AI is changing how people search, find and engage with content online, which means it’s changing how traffic reaches your website. If you’ve noticed a dip in organic search traffic or a rise in unexplained direct visits, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity may play a more significant role than you think.

AI tools are disrupting traditional web traffic

Not a day goes by without something about AI popping up — whether on the news, in an online article or your inbox. Some people fully embrace it, others are wary, and many are still unsure what to think.

From my clients’ perspectives, I often hear one question: “What impact is AI going to have on my website?” But the more relevant question might be: “What has AI already done to your traffic?” The usual response? Crickets.

AI’s effect on website traffic is similar to what we saw when Google rolled out featured snippets. When users get a complete answer directly from an AI tool, they often stop searching — AI effectively intercepts that traffic. But if the AI response cites your website (or, on occasion, includes a direct link), there’s a chance users will click through, creating AI-driven traffic. In other cases, the AI might mention your brand, prompting users to search for it directly or try entering your URL.

The result? A drop in search-generated traffic can make it seem like your SEO efforts have taken a hit. However, some of that lost organic traffic may be categorized differently in your analytics. The challenge with measuring AI-driven traffic is that many AI tools, particularly mobile apps, don’t send HTTP header information to websites. Without this header data, referral information is lost, and AI-driven visits often appear as direct traffic.

In some cases, AI tools do send header information. Still, if your analytics tool doesn’t categorize them correctly (for example, if you haven’t set up a custom AI channel, as most analytics tools don’t do this by default), the traffic might be recorded as referred traffic or end up in vague categories like “other” or “unassigned.”

Should you be concerned about AI stealing your website traffic?

The correct answers are: “Yes and no” or “It depends.”

If your site’s primary goal is content distribution and you rely on ad revenue, then yes, AI could be a concern. You lose ad impressions and revenue when AI answers a potential visitor’s question without directing them to your site. This issue is especially pressing for news outlets, online magazines and similar businesses. It’s also the reason behind the ongoing dispute between Meta and the Canadian government, with Canada introducing revenue-sharing laws to ensure news publishers are compensated when platforms display their content without driving traffic to their websites.

For retailers — whether online or brick-and-mortar — the impact of AI is more nuanced. Let’s say your website supports a chain of ice cream parlors, and an AI assistant helps users find the nearest location with hours and directions when they ask, “Where is the closest place to buy ice cream right now?” In that case, there’s no need to worry. AI has simply become a lead generator for you. However, if your business isn’t appearing in AI-generated recommendations, that problem needs addressing.

For ecommerce retailers, the impact depends on how users search. If someone searches for your product by brand name and AI provides a link to your site, there’s no issue. But if a user searches for “where to buy a fancy blue sweatshirt” and AI doesn’t showcase your site or your product — even though you sell fancy blue sweatshirts — that’s a problem.