Google AI Overtakes Perplexity, Becomes No. 2 Referral To Websites

Google Gemini has overtaken Perplexity to become the world’s second-largest source of AI chatbot referrals to websites for the first time, according to independent web analytics company
Statcounter.

Publishers have struggled with the lack of referral traffic from AI chatbots to websites from one of the most used traditional search engines worldwide, but recently this has
changed.

March 2026 data released in April shows Google Gemini accounted for 8.65% of referrals — up from 2.31% in the year-ago month. It measured all AI chatbot referrals
globally, surpassing Perplexity, which fell to 7.07%.

Perplexity — in second place with 12.07% in April 2025 — has seen its share erode steadily to a decline of more than 40% from its
peak.

ChatGPT continues to lead the percentage of referrals sent from the chatbot to websites, with 78.16%, while others trail.

Microsoft Copilot accounted for 3.19% of all referrals,
Claude for 2.91%, and DeepSeek for 0.02%, according to the data.

Chatbot referral traffic represents visitors who arrive at a website by clicking links within AI interfaces like ChatGPT,
Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity. As AI transitions into a primary “discovery engine” for users, this traffic has become increasingly critical.

Referral traffic from AI chatbots to
websites based on queries or news-driven spikes is an important metric for brands because it represents a pre-qualified audience willing to take action like making a purchase. AI traffic…