Google's AI Overviews now appear in 43% of searches, up from just 15% a year ago, according to new data from market intelligence firm Similarweb, underlining how quickly AI-generated answers are replacing traditional search results. The shift matters because it marks a fundamental change in Google's role: rather than simply directing users to other websites via a list of links, Google is increasingly becoming the destination itself, generating answers directly from indexed content and keeping users on its own platform for longer.

Alongside the growth in AI Overviews, visits to Google's more conversational AI Mode rose from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million by May 2026, and average search query length has increased as users adopt more natural, conversational phrasing. This has hit publishers hard, as AI citations often fail to generate click-throughs, though the number of AI answers including citations has risen more than fivefold in the past year, even though only 6.8% of US ChatGPT desktop queries included citations as of May 2026. There are some signs of improvement, however, as a ChatGPT update on 7 May saw the share of US desktop visits landing on actual webpages more than double, from 25% in March 2026 to nearly 60% by 30 May 2026, though the broader trend towards AI-driven, destination-style search remains unchanged.