Usman Salis
⬤ New engagement metrics from Similarweb show a striking difference between ChatGPT and Google search referrals. The September 2025 data, tracking U.S. desktop usage for non-bounced visits, reveals AI-driven traffic sends fewer visitors but drives significantly deeper engagement once they land on sites.
⬤ Visitors arriving from ChatGPT spend an average of 15 minutes on websites—three times longer than the 5-minute average for Google search visitors. Page depth tells the same story: ChatGPT referrals average 12 pageviews per visit versus 9 from Google. This pattern suggests AI-referred users arrive with clearer intent, having already received context before clicking through to external pages.
⬤ Conversion rates amplify the engagement gap. ChatGPT visitors convert at 7% on transactional sites, compared to 5% for Google referrals. Traditional search engines send massive traffic volumes but much of it carries low intent. AI tools filter users more carefully, only passing them through when they're genuinely ready to take action.
⬤ The data points to a fundamental shift in online discovery. Traditional search still dominates raw traffic numbers, but AI-driven referrals are prioritizing quality over quantity. As conversational AI becomes standard in daily browsing, metrics like time spent, page depth, and conversion efficiency are becoming the new benchmarks for digital performance.
Usman Salis
