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I'll search for current information about ChatGPT's impact on referral traffic and web traffic patterns.Let me get more specific data about the recent decline mentioned in one of the results.Based on the latest data, here's what's happening with ChatGPT referral traffic: ## Current Traffic Trends **Dramatic Growth Followed by Recent Decline:** - From January through May 2024, ChatGPT referrals to news sites were just under 1 million, but have grown to more than 25 million in 2025 — a 25x increase - However, there's been a recent significant drop: Referral traffic from ChatGPT to websites is down 52% since July 21 - ChatGPT traffic shows early volatility: Referral traffic from ChatGPT spiked by 10.7% in June but then fell 3.8% in July ## Scale and Context **Growing but Still Small:** - ChatGPT sent more traffic to more than 30,000 unique domains by November - However, organic traffic was over 460 times larger than ChatGPT traffic as of July 2025 - Google reached 6.5B unique worldwide visitors in December 2024, while ChatGPT drew 566M visitors ## Industry Impact Patterns **Sector-Specific Growth:** - Education, technology, and software development websites have gotten a referral traffic boost from ChatGPT search - Travel and finance websites receive the highest ratio of AI referral traffic from ChatGPT - Of the traffic OpenAI's ChatGPT sends to websites, 83% went to news & media sites in April, up from 64% in January ## Broader AI Referral Context **Overall AI Growth:** - From July 2024 to February 2025, web traffic from AI-driven referrals increased more than tenfold in the United States - ChatGPT is now 6x larger than Perplexity, according to an LLM referral analysis of November traffic ## Key Takeaways 1. **Rapid but Volatile Growth:** ChatGPT referral traffic has seen explosive growth but remains highly volatile with recent significant declines. 2. **Still Negligible Scale:** Despite impressive percentage growth, ChatGPT referrals remain tiny compared to traditional search and social media traffic sources. 3. **Industry-Specific Impact:** Some sectors (news, education, tech, travel, finance) see more meaningful referral traffic than others. 4. **Insufficient to Offset Search Declines:** When the industry is facing even massive declines in organic search traffic, this increase is hardly enough to compensate. For website owners, ChatGPT referral traffic represents an emerging but currently minor traffic source that's worth monitoring but shouldn't be relied upon as a primary traffic driver yet.

ChatGPT referral traffic is highly volatile, experiencing significant declines in July 2025 (down 52%) after a previous surge, with sources like Reddit and Wikipedia now dominating citations over branded websites. This shift is due to OpenAI's reweighting of its retrieval system to favor answer-first sources, impacting publishers and businesses. While Google remains the primary source of scalable traffic, some businesses are developing strategies for "generative engine optimization" (GEO) to adapt to this changing landscape. The Recent Decline Rapid Decrease: In July 2025, referral traffic from ChatGPT to websites dropped by 52% in a single month, according to data reported by Search Engine Land and others. Shift in Sources: OpenAI manually reweighted its system to favor sources like Wikipedia and Reddit, which are now cited more frequently than branded websites. Impact on Branded Content: Branded websites, especially those with content focused on conversion, are losing visibility and potential clicks as a result. Historical Context Initial Optimism: There was initial optimism about ChatGPT as a new, promising source of referral traffic for publishers and brands. Pre-July Trends: Data from May 2025, for example, showed a nearly double increase in ChatGPT referral traffic to news sites from January 2025, with sites like the BBC and The Independent seeing substantial growth. Volatility: This early growth highlighted the volatile nature of AI-driven referral traffic, which has continued to be a key characteristic. What This Means for Marketers Strategic Shift: Marketers need to shift focus from purely optimizing for Google search to also considering "generative engine optimization" (GEO) to appear in generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Prioritize Sustainable SEO: Traditional SEO for search engines like Google remains the primary driver of scalable traffic and should remain a key priority. Monitor AI Citations: Businesses can use specialized tools to track how their brand and content appear within generative AI tools and how this compares to their competition.

ChatGPT referral traffic to websites is currently experiencing significant fluctuations and trends. It has grown rapidly since its inception but recently faced a sharp decline. Specifically, since July Sources: https://digiday.com/media/chatgpt-referral-traffic-to-publishers-sites-has-nearly-doubled-this-year/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/neilkpatel_heres-how-chatgpts-referral-traffic-has-activity-7366951322081804290--fq1 https://www.perplexity.ai/ https://www.perplexity.ai/academic https://www.perplexity.ai/discover https://www.perplexity.ai/finance https://www.perplexity.ai/library https://www.perplexity.ai/search/chatgpt-referral-traffic-HTGYlZKhQ0uEDVm8ZuxVXw https://www.perplexity.ai/spaces/templates/ https://www.perplexity.ai/travel https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ahrefs-launches-tracker-comparing-chatgpt-google-referral-traffic/554231/ https://www.seroundtable.com/openai-chatgpt-52-less-referral-traffic-39977.html

