ChatGPT Traffic Rose 48% in the US as AI Discovery Reshapes Search Measurement
ChatGPT is becoming a more significant discovery surface in the United States. Semrush's Traffic Analytics data for July 2026 estimates that chatgpt.com received about 1.09 billion visits , a 48.38% increase year over year. In the same dataset, bing.com referrals declined about 50.43%, while Google's direct figures rose 10.72%. The numbers do not mean traditional search has been displaced, but…
ChatGPT's popularity has surged in the United States, with its website receiving approximately 1.09 billion visits in July 2026, marking a 48.38% increase compared to the previous year. This rise in traffic, according to Semrush's Traffic Analytics data, outpaced both Bing, which saw a 50.43% decrease in referrals, and Google, whose direct referrals rose by 10.72%.
This shift in traffic patterns signals a growing trend towards AI-assisted discovery, suggesting that users are increasingly turning to AI platforms like ChatGPT before navigating to traditional search engines. However, this change brings new challenges for marketers and website owners, particularly in accurately measuring and attributing traffic. The attribution process becomes more complex as AI-driven referrals can often be harder to trace and identify consistently compared to conventional search visits.
Third-party estimates, such as those provided by Semrush, indicate that while Google remains the largest referrer, its growth rate is slower compared to ChatGPT, which saw a substantial 206% increase in outbound referral traffic during 2025. Additionally, Google accounted for roughly 21.6% of ChatGPT referrals, with more than 30% of referrals going to the top 10 domains.
This distribution of traffic highlights that AI discovery may not be evenly spread across all websites, potentially affecting how businesses optimize their online presence.
For businesses, this trend underscores the importance of a nuanced measurement strategy that goes beyond traditional search metrics. It's essential to consider how AI platforms like ChatGPT can drive meaningful traffic to both AI-generated responses and traditional search engines. A clear content strategy that delivers valuable, verifiable information across multiple platforms becomes crucial.
This approach not only enhances visibility but also ensures that businesses can be found and cited across both AI-driven and conventional search environments.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
