Is AI Replacing Google? What the Data Says About Search and LLMs
Over the past year, the narrative has been loud – AI is killing SEO.
It makes for good headlines, but the data tells a more nuanced story.
Search is not shrinking. In fact, Google is still growing. What is changing is how people discover information, how often they click, and how they move through the buying journey.
We are not entering a post-SEO world. We are entering a multi-channel discovery world.
Google Search Is Still Growing
Let’s start with the numbers.
Google’s total search volume grew by 21.6% from 2023 to 2024. It then grew by a further 0.8% in 2025.
If AI was replacing search engines at scale, we would expect to see a decline. Instead, we are seeing continued growth.
Even more interestingly, average weekly Google usage increased from 10.5 sessions per user to 12.6 sessions after the launch of ChatGPT.
That does not suggest abandonment. It suggests coexistence.
AI has not replaced search engines. Users are still heavily reliant on Google for discovery, research and commercial intent.
The Real Shift Is Click Behaviour
While search volume is growing, click behaviour has changed significantly.
Around 30% of Google searches now display AI Overviews. These summaries provide instant answers directly in the search results.
At the same time:
- Click-through rates for top organic positions have declined from 15% to 8% on queries that trigger AI Overviews.
- Around 60% of searches now end without a click to an external website.
This is the real shift.
Ranking number one is still valuable, but it does not carry the same click potential it once did. Visibility within AI-generated summaries and rich search features is becoming increasingly important.
We are moving from link optimisation to answer optimisation.
AI Is Growing Rapidly, But Scale Still Matters
There is no question that AI usage is growing quickly.
ChatGPT receives around 37.5 million prompts per day. Meanwhile, Google processes approximately 14 billion searches per day.
The scale difference is still vast.
However, behaviour is starting to shift. Around 37% of consumers now say they begin searches with AI tools instead of traditional search engines.
This does not mean Google is being replaced. It means the top of the funnel is fragmenting.
Users are experimenting with new interfaces for research and comparison. They may start with AI for summarised insight, then move to Google to validate, compare providers or check brand credibility.
Discovery is no longer linear.
AI Traffic Converts Differently
One of the most interesting insights emerging from recent data is conversion behaviour.
Website traffic generated by LLMs converts 4.4 times higher than traffic from traditional organic search.
In addition, bottom-of-funnel pages such as pricing and case studies receive the highest levels of AI referral traffic.
This tells us something important.
Users arriving from AI platforms are often further along in the buying journey. They have already consumed summarised research. They are validating decisions, not browsing broadly.
AI is not just another traffic source. It is a higher-intent referral channel.
We Are Entering a Multi-Discovery Era
The idea that AI will kill SEO oversimplifies what is happening.
Google is still growing. Search is still dominant. But behaviour is fragmenting across:
- Traditional search engines
- Social discovery platforms
- AI-driven interfaces
Winning in this environment requires more than rankings alone.
Businesses now need:
- Strong technical and content-led SEO
- Content structured clearly enough to be cited by AI systems
- Recognisable brand authority
- Bottom-of-funnel pages built to convert warmer traffic
- A strategy that connects search, social and AI visibility
In short, they need full-funnel visibility.
Summary
Google is not dying.
AI is not replacing search.
But user behaviour is evolving.
Click behaviour is shifting. Zero-click searches are rising. AI summaries are reducing traditional CTR. At the same time, AI-driven traffic is converting at a higher rate and influencing earlier-stage research.
The businesses that win will not panic. They will adapt.
They will build authority, strengthen brand search demand and ensure they are visible across every discovery surface, not just blue links.
SEO still matters.
AI visibility now matters too.
The future belongs to brands that understand both.