ChatGPT processed 2.5 billion prompts per day as of July 2025, representing 12% of Google’s search quantity when accounting for queries that historically belonged to serps. Regardless of this substantial question quantity, the conversational AI platform sends 190 instances much less visitors to web sites than Google, in accordance with research published February 11, 2026, by Ahrefs.
The evaluation reveals essentially totally different enterprise fashions between the 2 platforms. Google connects individuals to web sites by means of search outcomes. ChatGPT retains customers engaged in dialog. The info demonstrates that if AI search represents the way forward for data discovery, web site visitors faces critical challenges forward.
Google processes over 5 trillion searches yearly, in accordance with inside information launched January 2025. That interprets to roughly 13.7 billion each day searches throughout the platform. ChatGPT handles 18 billion messages weekly as of July 2025, which equals roughly 2.5 billion prompts per day, in accordance with analysis from Ahrefs inspecting visitors patterns throughout 76,000 web sites by means of the corporate’s Net Analytics platform.
The uncooked quantity comparability reveals ChatGPT at 18% of Google’s complete question quantity. Nevertheless, not each ChatGPT immediate capabilities as a conventional search question. Based on analysis from OpenAI and Harvard analyzing 1.5 million conversations, 24% represents pure search whereas 51.6% includes asking intent the place customers search recommendation, perspective, or data to enhance judgment somewhat than delegating job completion.
Patrick Stox, Product Advisor at Ahrefs who authored the evaluation, disagrees with utilizing these precise percentages for comparability functions. “Google does extra than simply search,” in accordance with Stox within the analysis publication. The search engine contains instruments for calculations, translation, and different capabilities categorized in another way in educational research. Even coding help will get labeled individually, regardless of builders looking out points on Google and Stack Overflow for years.
Analyzing the examples supplied within the OpenAI analysis, Stox labeled 65% of ChatGPT searches as actions historically carried out on Google. This proportion exceeds the researchers’ unique classification primarily based on entry to information displaying precise search patterns. Utilizing this 65% classification, ChatGPT achieves roughly 12% of Google’s search quantity for historically searched content material.
For comparability context, Bing receives an estimated 1.2 billion searches each day. ChatGPT has surpassed Microsoft’s search engine in question quantity for search-like actions, representing a big milestone lower than three years after the platform’s public launch in November 2022.
The visitors distribution tells a dramatically totally different story than question quantity. Ahrefs constructed a devoted comparability device at chatgpt-vs-google.com utilizing information from its Net Analytics platform throughout 76,000 web sites. The evaluation reveals Google sending 190 instances extra visitors to web sites than ChatGPT.
Google accounts for practically 40% of all visitors to web sites analyzed within the examine. ChatGPT represents simply 0.21% of complete web site visitors. This large hole between question quantity and visitors supply illustrates the place the platforms diverge fully of their method to data distribution.
The platforms reveal radically totally different click-through charge patterns. Google maintains an estimated CTR of 29.2% primarily based on the connection between each day queries and visitors share. ChatGPT’s CTR varies relying on how searches are labeled, however utilizing Stox’s methodology for conventional search queries, the platform achieves an estimated CTR of 1.3% – representing a 96% discount in comparison with Google’s efficiency.
The calculation methodology includes dividing visitors share proportion by each day queries in billions, then multiplying by 10 to provide estimated CTR. For ChatGPT’s 1.625 billion each day search-classified queries mixed with 0.21% visitors share, the ensuing CTR reaches just one.3%.
Even when inspecting pure search classification at 600 million each day queries, ChatGPT achieves simply 3.5% estimated CTR – nonetheless 88% decrease than Google. The asking intent class, encompassing 1.29 billion each day queries, produces 1.6% estimated CTR, representing 94% decrease efficiency than conventional serps.
These patterns mirror basic variations in platform design and person expectations. ChatGPT referrals surge as Google searches hit zero-click records, with the conversational AI platform specializing in offering full solutions throughout the interface somewhat than directing customers elsewhere.
Google’s enterprise mannequin depends upon sending visitors to web sites, each by means of natural outcomes and paid commercials. The corporate generated greater than $198 billion in income throughout 2024, predominantly from promoting tied to go looking visitors distribution. Sustaining excessive click-through charges serves Google’s basic financial pursuits.
