Will AI search stop people visiting my website?

Will AI search mean people stop visiting your website?

The honest answer is… yes, in some cases.

AI-generated answers are already changing how people use search. Pew Research Center found that users clicked a traditional Google result on 8% of visits where an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% of visits where there was no AI summary. Users clicked a link within the AI summary itself in just 1% of visits.

So, yes. Some traffic will reduce.

But that is not the whole story.

Here’s a quick video summary where I explain all this in more detail:

Yes, some website traffic will reduce

For some searches, people will get enough information from the AI-generated answer.

They may not need to click through to a website.

This is particularly true for simple informational searches where the user wants a quick answer, definition or summary.

That means some traditional SEO traffic will decline. It also means some of the metrics marketers have relied on for years will become less useful on their own.

Website sessions still matter – but they won’t tell the whole story.

Traffic isn’t the whole story

The bigger question is not simply whether someone visited your website.

It’s whether they discovered you, understood you and considered you.

AI search changes that journey.

Someone may ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI who the leading organisations are in your sector. They may use AI to compare suppliers. They may ask which companies are credible, experienced or worth speaking to.

In some cases, they may reach your website later. In other cases, as the click-through rate (CTR) from AI overviews dips, they may not.

Your brand, however, can still influence their decision before a website visit happens. Focusing only on traffic creates a narrow view of what is really changing.

AI visibility tactics are useful, but they’re not the whole strategy

There are practical things organisations can do to improve visibility in AI-generated answers.

Clearer website content helps. Structured data helps. Consistent messaging helps. Strong third-party signals help.

These are important tactics, but they’re not a complete strategy yet.

AI search is still developing. User behaviour is still changing. Platforms are still changing how answers are generated, cited and monetised.

So while AI visibility tactics matter, organisations also need to step back and ask a bigger question:

How do we reach our audiences in this new AI driven discovery landscape?

User journeys are becoming less linear

TIn the past, many organisations built their inbound marketing strategy around search.

A user searched. They clicked. They landed on the website. They converted.

That approach still exists, but it’s no longer the only model.

Some people will find you through AI search. Some will hear you speak at an event. Some will see your content on LinkedIn. Some will be referred by someone they trust. Some will research you via multiple other websites before ever visiting yours.

This means discovery is becoming more distributed.

Your website is still important, but it is one part of a wider ecosystem.

The organisations that adapt to AI well will be the ones that understand where their audiences are actually paying attention, and how trust is built across that journey.

What should businesses do now?

Now is the time to rethink the full user journey.

The useful questions are:

• Where do our audiences go for information?
• What questions are they asking before they speak to us?
• Which sources do they trust?
• Where are competitors appearing that we are not?
• What role does AI play in the buying journey?
• What role do events, referrals, social and thought leadership play?

This is not about abandoning SEO.

It is about expanding the strategy.

Search is still important. AI visibility is increasingly important – but so are the wider moments that shape awareness, trust and choice.

AI driven discovery

As discovery expands beyond traditional search engines, visibility alone is not enough.

Your content, data and authority signals need to be structured so AI systems can understand who you are, what you offer and why you matter.

Our AI driven discovery approach blends SEO, structured data, content strategy and technical optimisation to make your brand discoverable across AI-powered environments.

Whether people are searching, scrolling, asking, attending events or speaking to their network, we help ensure your organisation is visible, trusted and chosen.

Request an AI Performance Analysis to understand how visible your organisation is across AI driven discovery.

Key takeaways

• AI search will reduce some website visits.
• Click-through rate is no longer the only measure of visibility.
• AI visibility tactics matter, but they are not a complete strategy.
• User journeys are becoming more distributed across search, AI, social, events and referrals.
• Organisations need to rethink how audiences discover, evaluate and choose them.