Key facts
- Google's AI Overviews now appear in 43% of searches, up from 15% a year ago.
- AI Mode visits increased from 126 million to 279 million between June 2025 and May 2026.
- The number of AI responses with citations has risen more than fivefold in the past year.
- Publishers are losing referral traffic due to AI citations that do not always lead to clicks.
- Cloudflare has introduced tools for publishers to block AI crawlers unless they pay for content access.
Google's AI Overviews have rapidly become a default feature in search, now appearing in 43% of searches, a significant increase from 15% a year ago, according to market intelligence firm Similarweb. This shift transforms Google from a gateway to the web into a destination where users consume information directly.
AI Mode visits have also surged, rising from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million by May 2026. This evolution indicates a change in user behavior, moving from short keyword searches to longer, conversational queries better suited for AI interaction. The average length of Google searches has increased over the past year.
This trend has negatively impacted publishers, who are experiencing a loss of referral traffic as AI citations do not always lead to clicks on external websites. Cloudflare has introduced tools to allow publishers to block AI crawlers or charge for content access.
While the number of AI responses including citations has increased more than fivefold, just 6.8% of U.S. ChatGPT desktop queries included citations as of May 2026. However, there is some positive development for publishers, as U.S. desktop referrals for ChatGPT improved significantly after a May 7 search update, more than doubling from 25% in March 2026 to nearly 60% by May 30, 2026. This suggests users are utilizing prominent blue links when available within AI-driven search results.