Google loses 2% of YoY traffic: this is how its future is shaping up in the era of AI search

Although at this point it may sound somewhat clichéd, the truth is that AI is changing the rules of the game in the field of online search. This generative technology has reshaped the way we perform queries, leading to an exodus affecting traditional search engines, including the mighty Google.

According to data from Similarweb, in May of 2025, Google lost 2% of traditional traffic compared to the same period in 2024. Likewise, during a Senate hearing in the United States, Eddy Cue, Vice President of Apple, stated that in April, for the first time in history, Google searches on Safari had declined.

Additionally, following Similarweb’s information, Bing’s traffic decreased by 18%, Baidu by 12%, Yahoo by 11%, and DuckDuckGo by 6%.

Distribution of traffic in AI-Based search

However, this lost traffic has not been destroyed, but rather transformed. An increasing number of people are choosing to utilize generative AI tools to search for information, advice, and answers to their queries, attracted by the conversational experience these models offer.

The report from Similarweb also reveals the current share of traffic from generative AI, in which ChatGPT takes the largest piece of the pie (80.1%). Trailing far behind is DeepSeek (6.5%), and in third place, we find Google’s AI tools (5.6%).

GenAI Traffic Share update —

🗓️ 6 months ago:
ChatGPT: 86.7%
Google: 6.2%
Perplexity: 1.9%

🗓️ 3 months ago:
ChatGPT: 79.8%
DeepSeek: 9.2%
Google: 4.9%
Perplexity: 1.8%

🗓️ 1 month ago:
ChatGPT: 77.6%
DeepSeek: 7.6%
Google: 5.5%
Grok: 3.2%
Perplexity: 1.9%

🗓️ Today:
ChatGPT:… pic.twitter.com/EQgBBNRf3U

— Similarweb (@Similarweb) May 7, 2025

Google is not in danger, but the story changes for smaller search engines and websites

Google is an old hand and has chosen to apply the adage “if you cannot beat them, join them”, thus creating its AI Overviews and its recently announced AI Mode. Well, actually the tech giant has long been applying AI to enhance the search experience, which, combined with the development of Gemini, its own AI model, makes it clear that these launches are the logical result of its evolution.

Although Google’s traffic fell by 2% year-on-year in May, the fact is that as the company continues to refine its AI Overviews and AI Mode, it is likely to recover or increase its usual levels of visits.

• To learn more: How to do SEO for AI Overviews and AI Mode, according to Google

Nonetheless, while the AI Overviews and AI Mode function as Google’s lifeline in the storm unleashed by AI, this does not imply that their impact is also favorable for the rest of the Internet. According to a study by the SEO platform BrightEdge published in May 2025, since the introduction of AI Overviews in the United States in May 2024, the CTR in Google search has decreased by 30%.

Conversely, impressions increased by 49%. This reveals that users in the United States, despite being more active in searching, were satisfied with the information presented by Google’s AI-generated views, leading them not to click on links to websites.

This new paradigm highlights the urgent need to seek new ways to create content that is both useful for people and attractive to generative search engines, thereby ensuring that you are included as a source in their views. Being cited by AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. will increase the likelihood that people will click on your content to expand the information.

Concerning the rest of the search engines, although they have been in Google’s shadow for years, which currently holds 89.54% of the market share (a figure higher than the 89.33% it had in November 2024), the new threat looming over them could upset the balance even further. And although some like Bing (4%) or Baidu (0.69%) also have their own AIs (Copilot and Ernie, respectively), it remains to be seen how the increasing use of ChatGPT and similar tools will affect them.

Photo: GPT-4o