Websites that don’t appear in AI search can lose up to 50% online traffic, according to a 2025 study by the Pew Research Center.
The first position of the SERP, which was estimated to attract 39.8% of clicks, has seen a 34% decline in online traffic due to the emergence of AI as a search tool.
To be clear, SEO remains relevant in the age of Artificial Intelligence. However, if you don’t show up in AI search, you’ll lose customers.
8 Reasons Why You’ll Lose Customers If You Don’t Show Up In AI Search
- AI search has reduced online traffic in SERP by 50%.
- AI search summaries provide users with a more accessible, organized, convenient, and readable source for finding answers to their queries.
- Users view links presented by AI search summaries as vetted for quality and value.
- 26% of users terminate the search after reading the AI search summary.
- Users who read AI search summaries become highly engaged and motivated to purchase.
- AI search increases the conversion rate by driving qualified and highly engaged users to purchase on websites that offer the specific products or services.
- Google owns 79% of the global search market share, and AI only accounts for 1% of searches.
However, studies by Gartner and Morning Score predict that AI’s share of the global search market will increase by 25% to 35% over the next three to five years. - The conversion rate of searches generated by AI search is three times larger than search engines, social media, and direct referrals.
💡Key Takeaway: AI’s influence on search is growing. If you’re not invested in AI search, while it accounts for only 1% of the global search market, you might miss out on opportunities to acquire more customers when it generates more traffic.
How AI Search Impacts User Behavior
AI search results provide users with an easier and more convenient way of getting the answers they’re looking for – a summary of information that’s organized in relevant headers and written in a manner a six-year-old can understand.
Likewise, the AI summary is located in a visible section of the SERP…
… on the top third of the Google page, and right before the list of web pages that were ranked by its traditional search algorithm.
You’ll notice that the summary includes links:
The links lead to the web pages cited by Google’s AI as sources for the summary.
Some users will click on the referenced links rather than those on the SERP, as they perceive them to have been vetted by AI for high-value, quality content that aligns with search intent.
Additionally, the links provided by the AI summary are accessible; they’re just a mouse click away.
What Does The Data Say About AI Search’s Impact On Website Traffic?
Given their accessibility, convenience, and the perception that they’ve been vetted by AI, it would be safe to assume that users would rather click the links on an AI summary than those presented in the SERP.
The numbers show AI’s impact on website search traffic is more nuanced than previously thought.
The data might shock you.
1. AI Search Reduced SERP Clicks By 50%
A study by the Pew Research Center found that only 8% of users who read an AI-generated summary clicked on links displayed in the search engine results page (SERP).
In contrast, 15% of users whose search queries were not covered by an AI summary clicked on traditional search results.
That’s a 50% decline in website search traffic.
And there’s more.
2. The Top Position in the SERP Loses Influence
SaaS platform Ahrefs did a study on the effect of AI technology on traditional search results. The study started from the time Google rolled out AI Overviews (AIO) in 2024.
The Ahrefs study showed that the number one position in the SERP lost 34% of its clicks.
(Source: Ahrefs)
The reason for the decline in website traffic and clickthrough rates seems obvious from the outset.
Users who want to learn more about the topic can just click on the links. It saves them time and lowers the risk of landing on a website with inadequate and outdated information.
But do users actually click on the links included in the AI summary?
3. 99% of Users Don’t Click on Links in the AI Summary
According to the Pew Research Center study, only 1% do.
(Source: Pew Research Center)
99% of users don’t click on the cited links, and 26% close their browsers after reading the AI summary.
The change in user behavior led to the phenomenon known as “Zero-Click Search.”
4. The Zero-Click Phenomenon
Zero-click doesn’t mean no clicks at all. The term “zero-click” is used to highlight the significant decline in website click-through rates as a direct consequence of AI search.
2024 research by Datos, a Semrush company, highlighted its findings that for every 1,000 Google searches in Europe, only 374 resulted in a website visit.
In the U.S., the ratio was 360 visits for every 1,000 Google searches.
So, if AI searches adversely affect website traffic and the sites it references only get 1% clicks, why should you shift your focus to showing up in AI search results?
Apparently, the small percentage of clickthroughs delivers big-time results for the conversion rate.
The 1% CTR can create three times more sales opportunities than the traffic volume generated by traditional search.
How AI Search Increases The Conversion Rate
On February 7, 2023, Microsoft launched its generative AI assistant, Copilot. To keep track of its performance, MS conducted a study on how AI platforms compared to other channels in driving website traffic.
The AI platform is indicated as LLM and includes the search market performance of Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT. The other channels in the study were traditional search, social media, and direct referrals.
