AI’s Impact on Search Behavior and SEO – Research Findings

Shifts in Search Behavior

Rise of AI-driven Search: Users are increasingly turning to AI chatbots and assistants for information that they once sought on traditional search engines. Surveys indicate that about two-thirds of people would use ChatGPT instead of Google for certain queries. In one poll of tech-savvy users, 77% reported using ChatGPT or similar AI tools in place of Google for some searches. Even a broader Twitter poll found over 55% of respondents using Google (or other traditional engines) less often since generative AI tools became available. This marks a significant shift in search behavior toward conversational AI.

Usage Statistics & Growth: The adoption of ChatGPT was explosive – it reached 100 million users in 2 months post-launch, far outpacing any previous tech service (INMA: Generative AI search puts one-third of digital news business at risk ...). As of mid-2024, ChatGPT’s website was getting around 1.8 billion visits per month, even surpassing Bing’s ~1.2 billion (though still dwarfed by Google’s 88 billion). While ChatGPT’s traffic is only a small fraction of Google’s, it shows that in one year, an AI tool can rival a 14-year-old search engine in usage. Notably, 1 in 5 consumers globally now use an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, etc.) to find information online – a penetration rate that took decades for older search technologies to achieve.

Regional Adoption: AI search adoption varies by region. In Asia, usage is highest – India leads with 45% of surveyed consumers using ChatGPT, the top rate worldwide (Ranked: The Countries That Use ChatGPT the Most). Other Asian countries also rank high (e.g. the UAE at 34%, South Korea 26% adoption) (Ranked: The Countries That Use ChatGPT the Most) (Ranked: The Countries That Use ChatGPT the Most). In Africa, awareness and use of AI chatbots are surging: Morocco (38%) and South Africa (31%) have some of the highest ChatGPT usage rates globally (Ranked: The Countries That Use ChatGPT the Most). Europe’s adoption is a bit lower; for instance, Sweden (27%) tops Europe’s list, with the UK around 22% (Ranked: The Countries That Use ChatGPT the Most). These regional trends show Asia and parts of Africa at the forefront of embracing AI in search, while Europe lags slightly behind in consumer usage percentages.

Gen Z and New Search Habits: Younger users are especially driving the move to alternative search platforms. Gen Z often treats TikTok and Reddit as search engines for certain topics (e.g. recipes, product reviews), and they have been quick to try AI chat tools. In fact, Gen Z consumers are 54% more likely than the average internet user to use a chatbot like ChatGPT for finding information. Their preference for personalized and interactive answers aligns with what AI tools offer. This generational shift is pushing Google and Bing to integrate AI (Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s Bing Chat) to retain younger audiences. Overall, search behavior is in flux: many users now treat AI chatbots as a genuine alternative to search engines, especially for questions that benefit from synthesized answers.

Impact on Website Traffic and Content Creation

Declining Clicks from Search: The rise of AI-generated answers has sparked concern among website owners, as fewer users click through to external sites. Studies show that AI search engines (like ChatGPT’s answers or tools like Perplexity) send far fewer visitors to websites than a traditional Google search. One analysis found these AI-powered results send ~96% less referral traffic to publishers compared to Google’s normal search pages (AI search engines send 96% less referral traffic to news sites and blogs than traditional Google search | Cryptopolitan) (AI search engines send 96% less referral traffic to news sites and blogs than traditional Google search | Cryptopolitan). In other words, if a typical Google query led 100 people to click a news site, the equivalent AI-driven query might lead only a handful (if any) to click through. Users get their answers directly from the AI summary, so the click-through rate (CTR) for organic links plummets.

News and Info Sites at Risk: Informational sites – especially news publishers – are feeling the squeeze. AI summaries often scrape and condense content from news articles, meaning readers might not visit the source. An industry analysis estimates that 29% of news site traffic (and even 38% of their new subscriber conversions) could be at risk in the next few years as generative AI search grows (INMA: Generative AI search puts one-third of digital news business at risk ...). Regions heavily reliant on Google traffic are especially vulnerable. For example, publishers in Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe get roughly 33% of their traffic via search engines, so any drop in search referrals hits them hard (INMA: Generative AI search puts one-third of digital news business at risk ...). (This is higher than, say, North American outlets that have more diversified traffic sources.) In Latin America, about 29% of news traffic comes from search, also a significant chunk (INMA: Generative AI search puts one-third of digital news business at risk ...). Such figures underscore that a third or more of audiences for many news sites may evaporate if users stop clicking through search results.