ChatGPT operates on a special financial mannequin. OpenAI, valued at $157 billion following vital Microsoft funding, monetizes primarily by means of subscription charges for ChatGPT Plus and enterprise deployments somewhat than promoting income depending on visitors distribution. The platform’s success metrics middle on dialog high quality and person engagement somewhat than exterior click on era.
The visitors high quality dialogue provides complexity to easy quantity comparisons. Ahrefs study finds AI search visitors convert 23x higher than organic traffic, with AI search accounting for simply 0.5% of complete web site visits but producing 12.1% of all signups in accordance with analysis printed June 16, 2025.
This conversion benefit means that when ChatGPT does ship visitors, these guests arrive additional alongside of their decision-making course of in comparison with conventional search customers. Microsoft Clarity reveals how AI assistants are reshaping website traffic patterns, with evaluation displaying AI referrals convert at 11 instances higher charges than search regardless of representing below 1% of visitors share.
Nevertheless, ChatGPT traffic underperforms Google in e-commerce study inspecting 973 web sites with $20 billion mixed income. The analysis discovered ChatGPT referrals demonstrated conversion charges inferior to all channels besides paid social media, with internet online affiliate marketing producing 86% larger probability of conversion in comparison with ChatGPT visitors.
The contradictory findings recommend visitors high quality varies considerably throughout trade verticals and web site varieties. Publishers and information-focused websites could profit from higher-intent AI visitors, whereas e-commerce properties expertise totally different patterns the place conventional search and direct navigation show extra priceless for precise buy completion.
The aggressive panorama between platforms continues evolving quickly. ChatGPT could overtake Google search traffic by 2030, in accordance with predictions from progress advisor Kevin Indig printed June 18, 2025. Such forecasts depend upon sustained progress trajectories and potential adjustments in how AI platforms method visitors distribution.
Current measurements present ChatGPT traffic reaches 0.19% while Google maintains 41.9% share in accordance with August 2025 information, although ChatGPT demonstrates 3.8 instances quicker progress charge on a proportion foundation. ChatGPT’s lead shrinks as Gemini surges in AI traffic war, with Google’s personal AI assistant capturing market share from OpenAI’s platform.
Google faces its personal visitors distribution challenges amid the AI transformation. Google’s AI summaries now swallow 58% of clicks that once went to websites in accordance with December 2025 analysis from Ahrefs, up from 34.5% in April 2025. Zero-click searches elevated from 56% to just about 69% since AI Overviews launched in Could 2024.
News publishers lose half their Google search traffic in two years, with conventional internet search dropping from 51% of visitors in 2023 to only 27% within the fourth quarter of 2025. Google Discover dominates news traffic as search declines, accounting for two-thirds of Google referrals to information organizations by August 2025.
The UK market skilled notably extreme impacts. UK website traffic growth collapses 86% since Google AI search rollout, with common month-to-month natural visitors progress dropping to three.7% from 26.3% following AI Overviews deployment in August 2024.
These parallel developments recommend each Google and ChatGPT are lowering the proportion of queries that lead to web site visits, although by means of totally different mechanisms. Google solutions questions immediately by means of AI Overviews whereas sustaining some visitors distribution by means of conventional outcomes. ChatGPT offers complete responses inside conversations whereas often providing quotation hyperlinks customers not often click on.
The implications for web site homeowners seem more and more difficult no matter which platform customers desire. Each dominant data platforms are shifting towards answering queries immediately somewhat than serving primarily as intermediaries directing visitors elsewhere. Stox famous within the analysis that he stays unsure whether or not web site homeowners will settle for the dramatic visitors reductions or finally push again towards AI search implementations.
Advertising and marketing professionals face strategic selections about useful resource allocation throughout these altering platforms. Conventional search engine marketing specializing in Google rankings continues delivering the vast majority of referral visitors regardless of declining effectiveness. New approaches concentrating on how brands manipulate ChatGPT to dominate AI search resultsby means of generative engine optimization have emerged, although their long-term viability stays unsure.
