AI-Powered Search Reshapes News Consumption, Challenging Publishers' Traffic

ChatGPT referrals to news sites are growing, but not enough to offset search declines | TechCrunch

Referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers are growing, but not enough to counter the decline in clicks resulting from users increasingly getting their news directly from AI or AI-powered search results, according to a report from digital market intelligence company Similarweb. Since the launch of Google's AI Overviews in May 2024, the firm found that the number of news searches on the web that result in no click-throughs to news websites has grown from 56% to nearly 69% as of May 2025. Not surprisingly, organic traffic has also declined, dropping from over 2.3 billion visits at its peak in mid-2024 to now under 1.7 billion. Meanwhile, news-related prompts in ChatGPT grew by 212% from January 2024 through May 2025. For news publishers, the rapid adoption of AI is changing the game. Visibility in Google Search results and good SEO practices may no longer deliver the value they did in the past, as search rank isn't translating into as much website traffic as before, the firm pointed out. At the same time, ChatGPT referrals to news publishers are growing. From January through May 2024, ChatGPT referrals to news sites were just under 1 million, Similarweb says, but have grown to more than 25 million in 2025 -- a 25x increase. Of course, when the industry is facing even massive declines in organic search traffic, this increase is hardly enough to make up for publishers' losses. The report also noted that some websites are faring better than others when it comes to AI referrals. Sites seeing the most increases in ChatGPT referral traffic include Reuters (up 8.9% year-over-year), NY Post (up 7.1%), and Business Insider (up 6.5%). Meanwhile, The New York Times, which is suing OpenAI over allegedly scraping its works without permission, is seeing far fewer ChatGPT referrals. Though still in the top 10 sites receiving ChatGPT referral traffic, it's only seen a 3.1% increase. Topics like stocks, finance, and sports are currently accounting for the majority of these ChatGPT news-related prompts, but Similarweb's report notes other topics are seeing growth, too, like politics, the economy, weather, and others. This, the firm theorizes, may signal a move away from more "reactive information" and toward deeper "issue-driven engagement" via AI. Alongside the AI referrals growth, ChatGPT's website and app users have also seen greater adoption. Over the last six months, app users have more than doubled, while website visitors were up 52%, Similarweb said. The firm is now offering a service for brands and businesses that allows them to track how and where their brand shows up in gen AI tools like ChatGPT, and how that compares to their competition. Solutions to the news publishers' crisis are few and far between. Under pressure from news publishers as AI kills their traffic, Google recently launched a service called Offerwall that allows publishers using Google Ad Manager to experiment with other means of monetization beyond more traffic-dependent options, like ads. With Offerwall, publishers can instead try things like micropayments or asking users to sign up for newsletters to access their site's content, for example. They can also customize the Offerwall screens with options of their own, Google said. Other sites are experimenting with paywalls or other means of monetization. Many have since conducted mass layoffs or even shut down their operations. In a recent interview with The NYT's Hard Fork podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to a question about AI's impact on the job market by saying, "I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away. And any job that goes away, even if it's good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful -- extremely painful -- in that moment ... there is going to be real pain here in many cases."

ChatGPT referrals can't save publishers from AI search

Referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers are growing; however, this growth is insufficient to offset declining click-throughs from AI-powered search results, according to a report by digital market intelligence company Similarweb. Since the introduction of Google's AI Overviews in May 2024, the proportion of news searches on the web that did not result in click-throughs to news websites increased from 56% to nearly 69% by May 2025. Organic traffic to news websites also experienced a decline, falling from a peak of over 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024 to under 1.7 billion. Concurrently, news-related prompts within ChatGPT saw a 212% increase from January 2024 through May 2025. The landscape for news publishers is being altered by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Similarweb indicated that visibility in Google Search results and adherence to SEO practices may no longer yield the same value as in the past, given that search rankings are not translating into equivalent levels of website traffic. Despite these shifts, ChatGPT referrals to news publishers have expanded. From January through May 2024, ChatGPT generated just under 1 million referrals to news sites. This figure increased to more than 25 million in 2025, representing a 25-fold increase. Despite the growth in ChatGPT referrals, this increase is not sufficient to compensate for the substantial declines in organic search traffic experienced by publishers. Some websites have demonstrated greater success in attracting AI referrals than others. Sites experiencing notable increases in ChatGPT referral traffic include Reuters, which saw an 8.9% year-over-year increase, the NY Post, with a 7.1% increase, and Business Insider, with a 6.5% increase. In contrast, The New York Times, which has initiated legal action against OpenAI concerning alleged unauthorized data scraping, experienced fewer ChatGPT referrals. Although still among the top 10 sites receiving ChatGPT referral traffic, its increase was 3.1%. Google is ditching I'm Feeling Lucky for AI Search Currently, topics such as stocks, finance, and sports constitute the majority of news-related prompts within ChatGPT. Similarweb's report also identified growth in other topics, including politics, the economy, and weather. This trend may suggest a transition from "reactive information" consumption toward more in-depth "issue-driven engagement" via AI platforms. Alongside the growth in AI referrals, ChatGPT has also observed increased adoption among its website and app users. Over the past six months, the number of app users more than doubled, and website visitors increased by 52%, according to Similarweb. The firm now provides a service for brands and businesses, enabling them to monitor their brand's presence within generative AI tools like ChatGPT and compare it against competitors. Solutions addressing the challenges faced by news publishers are limited. In response to pressure from news publishers regarding AI's impact on traffic, Google recently introduced Offerwall. This service allows publishers utilizing Google Ad Manager to explore monetization strategies beyond advertising, which is heavily dependent on traffic. With Offerwall, publishers can implement options such as micropayments or requests for users to subscribe to newsletters to access content. Google also stated that publishers can customize Offerwall screens with their own options. Other sites are experimenting with paywalls or alternative monetization methods. Numerous news organizations have conducted mass layoffs or ceased operations entirely. In a recent interview on The NYT's Hard Fork podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed a question concerning AI's impact on the job market. Altman stated, "I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away. And any job that goes away, even if it's good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful -- extremely painful -- in that moment ... there is going to be real pain here in many cases."