AI Overviews Cannibalizing Traffic: When Google launched its Search Generative Experience (SGE) — AI-generated answer boxes on search results — many sites saw immediate traffic declines. Gartner analysts predict a 25% decline in overall traditional search traffic once AI search features mature (Is search in decline? Is AI stealing your traffic? What should you do?). Early data backs this: experimental SGE results led to 18–64% drops in organic clicks for some queries (Is search in decline? Is AI stealing your traffic? What should you do?). The drops were highest for informational queries, where the AI could provide a full answer and users had little incentive to click any further (Is search in decline? Is AI stealing your traffic? What should you do?). The mechanics of SGE exacerbate this: the AI answer occupies prime screen real estate (“above the fold”), pushing down the list of blue-link results, and it often satisfies the query at a glance. Users can even ask follow-up questions within the SGE interface, reducing clicks to outside websites (Is search in decline? Is AI stealing your traffic? What should you do?). Google’s own documentation has acknowledged that SGE is effectively a chatbot woven from existing search results (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024) (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024) – meaning your site’s content might be used to answer a user’s question without that user ever visiting your page.

Case Study – Chegg vs. Google: A concrete example of content creators feeling this pain is Chegg, the education tech company. Chegg observed a steep drop in users visiting its study guides and Q&A pages once Google rolled out AI snippets for homework questions. In late 2024, Chegg reported a 24% year-over-year revenue decline and directly blamed Google’s AI summary feature for siphoning off their traffic (Google sued by Chegg over AI Overviews hurting traffic and revenue) (Google sued by Chegg over AI Overviews hurting traffic and revenue). Chegg has since filed a lawsuit, arguing that Google’s AI “retains traffic that historically had come to Chegg” by displaying answers scraped from Chegg’s content right on the search page (Google sued by Chegg over AI Overviews hurting traffic and revenue). Essentially, students can get solutions via Google’s AI overview without clicking into Chegg. Chegg’s complaint claims this practice “blocks” users from ever reaching Chegg’s site and is done using Chegg’s own copyrighted content (Google sued by Chegg over AI Overviews hurting traffic and revenue). This unprecedented situation – a major website suing a search engine over AI summaries – highlights how seriously publishers view the threat to their traffic and content rights.

Content Creation Shifts: The decline in easy-to-rank, “answer” content (like simple how-tos, FAQs, factoids) is prompting changes in content strategy. SEO experts note a “decline in organic traffic for sites that provide surface-level, easily replicable information.” (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy) Pages that merely compile basic facts or definitions (which AI can readily generate) are losing out. In response, content creators are pivoting to more in-depth, analytical, or experiential content that AI tools can’t easily replace (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy) (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy). There’s also a push toward unique research, expert opinions, and community-driven content – things that add value beyond a generic AI answer. For instance, forums like Reddit or StackExchange are doubling-down on personal experiences and niche discussions, since those are harder for AI to synthesize accurately (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy) (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy). Simultaneously, we see AI being used in content creation itself (for drafting, summarizing, etc.), but with careful human oversight to avoid errors (Google sued by Chegg over AI Overviews hurting traffic and revenue). In short, publishers are adapting: less “fluff,” more value, and a keen eye on how to still attract clicks in the age of AI-dominated SERPs.

Social Media Indexing in Search Results

Social Content in Google Results: Search engines have begun directly indexing and ranking social media posts (TikToks, YouTube videos, Reddit threads, etc.) to answer queries, recognizing that users often seek peer content. Google, in particular, launched a “Perspectives” feature in 2023 to surface these kinds of results. The Perspectives filter (now often a Perspectives carousel) appears for queries where Google thinks “the experiences of others” might be helpful (Understanding Google's Perspectives Filter & Carousel for SEO Strategies - Ethan Lazuk). This includes showing content from YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, Quora, and other community or video platforms right on the search page. For example, a user searching a question like “Is X worth it?” might get a Perspectives carousel highlighting a Reddit discussion or a YouTube review, rather than just traditional web articles.

