By BrightEdge
Publication Date: 2026-09-24 13:00:00
SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New data from BrightEdge shows ChatGPT is widening its lead as the dominant source of AI referral traffic to brands. Referral traffic from ChatGPT increased 101% from January to August this year, while its share of AI-generated referrals rose to a 2026 high of 95.1%.
The rebound picked up speed especially in August, when ChatGPT referral traffic jumped 36% from the previous month, its largest one-month increase of the year. Meanwhile, Gemini grew just 1%, while Claude declined 15% and Perplexity declined 17%.
The findings mark a sharp reversal from the beginning of the year. After competitive pressure prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to declare a “code red” in December and refocus the company on improving ChatGPT, BrightEdge data initially showed users would easily switch to whichever AI Platforms was the most advanced and ChatGPT losing referral share. Now, eight months into 2026, that trend has reversed. ChatGPT is regaining share while also sending significantly more traffic to websites.
“Earlier this year, we were seeing a much more fluid AI market, where users were willing to move quickly between platforms. What stands out now is that ChatGPT isn’t simply taking that share back. It is also sending substantially more users to the web than it was at the beginning of the year,” said Jim Yu, CEO and co-founder of BrightEdge. “For marketers, that makes ChatGPT’s role much harder to ignore. The…
