Many readers are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews to get news updates without visiting actual websites.
And the impact on publishers is telling, as confirmed by market intelligence firm Similarweb.
Although ChatGPT referrals are increasing, they remain too small to compensate for the sharp drop in search engine traffic.
Google AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews launched in May 2024, and since then, user behavior has shifted.
Similarweb found that in May 2025, nearly 69% of news searches on Google ended without a click.
That’s a significant rise from 56% in mid-2024. In other words, users are reading summaries in search results and skipping the original news source.
This trend, often called “zero-click searches,” has major implications. For publishers, fewer clicks mean fewer ad impressions, lower revenue, and declining visibility.
Organic Traffic Declines Sharply
The effect is clear in web traffic data. In mid-2024, news sites received over 2.3 billion visits through organic search.
By May 2025, that number had dropped below 1.7 billion.
Publishers that once depended on search traffic are now struggling to maintain their audience.
Relief from ChatGPT Referral
There is some progress as ChatGPT is now referring more readers to news websites.
Between January and May 2024, ChatGPT drove just under 1 million users to publishers.
By 2025, this number had surged to over 25 million. That represents a 25-fold increase in less than 18 months.
However, even with this impressive growth, the overall impact remains small. The traffic from ChatGPT cannot yet make up for the volume lost from Google Search.
Some Publishers See Stronger AI Referral Growth
Not all news outlets are affected equally. Reuters, New York Post, and Business Insider saw the most growth in ChatGPT referral traffic.
Year-over-year, Reuters traffic rose by 8.9%, NY Post by 7.1%, and Business Insider by 6.5%.
By contrast, The New York Times, which is suing OpenAI for alleged unauthorized use of its content, recorded a modest 3.1% increase.
Although still among the top 10 sites for ChatGPT referrals, the Times saw much smaller growth.
This difference may reflect the impact of legal tensions or content licensing policies.
More Than Just Headlines
Similarweb’s report also looked at the kinds of news people request from ChatGPT. Topics related to stocks, finance, and sports dominate.
However, interest in areas like politics, the economy, and weather is rising. This may indicate that users want deeper, issue-focused content, not just quick updates.
Such a change could offer new opportunities for publishers willing to adjust their content strategies.
ChatGPT’s User Base
ChatGPT’s growth is another factor behind the referral rise. Over the past six months, the number of users on the ChatGPT app more than doubled.
Website traffic grew by 52%, according to Similarweb.
AI Visibility Tracking
To help businesses respond to this shift, Similarweb has launched a new service called AI visibility tracking.
It allows brands and publishers to track how they appear in generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
The tool also compares a brand’s presence with its competitors and provides insights into visibility and engagement within AI-generated content.
This data may prove vital as AI platforms become major distribution channels for news and information.
Google’s Offerwall
In response to publisher concerns, the company recently introduced a product called Offerwall, available through Google Ad Manager.
This tool lets publishers test alternative monetization strategies beyond typical ad revenue.
Offerwall allows sites to ask users to sign up for newsletters and offer micropayment-based access.
It also lets publishers display custom screens promoting subscriptions or exclusive content
OpenAI CEO Acknowledges Job Disruption
In a recent interview on The New York Times’ “Hard Fork” podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed AI’s impact on jobs.
“I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away,” he said. “Maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away… and any job that goes away, even if it’s good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful, extremely painful, in that moment.”