Ranking of TikTok, YouTube, Reddit: YouTube videos have long ranked highly (often with a video thumbnail) in Google results for relevant queries. Now TikTok and Reddit content is also being indexed and given prominence. Google has made deals to index TikTok and Instagram videos, similar to when it integrated Twitter tweets a few years ago (Gain Traffic From TikTok | TikTok Video Indexing Guide). TikTok videos can appear in Google’s mobile search results – often as short video clips answering “how to” style queries (Gain Traffic From TikTok | TikTok Video Indexing Guide) (Gain Traffic From TikTok | TikTok Video Indexing Guide). On desktop, Google’s Perspectives carousel will list social posts; for instance, Reddit threads frequently appear for tech or product queries (as Google knows many people append “reddit” to searches for honest opinions). In fact, the now-retired Perspectives tab used to explicitly show a mix of YouTube and Reddit results (Understanding Google's Perspectives Filter & Carousel for SEO Strategies - Ethan Lazuk). Google has since folded forum results into a “Discussions & Forums” filter, but the carousel still shows social media. It tends to rank on the first page, often just below the AI snapshot or top news results, indicating Google’s confidence that these community voices answer the query intent.

When Social Results Appear: Not every search triggers social media results. Google typically shows them for queries that are advice-seeking, opinion-based, or experiential. For example, searching “best budget camera 2024” might bring up YouTube review videos and a Reddit thread from r/photography, since users value real-life experiences. Queries with words like “is it worth it,” “anyone know,” “how to ___ DIY,” or brand-name questions often have a Perspectives section. Google explicitly stated that Perspectives highlights “videos, discussions, and forums” when they add value (Understanding Google's Perspectives Filter & Carousel for SEO Strategies - Ethan Lazuk). The presence of subforums (Reddit, StackExchange) and video shorts (TikTok, YouTube Shorts) is Google’s way of keeping users on Google by giving a richer variety of content. On Bing, the integration is similar – Bing has been embedding “Short videos” from TikTok directly into results for video-centric searches. In late 2022, Bing added a feature where certain video searches show a “Short videos of X” box with a TikTok logo, effectively pulling TikTok clips into Bing’s interface (Microsoft Bing Promoting TikTok In Search Results). Microsoft confirmed this in early 2023, saying “the rising popularity of short video on TikTok… [is] incorporated throughout Microsoft Bing” results (Microsoft Bing Promoting TikTok In Search Results). So, if you search Bing for something like a new dance trend or quick recipe, you may see TikTok videos playable within Bing.

Example – Google Perspectives in Search: The screenshot below shows Google’s Perspectives feature in action for the query “helpful content system google.” Here, Google recognized that users might be seeking community discussions and expert opinions on this SEO topic. The Perspectives carousel (highlighted by the blue Perspectives pill at top) includes a Google Support forum thread, a YouTube video (from an SEO channel), and a Reddit post from r/DigitalMarketing (Understanding Google's Perspectives Filter & Carousel for SEO Strategies - Ethan Lazuk). This blend of results appears above many traditional web results. It demonstrates how Google ranks content from forums (Reddit) and video platforms (YouTube) prominently when relevant. In this case, rather than just showing Google’s own documentation or blog posts, the algorithm pulled in a Reddit discussion titled “Google 'Helpful Content System'” and a YouTube video by a search expert. Such integration suggests that social media and community content can rank on page one if it provides value (e.g., firsthand experiences or explanations) that users are looking for. Google and Bing will increasingly do this – elevating TikToks for quick visual answers, YouTube for tutorials/reviews, Reddit for personal experiences, etc., especially for queries where a human touch or visual demo is helpful.

Wikipedia’s Role in AI Search

A Key Source for AI Models: Wikipedia has emerged as possibly the most influential single source feeding AI systems. Vast swathes of Wikipedia text are used to train large language models – one report noted that “Wikipedia is probably the most important single source in the training of A.I. models.” (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent) (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent) In a study by the Washington Post and AI researchers, Wikipedia was ranked among the top 3 websites by the volume of content used to train AI (alongside patents.google.com and Scribd) (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). Moreover, Google’s Bard (now part of the Gemini model) was explicitly trained on Wikipedia data (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). This means when you ask an AI a factual question, there’s a good chance its answer is at least partly informed by Wikipedia content learned during training.

