Ahrefs data from 101,872 websites shows traditional search delivers 75x more referral traffic than all AI platforms combined, reinforcing why SEO remains a business priority.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRUnderground) July 27th, 2026

SEO National, a search engine optimization firm founded in 2007, is highlighting industry data that reveals the continued dominance of organic search over AI-driven referral traffic. According to Ahrefs’ “AI vs Search Traffic Analysis,” which tracked 101,872 websites through June 2026, traditional search engines delivered 344.7 million referral visits in that month alone, compared to 4.6 million visits from all AI assistants combined.¹ That roughly 75-to-1 ratio in favor of search comes at a moment when many businesses are reconsidering their SEO investments.

Damon Burton, Founder and President of the Utah search engine optimization agency, SEO National, said the data puts the current AI conversation in a more accurate context for business owners. Google alone drove 309 million of those referral visits, representing a 26.41% share of all tracked traffic. In comparison, ChatGPT delivered 3.5 million at 0.30%, and all AI assistants combined accounted for just 0.39% of tracked referral traffic. “The story being told is that AI is replacing search, but the data doesn’t support that,” Burton said. “Businesses that pause their SEO investment right now are making a decision based on fear rather than data, and that will cost them.”

Burton acknowledged that AI referral traffic is a developing channel worth monitoring, but noted the channel’s 0.39% combined share puts its growth rate in perspective. “AI assistants are sending more traffic than they were a year ago, and we help our clients stay visible across those channels too,” he said. “But 0.39% versus 26.41% is not a coin flip. Businesses that treat this as an either-or decision are leaving the majority of available referral traffic on the table.”

That same dataset isolates true channel trends rather than site-mix changes. Traditional search as a whole accounted for 29.46%, a share that dwarfs AI referral traffic by any measure. For businesses evaluating where to focus organic search engine optimization services, those figures provide an unmistakable reference point.

SEO National works with small to medium-sized businesses, e-commerce companies, and established brands to build sustainable organic visibility through white-hat SEO practices. Business owners who want to understand what current search data means for their marketing can visit SEONational.com.

¹ “AI vs Search Traffic Analysis,” Ahrefs, data through June 2026

About SEO National

SEO National is a search engine optimization company north of Salt Lake City, Utah. This SEO company offers affordable, effective search engine optimization with a refreshingly personal approach to communicating with their online marketing customers.

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Original Press Release.