Companies are losing Google traffic – AI tools are growing as a niche

German corporate websites are experiencing significant changes in online traffic: According to a recent analysis by the online marketing agency Seokratie, the share of visitors via Google has fallen by an average of 7,0 percent compared to the previous year.

At the same time, traffic via AI tools such as ChatGPT is growing by 7,4 times, but remains at a very low level.

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Background of the analysis

For the study, Seokratie evaluated anonymized data from more than 100 German company websites with a total of almost 70 million visitors.

The period from March 26 to September 17, 2025, was compared to the previous year. March 26 marks the launch of Google's new "Overview with AI" feature, which displays answers directly in search results—often without clicking on external websites.

Impact on website traffic

The introduction initially led to traffic losses of up to 20 percent, which have now settled at an average of 7,0 percent.

"Many believe that ChatGPT will displace Google. In reality, the losses come mainly from Google's own AI overview“, explains Julian Dziki, founder of Seokratie.

While Google continues to dominate the market, traffic via ChatGPT is growing: from 0,08 percent to 0,66 percent. "Traffic via ChatGPT is not yet relevant," says Dziki.

Comparison: Google vs. ChatGPT

The analysis provides clear figures on the relationship:

◉ Google processes around 14 billion search queries daily, of which around 14,5 percent are commercial (source: SparkToro).

◉ At ChatGPT, only a tiny fraction of searches are product searches.

◉ This puts Google ahead by a factor of 183 in a direct comparison.

"First, the adoption of ChatGPT is slowing. Second, Google is integrating ChatGPT-like features into its own search. Third, users aren't using ChatGPT as their first choice for product searches," Dziki emphasizes. "In the long run, Google ChatGPT will be more of a threat than the other way around."

Google AI Mode as a Outlook

An example of this development is Google’s new “AI Mode,” which is already available in the US.

Users can interact in a chat window similar to ChatGPT – but still have access to classic search results.

Importance for SEO and Marketing

For marketing strategies, this means that Google will remain the most important source of relevant website traffic for the foreseeable future.

“Anyone who wants to be visible in AI Mode essentially has to follow the same SEO criteria as before – with a few adjustments that good SEOs are prepared for,” says Dziki.

About the Study

The analysis is based on data from over 100 corporate websites from various industries in Germany. A total of almost 70 million website visitors were evaluated.

In addition to Google, more than a dozen AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity considered.

Sierks Media / © Photo: MJ Duford, Unsplash