<p id="speakable-summary" class="wp-block-paragraph">AI search is rapidly becoming the default, whether users like it or not. In just a year’s time, Google’s AI-generated answers in search, known as <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/23/googles-ai-overviews-have-2b-monthly-users-ai-mode-100m-in-the-us-and-india/">AI Overviews</a>, have gone from appearing in 15% of searches to 43%, according to a new report, driving a shift in how web users consume information online.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.similarweb.com/corp/the-2026-generative-ai-landscape/">recent analysis</a> of the generative landscape, market intelligence firm <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.similarweb.com/">Similarweb</a> noted that what began as an AI layer on top of search has become an integral part of the search journey itself, as Google drops users into AI Overviews, where they can then continue their research via Google’s more conversational <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/googles-ai-mode-rolls-out-to-us-will-add-support-for-deeper-research-comparison-shopping-and-more/">AI Mode</a>.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="501" width="680" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-3146913" srcset="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg 1660w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=150,111 150w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=300,221 300w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=768,566 768w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=680,501 680w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=1200,885 1200w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=1280,944 1280w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=430,317 430w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=720,531 720w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=900,664 900w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=800,590 800w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=1536,1133 1536w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=668,493 668w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=509,375 509w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=837,617 837w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=708,522 708w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.03.08-AM.jpg?resize=50,37 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px"><strong>Image Credits:</strong>Similarweb <p class="wp-block-paragraph">During the same period, AI Mode visits rose from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million by May 2026.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The data illustrates a broader <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over/">change in how users search</a> the web — a shift from an era when Google provided a simple list of blue links to click through and read to one in which Google itself is the destination, sourcing its answers and information from the websites it indexes.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This, in turn, appears to increasethe time users spend on Google’s platform rather than using it only as a tool to discover websites. Over the past year, Similarweb’s data shows that the average length of Google searches has risen, suggesting that people are now replacing their short keyword-based search queries with longer, more natural conversational ones designed for AI.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="526" width="680" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-3146912" srcset="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg 1652w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=150,116 150w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=300,232 300w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=768,594 768w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=680,526 680w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=1200,928 1200w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=1280,990 1280w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=430,333 430w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=720,557 720w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=900,696 900w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=800,619 800w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=1536,1188 1536w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=668,517 668w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=485,375 485w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=798,617 798w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=686,531 686w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.04.28-AM.jpg?resize=50,39 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px"><strong>Image Credits:</strong>Similarweb <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This change has not been welcomed by publishers, who are <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/">losing out on referral traffic</a> due to the rise of AI citations that don’t lead to clicks. Last year, Similarweb <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/">reported</a> on this trend, noting in particular how devastating it was for news publishers. More recently, tech infrastructure company Cloudflare <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/01/cloudflares-new-policy-pushes-ai-companies-to-pay-for-publishers-content/">introduced tools</a> that allow publishers to fight back by <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/03/cloudflare-launches-a-tool-to-combat-ai-bots/">blocking AI crawlers</a> from their websites unless those AI companies pay for access to their content through <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/cloudflare-launches-a-marketplace-that-lets-websites-charge-ai-bots-for-scraping/">its marketplace</a>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While AI citations don’t always lead to users clicking through to a destination, the number of AI responses that include a citation has risen more than fivefold during the past year, Similarweb’s new report says.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Still, just 6.8% of U.S. ChatGPT desktop queries included citations as of May 2026, despite this growth. (Some industries fare better, with travel, retail, and sports queries generating cited responses more frequently than others.)</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="501" width="680" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-3146911" srcset="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg 1660w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=150,111 150w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=300,221 300w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=768,566 768w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=680,501 680w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=1200,885 1200w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=1280,944 1280w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=430,317 430w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=720,531 720w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=900,664 900w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=800,590 800w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=1536,1133 1536w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=668,493 668w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=509,375 509w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=837,617 837w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=708,522 708w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.15.18-AM.jpg?resize=50,37 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px"><strong>Image Credits:</strong>Similarweb <p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is some hope for publishers, however. In terms of ChatGPT at least, U.S. desktop referrals have improved after a May 7 search update, which saw the proportion of visits landing on webpages more than double from 25% in March 2026 to nearly 60% by May 30, 2026. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This suggests that users are taking advantage of the more prominent blue links within AI-driven search results when they’re available.</p>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="517" width="680" src="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?w=680" alt="" class="wp-image-3146910" srcset="https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg 1640w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=150,114 150w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=300,228 300w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=768,584 768w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=680,517 680w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=1200,913 1200w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=1280,974 1280w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=430,327 430w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=720,548 720w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=900,685 900w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=800,609 800w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=1536,1169 1536w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=668,508 668w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=493,375 493w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=811,617 811w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=698,531 698w, https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/similarweb-at-11.18.51-AM.jpg?resize=50,38 50w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px"><strong>Image Credits:</strong>Similarweb <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even with these improvements, the larger AI search trend remains unchanged, as Google transforms itself from a gateway to the wider web into a destination in its own right.</p>
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