AI-generated Summaries and Wikipedia: Many AI search tools and chatbots leverage Wikipedia at query time as well. Google Bard and Bing Chat can cite sources in their responses, and they often reach for Wikipedia for facts on known entities. In one experiment, a user asked Bard “What is happening with Credit Suisse?” and Bard’s answer cited a single source – Wikipedia – at the bottom (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent) (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). This shows Bard not only trained on Wikipedia but actively uses it as a live reference for current events (likely pulling from Wikipedia’s constantly updated articles). Another example is DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist, an AI summary feature for search: DuckAssist deliberately pulls answers from Wikipedia and Britannica and nowhere else (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). DuckDuckGo chose Wikipedia as a safe, vetted source to reduce the risk of AI errors (since Wikipedia’s information is cited and moderated) (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). The result is that a DuckAssist box will answer your question in natural language and then link to the Wikipedia article for verification.

Wikipedia and AI Visibility: For content creators and organizations, being on Wikipedia has become more critical than ever. If your company or topic has a well-documented Wikipedia page, AI systems are more likely to “know” about it and include that information in answers. As one analyst put it, information on Wikipedia “is not confined to Wikipedia” – AIs read it and may decide to include (or exclude) facts about you based on what’s in that article (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). For instance, if there’s a Wikipedia article about a person that mentions notable achievements, an AI search summary about “Who is Jane Doe?” will likely incorporate those facts. Conversely, if something isn’t on Wikipedia, an AI might miss it entirely. The practical upshot: ensuring Wikipedia content is accurate and up-to-date is indirectly a form of SEO for AI. Experts advise that organizations monitor their Wikipedia pages and contribute corrections or updates (following Wikipedia’s guidelines) because AI tools will mirror that information widely (Wikipedia in 2024: Why Ignoring the Encyclopedia is Negligent). We’re even seeing scenarios where PR and SEO teams treat Wikipedia edits as part of their strategy, knowing that AI assistants will pull from there. While direct marketing on Wikipedia is forbidden, transparently improving an article about your topic can ensure that AI-driven searches present correct and favorable information. In summary, Wikipedia has become a foundational layer of the AI search ecosystem – it trains the models, supplies real-time facts, and thus influences what answers millions of users get from AI.

SEO Best Practices in an AI-Driven Search World

Structuring Content for AI Summaries: 

• As search evolves, SEO best practices are adapting to ensure content gets featured in AI-generated results (like Google’s SGE or Bing’s chat answers). A core tactic is to structure your content clearly and semantically so that AI algorithms can easily extract answers. 
• Implementing structured data (Schema markup) is highly recommended – it gives context to your content (for example, marking up FAQ sections, how-to steps, product info, etc.) which helps search engines and AI understand and trust your page (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy). 
• Clean HTML structure (using headings properly, using lists for steps, definition lists for terms, etc.) also increases the chance that an AI will pull your content as a concise snippet.

Featured Snippet Optimization: 

• Optimizing for featured snippets (the quick answer boxes in Google) has become even more important. Google’s SGE often pulls the same kind of content that would appear as a featured snippet in classic search (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024). 
• SEO experts advise that you “optimize your content using the same method” as you would for winning a featured snippet (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024). This means: identify common user questions in your niche and answer them directly and succinctly in your content. For example, if the query is “How to clean leather shoes,” your page should have a prominent section titled “How to Clean Leather Shoes” with a step-by-step list or brief paragraph answer right below it. If the AI sees a well-structured answer, it’s more likely to include it in its summary. 
• By mirroring the expected answer format, you increase your odds of being quoted by the AI. In short, think in terms of Q&A: include FAQ sections, use question-based subheadings, and immediately answer them. This not only helps traditional SEO but also makes your content a prime candidate for an AI snippet.

Natural Language and Authority: 

• AI-driven search puts a premium on content that reads naturally and carries authority. Since these models are literally language-based, writing in a conversational yet informative tone can help. 
• Content that feels like an answer to a specific question (as opposed to an SEO-keyword-stuffed article) is more likely to be used verbatim by an AI. Including relevant keywords is still important, but they should be used in a way that flows with natural language questions and answers. 
• Also, back up your information with references and expertise. As AI models prioritize accuracy, they are more likely to draw from content that is well-cited and comes from a reputable source (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy). For example, a blog post that provides medical information and cites CDC or WHO data is more likely to be trusted (and thus quoted) by an AI than a post that makes claims without sources. 
• High E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) content stands out. If you have experts, make that clear (author bios, etc.), and ensure factual statements have external citations. This not only helps with Google’s algorithms but could influence which sources an AI chooses to present.

