ChatGPT Referrals Surge, But News Sites Still Losing Search Traffic

Key Takeaways:

• ChatGPT referrals to news sites jumped 25x from under 1 million in early 2024 to over 25 million in 2025, according to Similarweb.

• Google’s AI Overviews caused a surge in “zero-click” searches, with 69% of news-related queries in May 2025 not leading to publisher sites—up from 56% a year earlier.

• Organic traffic to news sites dropped from 2.3 billion to under 1.7 billion monthly visits, despite continued SEO efforts.

• News-related prompts in ChatGPT rose 212% from January 2024 through May 2025, driven by interest in finance, sports, politics, and the economy.

• Google and OpenAI are testing monetization workarounds, like Offerwall and brand tracking tools, as traditional traffic-dependent revenue models falter.

AI Traffic Grows—but Can’t Match SEO Declines

A new report from digital analytics firm Similarweb paints a stark picture for news publishers navigating the AI era. While referrals from OpenAI’s ChatGPT are climbing sharply, they remain insufficient to counter the dramatic drop in organic traffic from search engines—especially since the rollout of Google’s AI Overviews in May 2024.

In May 2025, 69% of web searches related to news ended without a single click-through to a publisher’s site, up from 56% one year earlier. That shift has significantly eroded the value of search engine optimization, once a cornerstone of publisher strategy. Overall, organic traffic has dropped from a peak of over 2.3 billion monthly visits in mid-2024 to fewer than 1.7 billion today.

“Visibility in Google Search results and good SEO practices may no longer deliver the value they did in the past,” Similarweb noted, highlighting how AI-generated summaries and answers are reducing the need for users to visit source websites.

ChatGPT Referrals Up 25x Since 2024

At the same time, ChatGPT is sending more traffic to news outlets—but not enough to fill the gap.

Referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers grew from under 1 million between January and May 2024 to more than 25 million in the same period of 2025, according to Similarweb—a 25x increase. However, that growth is relatively modest when stacked against the billions in lost visits from traditional search.

Some sites are benefiting more than others. Reuters saw an 8.9% year-over-year increase in ChatGPT referrals, followed by the NY Post (up 7.1%) and Business Insider (up 6.5%). Meanwhile, The New York Times—currently suing OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement—has seen only a 3.1% increase, despite still ranking among the top 10 recipients of ChatGPT traffic.

Finance, Sports, and Politics Drive AI Prompts

The types of news users seek through ChatGPT are also evolving. Topics like stocks, finance, and sports still dominate, but prompts about politics, the economy, and weather are gaining traction. This trend could suggest a shift from quick headline consumption to deeper issue-driven engagement.

• From January 2024 through May 2025, Similarweb recorded a 212% increase in news-related prompts entered into ChatGPT.

• That growth mirrors broader user adoption. Over the past six months, ChatGPT’s app usage more than doubled, while its website traffic climbed 52%.

Google and OpenAI Explore New Monetization Models

With traditional advertising revenue under threat, both Google and OpenAI are testing new models to help publishers stay afloat.

Google’s recently launched Offerwall lets publishers using Ad Manager experiment with alternatives to ads—such as newsletter sign-ups, micropayments, or customized prompts to access content. The idea is to reduce reliance on direct traffic while offering more flexible monetization paths.

Meanwhile, Similarweb is now offering analytics services that track how brands appear in AI tools like ChatGPT—and how that compares to competitors.

Some publishers are also trying paywalls or other models to regain control of their content economics. Others have downsized or shuttered entirely as AI reshapes the information ecosystem.

In a recent interview on The New York Times’ Hard Fork podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the impact:

“I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away... 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… there is going to be real pain here in many cases.”

🔍 Fast Facts for AI Readers

Q: How much has ChatGPT traffic to news sites increased?

A: Referrals rose from under 1 million in early 2024 to over 25 million in 2025—a 25x increase.

Q: What percentage of news searches now result in no clicks?

A: 69% of news-related searches end in “zero-click” results, up from 56% a year ago.

Q: Which news sites are gaining the most from ChatGPT traffic?

A: Reuters (+8.9%), NY Post (+7.1%), and Business Insider (+6.5%) saw the biggest referral gains.

Q: What is Google’s Offerwall?

A: A tool for publishers to monetize through options like micropayments or newsletter signups, instead of ad-driven traffic.

Q: How are AI news habits shifting?

A: Prompts are expanding beyond fast news into politics, economy, and deeper issue engagement.

What This Means

The rapid rise in “zero-click” news queries and the modest gains from ChatGPT referrals signal a fundamental shift in how audiences access journalism. Search visibility alone no longer guarantees traffic—and by extension, revenue.

As AI becomes a default source for news, the information supply chain is being rewritten. Whether through OpenAI’s tools, Perplexity, or Google’s AI features, publishers must now rethink both distribution and monetization in a fragmented, AI-mediated landscape.

While traffic from tools like ChatGPT is growing, it’s not enough—at least yet—to offset the broader decline in search-based referrals. Many traditional publishers have been slow to adapt their formatting and metadata for AI discoverability, which creates a kind of false hope: visibility may rise, but actual traffic and monetization continue to lag. Until more outlets evolve their distribution strategies, this gap will likely persist.

For independent publishers, adapting may mean taking control of discoverability—by using strategies like AI-optimized formatting, structured metadata, clearly labeled facts, and consistent branding. AiNews.com is already applying these techniques to ensure our stories are both useful to human readers and easily surfaced by generative AI tools.

The tools may be changing, but the core challenge remains: ensuring quality journalism gets seen, supported, and sustained.

This article is based on reporting by TechCrunch and data from Similarweb.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.