ChatGPT growing as a traffic referrer, reshaping search behavior: Report
ChatGPT is sending more traffic to education and tech sites while redefining how users discover and engage with content.
Education, technology, and software development websites have gotten a referral traffic boost from ChatGPT search – and ChatGPT sent more traffic to more than 30,000 unique domains by November.
That’s according to new Semrush (disclosure: Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush) analysis of 80 million lines of global clickstream data from the second half of 2024.
Search behavior changes. ChatGPT answered about 54% of queries with search turned off, with the remaining 46% of queries using search.
- The average ChatGPT prompt length was 23 words, with a high of 2,712 words.
- The average ChatGPT search length was much lower – just 4.2 words, with a high of 301 words.
Search intent shift. In search, keywords have an intent – navigational, informational, commercial and transactional (though there are additional types of search intent). However, only 30% of ChatGPT prompts fell into any of these categories, the analysis found. That means 70% of the prompts are unique and rarely or never seen in classic search engines (e.g., Google, Microsoft Bing).
ChatGPT vs. Google and Microsoft Bing. The types of sites getting more referral traffic from ChatGPT than Google include:
- OpenAI-related domains, tech, and AI-focused platforms.
The types of sites getting more referral traffic from ChatGPT than Microsoft Bing include:
- Academic publishers and research, and education and technical resources.
ChatGPT vs. Google users. Google had 6.5 billion unique worldwide visitors compared to ChatGPT’s 566 million in December. Semrush also compared audience demographics and found:
- ChatGPT users are younger and more male.
- ChatGPT wins with students; Google wins with full-time workers, homemakers and retirees.
What Semrush is saying. According to the report’s author, Brenna Kelly:
- “For marketers and content creators, this data reveals an emerging reality: success in this new landscape requires a shift from traditional SEO metrics toward content that actively supports learning, problem-solving, and creative tasks.
Why we care. SEO continues to evolve quickly. How people search and find answers is evolving. Making sure your brand’s content can be understood and cited by LLMs will only become more critical heading forward.
Dig deeper. What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
The research. Investigating ChatGPT Search: Insights from 80 Million Clickstream Records
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About the author
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.