AI search drives a surge—but leaves strategy in doubt

Semrush: ChatGPT and other LLMs sent 183,000 daily visits to 20 major retailers over Black Friday, 8x year-ago. CMOs weigh AI search optimization vs SEO.

Overview

Marketers eye AI assistants as a new traffic source, but the playbook isn’t settled.

Black Friday surge in AI‑referred traffic

Over Black Friday weekend, websites for 20 major retailers—including brands such as Best Buy and Etsy—saw a notable lift from AI tools. Those sites averaged 183,000 visits per day referred by ChatGPT and other large language models, according to marketing software firm Semrush. While that volume remains small next to conventional search traffic, it was nearly eight times higher than last year’s daily average. In 2023, some retailers recorded anywhere from zero to only the low hundreds of daily visits from AI tools.

The CMO dilemma: optimize for AI assistants or stick to SEO?

The spike is sharpening a key question for chief marketing officers: Should they overhaul search strategies for AI assistants, or treat “AI search optimization” as an add-on to traditional SEO? CMOs are exploring how brand content can appear in AI-generated answers, especially as consumers query tools like ChatGPT for product ideas and where to buy.

What the data suggests so far

For now, the data suggests two truths can coexist. AI assistants are beginning to send meaningful traffic, particularly during peak shopping periods. Yet the channel is still nascent and far from rivaling the scale of classic search engines. Marketers weighing budgets must decide whether to invest in dedicated AI search tactics or adapt existing SEO fundamentals to this emerging surface.

Bottom line

AI-driven referrals are real and growing, but they’re not a replacement for traditional search—at least not yet. The next phase will reveal whether AI search becomes a core acquisition channel or remains a complementary layer on top of SEO.