Similarweb report: The occurrence rate of Google AI Overviews has increased to 43% in a year, and AI search has become a mainstream entrance. Similarweb’s latest report shows that artificial intelligence search is rapidly changing the traditional search model. The proportion of Google AI Overviews (AI Overviews) in search results has increased from 15% a year ago to

Similarweb report: The occurrence rate of Google AI Overviews has increased to 43% in a year, and AI search has become a mainstream entry. Similarweb's latest report shows that artificial intelligence search is rapidly changing the traditional search model. The proportion of Google AI Overviews (AI Overviews) in search results has increased from 15% a year ago to 43%. AI-driven information acquisition methods are gradually becoming the default experience for users to search. The report pointed out that Google AI Overview was initially just an auxiliary function on top of traditional search results, but has now become an important part of the search process. After users get answers generated by AI, they can also continue to make in-depth inquiries through Google's more conversational AI mode. Search behavior is shifting from "looking for web pages" to "getting answers directly." Data shows that the number of visits to Google's AI model continues to grow, from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million in May 2026. At the same time, user search methods have also changed, with more and more users beginning to use longer, more natural conversational queries instead of the past short keyword-based searches. This change is affecting Internet traffic distribution patterns. Traditional publishers and content websites face the problem of AI summaries reducing clicks because users may get answers directly on the search page without visiting the original web page. Similarweb data shows that the number of search responses containing AI references has increased more than five times in the past year, but AI references do not necessarily bring corresponding visit traffic. As of May 2026, only 6.8% of US ChatGPT desktop search queries contained citation links. However, there are differences between different industries. Tourism, retail, sports and other fields are more likely to receive AI search citations. For content producers, AI search also brings some positive changes. Similarweb data shows that after ChatGPT’s search update on May 7, the webpage recommendation traffic from ChatGPT on the US desktop has improved significantly. By the end of May 2026, the proportion of webpage visits has increased from 25% to nearly 60%. Overall, AI search is driving structural changes in the Internet portal. Google is shifting from a traditional "web page navigation tool" to an "information consumption platform." In the future, websites and content agencies will need to adapt to AI-driven information distribution methods and optimize content structure and AI visibility to strive for new traffic opportunities. via AI News (author: AI Base)