Quotation dynamics add one other layer of complexity to visitors planning. ChatGPT referral traffic drops 52% as citation patterns shift dramatically in accordance with August 2025 analysis, with Reddit and Wikipedia absorbing tens of millions of potential referrals as OpenAI adjusted quotation weighting preferences. When platforms can swing visitors volumes 52% by means of backend changes, constructing sustainable enterprise fashions on AI referrals turns into terribly tough.
The measurement infrastructure for AI visitors continues bettering. ChatGPT adds UTM parameters to more links for better analytics tracking, addressing gaps the place ChatGPT visitors beforehand appeared as direct visits in analytics platforms. Extra correct attribution allows higher strategic decision-making as advertising and marketing groups allocate budgets throughout platforms.
For the advertising and marketing neighborhood, these findings symbolize greater than educational curiosity in platform comparisons. They reveal two essentially totally different visions for a way individuals entry data on-line. Google constructed its enterprise by connecting individuals to web sites, creating an ecosystem the place content material creators may construct audiences and monetize by means of promoting or subscriptions. That mannequin faces growing stress as the corporate adopts AI options that scale back visitors distribution.
ChatGPT by no means promised to function a visitors supply. The platform designed conversations to maintain customers engaged throughout the interface, often offering citations for verification somewhat than as major navigation instruments. Web site homeowners who anticipated ChatGPT would exchange Google as a serious referral supply could must rethink their assumptions about AI search platforms.
The visitors hole between platforms – 190 instances extra visitors from Google regardless of ChatGPT dealing with 12% of search quantity – illustrates this basic distinction. Customers who flip to ChatGPT anticipate conversational help fixing issues by means of dialogue. Customers who search on Google anticipate hyperlinks to web sites offering detailed data. At the same time as Google provides conversational AI options, its core search enterprise nonetheless revolves round visitors distribution in methods ChatGPT’s conversational mannequin doesn’t.
Each platforms will seemingly proceed evolving their approaches to data supply and visitors distribution. Google faces income pressures to keep up promoting effectiveness at the same time as AI Overviews scale back clicks. OpenAI could discover quotation enhancements or partnership applications that enhance visitors distribution because the platform matures. Neither trajectory is predetermined.
The analysis offers baseline measurements displaying the present state of visitors distribution throughout these competing data platforms. How this panorama transforms over the following a number of years will form not simply search engine marketing practices however the basic economics of content material publishing on-line.
Timeline
Abstract
Who: Ahrefs performed the analysis, with Patrick Stox serving as Product Advisor and first writer, whereas Ryan Regulation supplied analysis evaluate as Director of Content material Advertising and marketing. The examine impacts digital advertising and marketing professionals, search engine marketing practitioners, web site homeowners, and content material publishers evaluating AI search optimization methods and visitors expectations.
What: ChatGPT processes roughly 2.5 billion each day prompts (12% of Google’s search quantity when accounting for conventional search queries) however sends 190 instances much less visitors to web sites than Google, with an estimated click-through charge of 1.3% in comparison with Google’s 29.2% – representing a 96% decrease CTR. Google accounts for practically 40% of web site visitors whereas ChatGPT represents simply 0.21% regardless of dealing with substantial question quantity.
When: The analysis was printed February 11, 2026, analyzing information as of July 2025 when ChatGPT reached 2.5 billion each day prompts in comparison with Google’s 13.7 billion each day searches introduced in January 2025. The evaluation used Ahrefs Net Analytics information throughout 76,000 web sites to measure precise visitors distribution patterns.
The place: The analysis analyzed international visitors patterns throughout 76,000 web sites utilizing Ahrefs Net Analytics platform, with the comparability device hosted at chatgpt-vs-google.com. The findings have an effect on your complete digital publishing ecosystem as each platforms compete for person consideration whereas delivering vastly totally different visitors outcomes to content material creators.
Why: The analysis issues as a result of it demonstrates two essentially totally different enterprise fashions shaping the way forward for data discovery – Google connects individuals to web sites by means of search outcomes whereas ChatGPT retains customers engaged in dialog. For advertising and marketing professionals depending on search visitors, understanding these platform variations is important for strategic planning as AI search adoption accelerates, visitors high quality patterns diverge throughout channels, and conventional search visitors faces sustained stress from each Google’s personal AI options and competing conversational platforms.
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