Similarweb: 95% of ChatGPT users also search on Google
What this answers
- Is ChatGPT replacing Google search?
- Not yet, per Similarweb: 95% of ChatGPT's 494 million users also used Google during the same March-to-May 2026 window, indicating AI search is adding to search behavior rather than displacing it.
- Does ChatGPT send traffic to the exact pages it cites?
- Often not — Similarweb found 65% of ChatGPT's cited URLs sit two to three folders deep, yet 58.8% of referral traffic actually lands on homepages.
A new Similarweb report finds 95% of ChatGPT’s 494 million users also used Google during the same March-to-May 2026 span, per Search Engine Journal — evidence AI search is layering on top of traditional search rather than replacing it. The same analysis found ChatGPT’s U.S. ad penetration jumped from 14% in May to 26% in June, and that 58.8% of ChatGPT referral traffic lands on publisher homepages even though 65% of cited URLs point two or three folders deep.
Why it matters: The gap between where ChatGPT cites content and where its traffic actually lands means publishers tracking citation counts alone are missing where real referral value shows up.
The record: ChatGPTGoogleSimilarweb
Posted to the wire July 30, 2026. Edited by Joe Balewski.