Google AI summaries increase frequency of 'zero clicks' to search...

Google's AI Overviews feature has led to a significant increase in the frequency of "zero clicks" to search queries -- drastically reducing traffic to news websites, according to a new report. Since the Big Tech giant rolled out its artificial intelligence tool in May 2024, the percentage of web searches related to news that end without a click to a news site jumped to 69% in May 2025 from 56% for the same month last year, according to the latest figures from digital intelligence firm SimilarWeb. The decrease in "click-through rates" has resulted in overall organic traffic to news sites -- which typically comes through Google's dominant search engine -- sinking to under 1.7 billion visits in May 2025 from a peak of more than 2.3 billion in mid-2024, the SimilarWeb data shows. The numbers were first reported by TechCrunch. Earlier this week, SimilarWeb published data showing that 37 of the top 50 news domains suffered year-over-year traffic declines following the launch of AI Overviews. When contacted about the latest SimilarWeb data, a Google spokesperson referred The Post to comments it provided about the plummeting web traffic of news sites. "We've seen many inaccurate claims about traffic from Search, often based on speculative or incomplete information, questionable methodology, or data that predates AI Overviews," the rep had said. The spokesperson added that "new AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, which creates new opportunities for businesses and content to be discovered." Google faces the prospect of being broken up after a judge labeled the company a "monopolist" in ruling that it violated federal antitrust laws to build a dominant hold over the online search market. A verdict on the remedy is expected next month. The surge in "zero clicks" highlights how users are increasingly consuming news directly through AI-generated summaries, bypassing traditional publishers entirely. Landing high on Google's search page results and using traditional SEO strategies are no longer delivering the same value for news publishers, the SimilarWeb report said. "Solutions to the news publishers' crisis are few and far between," the report said. Even the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which is becoming a more popular source of news content, has not compensated for the steep drop in traffic from Google, according to the SimilarWeb data. From January through May 2024, ChatGPT referrals to news sites stood at just under 1 million. That number jumped to more than 25 million in 2025. The report -- titled "AI is rapidly changing how people consume news" -- also noted disparities in how different news outlets are faring under the new AI-driven referral ecosystem. Reuters has seen an 8.9% year-over-year increase in ChatGPT referral traffic, followed by the New York Post at 7.1% and Business Insider at 6.5%. Last year, The Post's parent company, News Corp, and OpenAI struck a landmark five-year, $250 million deal giving the Sam Altman-led startup access to current and archived content from the media giant's publications -- including The Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Sun and The Times (UK). Topics like stocks, finance and sports account for the majority of ChatGPT's news-related prompts, the Similarweb report found. However, interest in subjects like politics, the economy and weather is also growing. The Similarweb report suggested this trend may indicate a user shift from seeking "reactive information" toward deeper, "issue-driven engagement" via AI tools. According to SimilarWeb, usage of the ChatGPT app has more than doubled in the past six months. In response to pressure from the publishing sector, Google recently introduced a tool called Offerwall for publishers using Google Ad Manager. The service allows publishers to test monetization options beyond traditional ad-driven models, such as offering micropayments or prompting users to subscribe to newsletters to access content. Google said Offerwall screens can also be customized by publishers. Many outlets have begun experimenting with different forms of monetization, including more aggressive paywalls. Still, the media industry has been hard-hit by layoffs. In a recent interview with The New York Times' "Hard Fork" podcast, Altman acknowledged the growing economic pressure brought on by AI's rapid adoption. "I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away," Altman said. "And any job that goes away, even if it's good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful -- extremely painful -- in that moment ... there is going to be real pain here in many cases."