Diversify Content Formats: 

AI search results aren’t limited to text – they often incorporate images, videos, maps, etc., directly into the answer. Google’s SGE, for example, can show images or product carousels and even map snippets alongside the text answer if the query calls for it (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024). 

To take advantage, use structured data for various content types. If you have an instructional page, include clear images or even a short video, and label them with descriptive alt text (and Schema markup like VideoObject or ImageObject). 

If someone asks “How do I tie a tie?” an AI result might prefer a page that has a short how-to video embedded (with proper markup) plus textual steps. Similarly, local businesses should use LocalBusiness schema – if a user asks an AI “Find me a cafe near me,” the AI might directly show a map with listings. Ensuring your Google Business profile and schema are up to date will help you get in those AI-driven map results. In essence, SEO now spans multiple mediums: text, voice (consider that many AI searches are via voice assistants), visual, etc. Optimize content delivery in multiple formats to cover all bases.

Monitoring and Analytics for AI Search: 

• One challenge with AI-driven search is that traditional analytics (like Google Search Console or standard rank trackers) don’t fully capture how your content is performing in AI results. You might be getting referenced by SGE, but Google won’t tell you directly how many users saw your info in an AI snippet. To fill this gap, new SEO tools are emerging to track AI search presence. For example, SE Ranking has introduced an “AI Results Tracker” that can monitor which of your keywords are triggering AI overviews and whether your site is listed as a source (AI Overviews Tracker: Advanced Analytics for GenAI Search). It essentially simulates searches and checks the SGE/AI outputs for your content. Other tools like SGE Analyzer, seoClarity’s AI tracking, and Rank Ranger’s SGE monitor are coming to market (AI Overviews Tracker: Advanced Analytics for GenAI Search) (SGE (AI Overviews) Ranking Reports | ROAST). 
• These tools provide metrics such as: the percentage of queries in your niche that show an AI answer, whether your competitors are getting cited by the AI, and snapshots of the AI result over time. They help answer questions like “what causes climate change?” Since Google Analytics won’t show a “visit” if the user’s query was answered without a click, these proxy metrics are the best we can get. 
• We should perhaps look at incorporating AI SERP tracking in addition to traditional rank tracking. Also, keep we nee to keep an eye on Google’s announcements – for instance, Google has hinted at eventually providing publishers with some data on AI-driven impressions. Until then, third-party tools and good old experimentation (searching for your content’s target queries in SGE and Bing Chat manually) are our best bet.

Emerging Best Practices: To summarize the new best practices in the era of AI search:

• Answer Intents Clearly: Identify the questions users ask and answer them in the first 1-2 paragraphs in plain language. Use headings that match those questions.
• Schema Markup: Implement FAQ schema, HowTo schema, etc. to increase chances of being used by AI (The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is Reshaping Website Traffic & SEO Strategy).
• High-Quality Content: Focus on depth and accuracy; thin or purely SEO-driven content will suffer (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024). If an AI detects that your page is just fluff or copied info, it’ll choose a more authoritative source.
• Featured Snippet Targeting: Write snippet bait – concise definitions or lists that directly satisfy the query, as these often become the basis of AI answers (What SEO Experts Have To Say About Leveraging SGE In 2024).
• Multi-format Content: Provide value in text and other media (images, videos). Also, ensure your YouTube videos or infographics are optimized, as they might rank or even be quoted (vision-LLMs can “read” text in images).
• Monitor AI References: Keep track of whether and how AI platforms use your content. If you find an AI answer misquoting or not citing your brand when it should, consider tweaking your content or even using feedback channels (Bing lets you give feedback on chat answers, for instance).
• Stay Updated: AI search is evolving quickly. Features like Google’s “Perspectives” or Bing’s integration of new sources can change. Follow SEO news sources to adapt your strategy as new opportunities (or challenges) arise.

In conclusion, the search landscape is undergoing its biggest shift since the advent of Google. Users are changing how they search – embracing AI tools and even social platforms for queries – which in turn is forcing search engines to innovate and SEOs to rethink strategies. Backed by the data above, it’s clear that AI’s impact is already significant: we see meaningful changes in user behavior, noticeable declines in traditional website traffic for certain content types, greater inclusion of social media in search results, an amplified role for Wikipedia, and new SEO tactics emerging. Adapting to these changes is crucial. The companies and content creators that refine their SEO for AI-driven search – by structuring content for direct answers, focusing on authoritative material, and tracking new metrics – are poised to maintain and even grow their visibility in this new era of search.