OpenAI has said that ChatGPT’s search-related query volume is about one-fifth of Google’s, using a measure based on prompts that send ChatGPT to the web. The figure, reported by Search Engine Journal, should be read carefully: it reflects OpenAI’s own framing of “search-like” activity and may not align with third-party traffic measurements. Even so, the comparison underlines an important business trend: AI-assisted search and answer engines are becoming a more significant part of how people discover information online.

What happened

According to the report, OpenAI said ChatGPT’s search-like queries amount to roughly 20% of Google’s search volume. The comparison is based on prompts that cause ChatGPT to access the web, rather than a direct one-to-one comparison with all Google searches.

That distinction matters. Different services define and count usage differently, and external analytics providers may show different patterns based on website visits, app usage, logged-in behaviour, or estimated traffic. The reported figure should therefore be understood as an indicator of growing user behaviour, not as a definitive market share measure.

Why it matters for European businesses

For European businesses, the main takeaway is not whether the exact ratio is 5:1, but that AI search is becoming commercially relevant. Companies that rely on organic visibility, branded discovery, content marketing, or product research traffic may increasingly find that potential customers are discovering suppliers, products, and answers through AI tools as well as traditional search engines.

This can affect several areas:

• SEO and content strategy: Businesses may need content that is clear, structured, and useful not only for search engine rankings but also for AI-generated answers and summaries.
• Brand visibility: If users get direct answers inside AI interfaces, fewer may click through to websites in some cases, making strong brand recognition and authoritative content more important.
• Lead generation: B2B buyers may use AI tools earlier in the research process, which could change how they compare providers and shortlist vendors.
• Analytics and attribution: Marketing teams may need to watch for changes in referral patterns and understand that some influence from AI platforms may be harder to track using traditional web analytics alone.

For SMEs, this is especially relevant because many depend on search visibility for cost-effective customer acquisition. A gradual shift in user behaviour can have a practical impact even before AI search approaches Google’s overall scale.

Who may be affected

The development is most relevant for organisations that depend on discoverability through online content or search-driven customer journeys:

• E-commerce companies that rely on product search, comparison traffic, and informational content.
• B2B service firms whose prospects research suppliers, case studies, and expertise online.
• Marketing teams and agencies managing SEO, content production, and digital performance reporting.
• Website and content teams responsible for site structure, publishing workflows, and content quality.
• Founders and SME owners making decisions about where to invest limited digital marketing budgets.

What companies should consider

Businesses do not need to treat AI search as a replacement for Google, but they should increasingly treat it as an additional discovery layer.

• Review content quality: Prioritise accurate, well-structured pages that answer real customer questions clearly and concisely.
• Strengthen topical authority: Publish content that demonstrates expertise, not just keyword targeting, especially for high-consideration products and services.
• Improve technical foundations: Make sure websites are crawlable, fast, and logically organised so that both search engines and AI systems can interpret content more effectively.
• Monitor analytics shifts: Watch for changes in organic traffic patterns, branded search behaviour, and conversion paths rather than relying only on raw session volume.
• Diversify acquisition channels: Reduce dependence on a single platform by balancing SEO with email, paid media, partnerships, and direct audience-building.

The reported comparison does not prove that AI assistants are replacing traditional search at scale. It does, however, reinforce a broader market reality: businesses should prepare for a search environment where customers increasingly move between Google, AI assistants, marketplaces, and social platforms when looking for information and suppliers.