The company analyzed its data for eight months and discovered the platform’s search traffic outperformed Search, Social Media, and Direct.
| Platform: | Percentage Increase in Traffic: |
| LLM | 155.6% |
| Traditional Search | 24% |
| Social Media | 21.5% |
| Direct Referral | 14.9% |
Despite the growth, the search volume generated by AI only accounted for 1% of overall search traffic.
However, the interesting aspect of the Microsoft study is that the 1% clickthroughs produced higher conversion rates compared to the other platforms:
| Platform | LLM | Traditional Search | Social Media | Direct Referral |
| CVR Sign Up CTR | 1.66% | 0.15% | 0.46% | 0.13% |
| CVR Subscription CTR | 1.34% | 0.55% | 0.37% | 0.41% |
Generally, a conversion rate of 2% to 3% is considered good.
While AI search isn’t generating a tsunami of online search traffic, it’s driving qualified and highly engaged users with serious purchasing intent to websites that offer specific products or services.
Of the 1,277 websites Microsoft analyzed, 52% converted traffic into actions such as sign-ups or subscriptions within the month.
The conversion rate validates our earlier postulation that users prefer to click on links that have been perceived as vetted by AI
The 1% users who click on the referenced links are in a highly engaged state and are ready to take action. They don’t want to waste time clicking on links that may not provide the answers… or products they need.
Growth Memo conducted a similar study on AI Mode, which was introduced by Google last March 25, 2025.
AI Mode is a search interface that’s integrated into Google Search and harnesses the power of Gemini 2.5 to provide users with comprehensive, conversational, and context-based answers to more complex and nuanced queries.
The study revealed interesting findings:
- 75% of users didn’t leave AIM.
- 88% of users interacted with AIM.
- Users’ engagement level was measured at 52 to 77 seconds, which is high.
- Zero-click rate of AIM is higher than AIO: 100% vs. 93%.
Growth Memo found that although AIM generated a zero-click rate of 100%, 18% of clickouts eventually went to a seller’s website or another e-commerce platform, such as Amazon, to purchase the product.
While the clicks were essentially non-existent, the intent to purchase the product is high.
Conclusion
The results of studies analyzing the influence of AI search on user behavior lead to the same conclusion:
If you’re not showing up in AI search results NOW, you’ll lose customers to the competition when AI’s market share of search traffic grows.
Google still accounts for 79% of search traffic, but the rise of AI search cannot be ignored.
Proof of AI’s growing significance in the search market is Google’s decision to invest in the technology and develop multiple AI projects over the last few years: Bard, Gemini, Duet AI, AIO, and AIM.
Google wants to position itself in the AI industry before it acquires a larger share of the search market.
And so should you.
So how will you get users to click on your link if it’s cited by AI?
Create high-value, high-quality content that offers users fresh and unique insights, updated, relevant, and useful information referenced only from reputable sources.
When the AI search algorithm processes your content, it must analyze and conclude that you are a credible and trustworthy authority on the topic.
The best time to invest in AI search is NOW. Contact us, and let’s get your content cited by AI search algorithms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is AI search?
AI search uses Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Programming (NLP), and Large Language Models (LLM) technologies that analyze the context, intent, and semantics of the content to provide users with answers to more complex and nuanced queries.
2. Are other search engines also incorporating AI search?
Yes. Microsoft Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Facebook, YouTube, X, Pinterest, and other platforms with built-in search engines have integrated AI search.
The combination of AI and traditional search processes has benefited users by enhancing their experience and businesses by driving visitors with strong purchasing intent to their websites.
3. What is the difference between AI Overview (AIO) and AI Mode (AIM)?
AIO provides users with an organized summary of information that is relevant and essential to their search queries.
AIM is an experimental platform that creates an interactive and immersive environment for users. Users can interact directly and engage in human-like conversations with Google’s generative chatbot, Gemini 2.5.
To access AIM, navigate below AIO and click “Dive deeper into AI Mode.”
4. How does traditional search differ from AI search?
Traditional search relies on keywords to analyze the relevance of content to user intent.
In contrast, AI search uses advanced technologies, such as NLP, ML, and LLP, to analyze the context, intent, and semantics of content and assess its relevance to user intent.
5. Should I forego SEO and focus on AI search or GEO?
No. You shouldn’t forego SEO and focus entirely on Generative Engine Optimization or GEO because both optimization processes use complementary techniques.
For example, keywords are still important to have your content found by the AI’s algorithm.
Also, both SEO and GEO follow Google’s guiding principle for creating high-quality content: E-E-A-T, the acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
