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AI search is shrinking clicks, not killing SEO

AI traffic to websites rose 66% in 2025, but still makes up under 0.15% of visits. Here are five practical ways to earn more citations from AI search.

Image: ZDNET

AI traffic to websites grew by 66% in 2025, according to Semrush, but it still represents less than 0.15% of total website visits. That gap captures the current search shift: AI platforms are increasingly answering questions themselves, pulling information from publishers without sending many users through to the original site.

That does not mean SEO is dead. It means the rules are changing. Traditional signals such as backlinks, site authority, performance, and content quality still matter, but AI search systems appear to weigh them differently. In many cases, a precise answer on a lower-authority site can still get cited.

ZDNET argues that citations now matter even when they do not turn into direct traffic, because brands still gain visibility inside tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.

The company also notes a legal disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement in the training and operation of its AI systems.

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How to measure AI search visibility

A simple starting point is manual testing: ask 10 to 15 questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Mode that your content should answer, then track which sources get cited.

Other options ZDNET highlights include:

  • HubSpot’s AEO Grader for a free snapshot
  • Google Analytics referral filtering for domains such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, and gemini.google.com
  • Paid platforms including Semrush One and Otterly.AI, with entry plans starting at $29/month

Five ways to win more AI citations

Citing a study from Princeton, Georgia Tech, and the Allen Institute for AI, presented at the 2024 KDD Conference, ZDNET says researchers tested nine content visibility tactics across 10,000 search queries and saw gains of up to 40%. Its key takeaways for publishers:

  • Make sure robots.txt is not blocking crawlers such as GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, and Google-Extended
  • Write sections so they open with a self-contained, direct sentence before adding nuance
  • Back claims with numbers and sources, which helps with credibility and verification
  • Consider adding an llms.txt file at your site’s root, an idea proposed by Answer.AI’s Jeremy Howard, though ZDNET notes it has not been validated by major AI companies or AEO platforms
  • Build a presence beyond your website, since LLMs often pull from YouTube, Reddit, and other platforms alongside web pages

The broader message is straightforward: useful content still matters, but AI search tends to reward content that answers a question immediately and clearly. For publishers already investing in SEO, that means adapting existing practices rather than throwing them out.

Maya Lindqvist

Culture Editor

Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.

via ZDNET

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