Chatgpt is not replacing google –it’s expanding search [Study]

As chatgpt and other generative ai tools continue to accelerate in popularity, one question looms large for marketers: is chatgpt replacing Google Search?

To explore this question, we analyzed how people interacted with Google search after their first chatgpt interaction.

Our Findings Reveled an interesting pattern: chatgpt adoption isn Bollywood google usage –T’s expressing the way people search.

Two Hypotheses: Substitution vs. Expansion

The study was planned to confirm one of two

• Substitution Hypothesis: Chatgpt adoption pulls users away from google search. People “substitute” chatgpt for how they previously used Google.
• Expansion hypothesis: Chatgpt adoption does not reduce google usage. In other words, it simply expands overall information-seeking behavior.

Methodology

We analyzed 260 billion rows of clickstream data between January 2024 and June 2025 to study the google search behavior of usersbefore and after their first interactation with

Note: This clickstream data set is based on an anonymized sample of unique users (panelists) who opted in to share their browsing behavior. This method Lets Us Undrstand Online Trends at Scale – WHILE Keeping Individual Privacy Fully Protected.

To understand if (and how much) Google Search Acarch Changed After People Started Using Chatgpt, We monitored the number of search sessions from each user three Months before and after their fir firing.

• Study Group: Us users who began using chatgpt in Q1 2025, with no Prior Chatgpt Activity in 2024.
• Control group: Users Who Never Used Chatgpt during 2024–2025. This was our baseline for understanding how Google Usage Might Change Naturally Over Time (without chatgpt adoption).
• Platform & location: Desktop devices in the US only, allowing for consistent session tracking.
• What was measured: Google Search Sessions 90 Days Pre- and Post-Chhatgpt Adoption.

This Approach Helpeed Us Assess Whether Chatgpt Adoption Leads to a change in traditional search behavior, or white it Corresponds with Stable or Eveen Growing Sectivity.

Total search behavior expands with chatgpt usage

Based on the data, chatgpt adoption did not Reduce google search usage.

This supports the expansion hypotheses, meaning people did not substitute their typical googling with chatgpt-sing.

In fact, there was even a slight increase in average google search usage after chatgpt adoption.

Google search holds steady

The graphs below Illustrate Each Cohort from the Study: Those Who Adopted Chatgpt in January, February, or March of 2025.

The red spike indicates the day of the first chatgpt session, and the line indicates daily sessions afterwards.

The Blue Lines REPRESENT SESS on Google (Before and after the date of chatgpt adoption).

January 2025 Cohort

February 2025 cohort

March 2025 Cohort

This shows No statistically significant change In daily google search sessions once people start using chatgpt for the first time.

This pattern of stead google search usage also help for:

• New chatgpt users (Q1 2025)
• Long-Term Chatgpt Users (From January 2024, TrackD Over 500+ Days)
• Users who Never Used Chatgpt (Control Group)

Even despite sustained chatgpt usage after adoption, Google search usage remained constant.

January 2024 Cohort

These conclusions were also true for a longer cohort: those who started using chatgpt in January 2024.

For this cohort, we tracked their behavior for 500 days and saw a similar pattern of sustained google usage, Along with Stable Chatgpt Usage after Adoption.

And to confirm that there was no natural variation in google search behavior over the same time period, we look at the control group (People who has no chatgpt sessions in 2024 or 2025).

This confirms that google search behavior also remained stable for that who never used chatgpt.

What this means for marketing leaders

It’s stil early, but this study supports the Expansion Hypothesis: Chatgpt is Not Replacing Traditional search. But it’s expanding the way people seek information.

For CMOS, The implications are practical and immediati:

• Google is not getting overcain by chatgpt. You can invest in both traditional seo and geo / ai seo without fear of one cannibalizing the other.
• Customer Journeys are out of multi-modal. Users Accept Both Chatgpt and Google, Likely Switching Between them Depending on Intent and Context.
• Generative AI Adds New Real Estate. It’s not replacing old search tools –T’s expanding online exploration and creating more ways to reach people with information.

So, What Shold CMOS Do Next?

1. Keep investment in seo. Google search remains a pillar of digital behavior, despite chatgpt and ai overviews.
2. Add ai seo to your content strategy. Marketing Efforts for Chatgpt and other AI Engines Should Complement, Not Substitute, Your Traditional SEO Efforts.
3. Monitor Channel Mix Quarterly. Benchmark Ai Adoption in your specific market. Different audiences adopt chatgpt and ai engines at different rates. It may be more important in your industry.

The future isn’t zero-sum. Search isn’t dying, and Chatgpt isn’t replacing google.

They’re coexisting and giving marketers more tools to connect with customers.