AI-Recommended Brands Saw 2.5x More Site Visits: Similarweb via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern
A Similarweb report links AI recommendations to more site visits and deeper engagement, with most downstream traffic arriving via branded search. The post AI-Recommended Brands Saw 2.5x More Site Visits: Similarweb appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Tekef
A Similarweb report links AI recommendations to more site visits and deeper engagement, with most downstream traffic arriving via branded search.
When a brand is recommended through ChatGPT, people are more likely to visit that brand’s site over the following week, according to a new report from Similarweb .
Their analysis found that brands appearing in ChatGPT recommendations were 2.5x more likely to receive a site visit within 7 days than brands not recommended.
The report highlights how AI-powered recommendations can increase site visits and engagement through traditional search.
What The Data Shows
The analysis examined people who received a ChatGPT suggestion for a particular brand and then checked if they visited that brand’s website afterward. Among those who did, 55.9% of traffic came from branded searches, meaning people looked up the recommended brand after ChatGPT recommended it.
People who found a brand’s site through a ChatGPT-influenced search tended to engage more once they landed on the site. This group of users looked at an average of 12 pages and stayed for about 11.8 minutes, compared to just 6.5 pages and 5.6 minutes for people who found the site another way.
Note that the data only shows a correlation, not that AI directly caused longer visits.
The Visit Often Happens In Search
When someone searches for a brand after a recommendation in ChatGPT, it’s a sign that AI and traditional search results are working together. That means businesses still need to prioritize owning their branded search results.
This also connects with SparkToro’s January finding that AI tools can return different recommended brands across repeated versions of the same query. Rand Fishkin, who conducted that analysis, provided insights for Similarweb’s report.
When you look at both findings together, it shows that AI visibility can be a shaky thing to plan around if recommendations change so frequently
The report also lines up with my coverage from last fall, when I looked at how branded searches were climbing for some sites even as AI Overviews cut into other clicks. Similarweb’s data offers a possible explanation for where some of those branded searches may be coming from.
Why This Matters
The findings show that SEO matters as much as ever, as AI could be causing more people to search for your brand.
Your branded results help decide whether that visit reaches your site or is intercepted by a reseller, a comparison page, or a competitor ad.
Looking Ahead
This data focuses on US desktop activity, excluding mobile and other markets. It covers the finance, travel, and beauty industries. Similarweb plans to expand to better understand mobile behavior and other business categories.
Featured Image: elenabsl/Shutterstock
