 31% of respondents said they considered more product options because of AI Overviews, compared with 7% who considered fewer. This is a reported consumer response, not evidence that any particular brand gained or lost consideration. Gartner’s release also reports that only one-third of consumers said generative AI rivals search engines, reinforcing the need to account for both discovery paths.
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McKinsey reported that 44% of users of AI-powered search in its representative U.S. consumer panel survey of 1,927 people, conducted in August 2025, called it their primary and preferred source of insight. That describes the respondents surveyed, not all consumers. The same October 2025 article projects $750 billion in U.S. revenue by 2028 and estimates that unprepared brands could face a 20% to 50% decline in traditional-search traffic. Those are projections and a risk estimate, not measured revenue or an observed decline. McKinsey’s analysis of AI search sets out that forward-looking view.
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Keep content useful in both search formats
Maintain pages that serve customers arriving from traditional results as well as people who encounter information in an AI-generated answer. Gartner’s January 2026 recommendation, attributed to Emma Mathison, Senior Principal, Research in Gartner’s Marketing practice, is: “Marketers cannot afford to think of AI as a replacement for traditional search.” Mathison also advises content that is “specific, conversational, and trustworthy.” These are strategic content recommendations, not ranking guarantees. Gartner’s release provides the full context.
Answer real customer questions clearly
Build or improve pages around the questions customers actually ask, including relevant comparisons and decision criteria. Explain products, services, limitations, and policies in direct language, and keep facts consistent across the places customers use to research your business. This helps a reader evaluate the information whether they see it on your site or encounter a summary elsewhere; it is not a promise of inclusion in an AI answer.
Track visibility separately from business outcomes
Google’s Search Console generative AI performance report covers impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with breakdowns by pages, countries, dates, and devices. Google’s documentation says the report was rolled out to websites worldwide as of August 31, 2026, and notes that report availability may depend on receiving enough impressions. An impression indicates visibility, not a visit, lead, or sale. Google Search Central Help explains the generative AI performance report.
Use the report as one input, then compare it with site analytics, leads, sales, and branded demand. The documentation describes impression reporting; it does not say that Search Console attributes those business outcomes to AI answers. A change in impressions alone cannot establish a change in revenue.
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Segment results before drawing conclusions
Review performance by the dimensions that matter to your business: geography, query intent, business type, and content format. A local service business, an online retailer, and a publisher do not face the same customer journey. Likewise, a U.S. browsing study, Google’s aggregate figures, and a sample of publisher referrals cannot be combined into one expected traffic change. Compare the measure, population, region, and time window before deciding whether a trend applies to your own site.
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