Google’s AI-generated answers appeared in 43% of searches by May 2026, up from about 15% a year earlier, according to Similarweb. The increase shows how AI Overviews are becoming a standard part of Google Search rather than an optional layer used for a limited group of queries.
Google’s conversational AI Mode is also attracting more traffic. Monthly visits increased from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million in May 2026 as users moved between AI summaries and longer follow-up conversations.
Google Becomes the Destination
AI Overviews provide generated answers above conventional search results, supported by information gathered from indexed websites. Users can then continue researching through AI Mode without necessarily leaving Google for another site.
Similarweb’s 2026 Generative AI Landscape Report found that search sessions are becoming longer as users replace brief keyword searches with more detailed, conversational requests. AI tools are therefore changing both the appearance of search results and the way people phrase questions.
The development gives Google more opportunities to retain users within its own services. Traditional search mainly directed people towards external websites, while AI search can answer several connected questions within one session.
Publishers Face Fewer Referral Opportunities
Publishers have criticised AI-generated search results because users can receive information without clicking the cited source. Research has linked Google AI Overviews with declining visits to informational websites, particularly when a generated summary fully satisfies the original query.
Cloudflare has responded by giving website owners more control over whether AI crawlers can access their content. Its tools allow publishers to block crawlers or require AI companies to negotiate payment for access.
Similarweb said the proportion of AI responses containing citations increased more than fivefold over the past year. However, citations remained uncommon on some services, with only 6.8% of US desktop ChatGPT queries containing a source link as of May 2026.
Travel, retail and sports questions were more likely to receive cited responses than other categories. Even when citations appear, users do not always select them and visit the original source.
ChatGPT Referrals Show Signs of Improvement
ChatGPT began sending substantially more referral traffic to websites following a search update introduced on May 7. Similarweb recorded a 157.7% increase in total referrals, while engagement among referred visitors also improved.
The increase suggests that more prominent links can encourage people to leave an AI response and continue reading on another website. It does not reverse the wider shift, however, as Google increasingly combines discovery, answers and follow-up research within its own search platform.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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