Google organic search continues to drive significantly more website traffic than ChatGPT, according to an analysis by Marie Haynes.
The study examined 12 months of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data from 100 websites, covering more than 145 million sessions. While ChatGPT visitors had a higher conversion rate than Google organic visitors, Google generated far more traffic and conversions overall.
Google Organic Search Drives More Traffic Than ChatGPT
According to Marie Haynes’ analysis, ChatGPT generated just 0.62% as many sessions as Google organic search across the 100 websites studied.
When referrals from other large language models (LLMs) were included, the figure increased to 0.73% of Google organic traffic.
These figures compare AI referral sessions with Google organic sessions, not with total website traffic.
The findings show that Google organic search remains a much larger source of website traffic than ChatGPT and other AI tools.
ChatGPT Visitors Have a Higher Conversion Rate
Although ChatGPT drove less traffic, its visitors had a higher conversion rate.
Among the 55 websites tracking conversions, the results were:
- ChatGPT visitors: 13.8% conversion rate
- Google organic visitors: 3.02% conversion rate
Despite ChatGPT’s higher conversion rate, Google organic search generated 27 times as many conversions as all LLM referrals combined.
This shows why businesses should consider both conversion rates and the total number of conversions when evaluating marketing channels.
As Haynes wrote, Google is still the search platform sending the most visitors to businesses today.
ChatGPT Referral Growth Slowed in August 2025
Haynes found that ChatGPT referral traffic across the sampled websites stopped growing exponentially in August 2025 and declined afterward.
However, this finding does not necessarily mean AI search is becoming less important. Referral traffic only measures visits attributed to AI tools. It does not capture every instance in which someone discovers a business through an AI platform and later visits its website through another channel.
The study also did not measure changes in Google organic traffic, so it cannot show whether Google traffic increased or decreased during the same period.
Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Worth the Investment?
Haynes described as generative engine optimization (GEO) “a distraction,” pointing to the relatively small amount of traffic AI tools send to websites compared with Google organic search.
For businesses, the takeaway is straightforward: do not neglect traditional SEO to focus entirely on AI search optimization.
Google organic search remains an important source of website traffic and conversions. Businesses should continue improving their search rankings, website content, and technical SEO.
At the same time, monitoring AI search visibility can help businesses understand how customers may discover their brands through ChatGPT and other AI tools.
Marie Haynes’ analysis shows that Google organic search drives significantly more traffic and conversions than ChatGPT and other AI tools, despite ChatGPT visitors having a higher conversion rate.
Businesses should continue investing in SEO while monitoring the growth of AI search.