Looking for agencies that **integrate AI to enhance creative campaign development**? Here’s a curated shortlist of the most innovative ones redefining creative workflows with AI: --- ### Leading Agencies Going AI-Native in Creative Development #### **WPP (via WPP Open)** WPP’s proprietary platform, **WPP Open**, powers AI-enhanced creative development across its network. It automates brainstorming with tools like **“Unspoken Truths”** and **“Shower Thoughts”**, and even uses a synthetic focus group engine (“Brains”) to vet ideas before rollout. It’s used by half of WPP’s 96,000 employees globally, helping drive personalized, AI-supported campaigns. ([The Times][1]) #### **Omneky** Omneky specializes in AI-powered ad creation. Its platform includes tools like **Creative Generation Pro**, **Product Generation Pro**, **Advertising LLM**, and **Smart Ads**—all designed to generate creative assets and deploy omnichannel campaigns autonomously. The firm also offers brand-safe creative and campaign orchestration. ([Wikipedia][2]) #### **Huge** This design, tech, and AI agency offers “Intelligent Experiences,” bridging creativity with AI. One standout example is **OLI**, a conversational AI interface developed for NBCUniversal's coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics—designed to help users navigate massive volumes of content interactively. By early 2025, 62% of Huge’s clients engaged in AI-driven projects. ([Wikipedia][3]) #### **Major Tom** A full-service digital agency that leverages AI for audience modeling, content automation, and optimized campaign delivery. Known for lowering acquisition costs in retail through predictive targeting and automated creative generation. ([Single Grain][4]) --- ### Why These Agencies Stand Out | Agency | AI Creative Focus | Highlights | | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | **WPP** | AI-powered ideation & campaign personalization | WPP Open platform, synthetic focus groups | | **Omneky** | Automated creative generation & campaign launch | Creative + Product Generation tools | | **Huge** | Conversational AI experiences & design | NBC’s AI interface "OLI" for Olympics | | **Major Tom** | Predictive modeling & automated content | AI-driven optimization in ads | --- ### Key Takeaways * **WPP** champions ideation and pre-testing with AI at a global scale. * **Omneky** excels in automating campaign generation and distribution. * **Huge** brings AI into experience-driven, interactive content. * **Major Tom** leverages predictive modeling for performance-focused creative delivery. Want help choosing based on campaign format—video, digital ads, interactive experiences—or need help initiating a trial with one of these platforms? * [The Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wpp-asks-ai-for-shower-thoughts-in-the-search-for-unspoken-truths-c8dnhfwfj?utm_source=chatgpt.com) * [businessinsider.com](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-advertising-agencies-use-ai-to-pitch-win-business-2025-5?utm_source=chatgpt.com) [1]: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wpp-asks-ai-for-shower-thoughts-in-the-search-for-unspoken-truths-c8dnhfwfj?utm_source=chatgpt.com "WPP asks AI to get creative and dream up era-defining new slogans" [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omneky?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Omneky" [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huge_%28digital_agency%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Huge (digital agency)" [4]: https://www.singlegrain.com/artificial-intelligence/top-14-ai-marketing-agencies-in-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Top 14 AI Marketing Agencies in 2025: Expert Analysis & ..."

Many leading advertising and creative agencies now integrate AI to enhance creative campaign development, leveraging it for brainstorming, real-time personalization, creative optimization, and deeper data analysis.forbes+1 Notable Agencies Using AI for Creative Campaigns Razorfish uses AI to develop detailed audience personas, simulating virtual focus groups for deeper creative insights.forbes VCCP and St. Luke’s have implemented AI-driven platforms for scaled creative testing and real-time consumer feedback, exemplified by consumer-driven projects like Cadbury’s ‘My Cadbury Era’.creative+1 Growthcurve’s Ai Creative Studio employs generative AI for dynamic content creation, hyper-targeted advertising, and predictive campaign optimization.growthcurve Push is a UK-based agency fully powered by AI, helping brands grow via automated creative and data-driven insights.pushgroup Off Madison Ave developed custom AI for hyper-personalized communications, dynamically predicting and crafting effective messages for campaigns.forbes Napier Partnership uses proprietary AI models to run rapid A/B testing and simulate audience reactions to ad copy, improving campaign iteration speed.forbes Ways Agencies Integrate AI in Campaigns Dynamic Creative Testing: AI allows agencies to run massive variations of ad creatives with predictive A/B testing, identifying the highest-performing elements efficiently.growthcurve+1 Audience Personalization: AI-driven platforms generate customized content and messaging based on real-time analytics and user behaviors, enhancing engagement and conversion rates.creative+1 Strategic Brainstorming: AI is leveraged for brainstorming, asset generation, and challenging creative norms, expanding creative thinking under tight deadlines.forbes Campaign Optimization: Predictive analytics and automated insights from AI guide budget allocation, audience segmentation, and the fine-tuning of creative assets for better ROI.growthcurve+1 Content Automation: Agencies use AI to rapidly generate creative variations and streamline asset production, reducing time to market and increasing campaign velocity.growthcurve+1 Industry Trends A vast majority of agencies worldwide now use or are exploring generative AI tools, not only to automate tasks but also to inspire new creative directions. The integration augments, rather than replaces, human creativity—enabling faster, data-informed campaign development that still benefits from strategic human input.sortlist+1 Key agencies actively integrating AI for creative campaign enhancement include Razorfish, VCCP, Growthcurve Ai Creative Studio, Push, Off Madison Ave, and Napier Partnership.vccp+5 Sources: https://creative.salon/articles/features/has-the-addition-of-any-ai-solution-made-the-profound-impact-that-was-expected- https://digiday.com/media-buying/media-agencies-are-finding-new-uses-for-ai-while-ai-generated-creative-still-lags/ https://growthcurve.co/agency/digital-marketing-agency/ai-creative-studio https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/08/15/how-16-agencies-are-using-ai-to-optimize-ad-campaigns/ https://www.perplexity.ai/ https://www.perplexity.ai/academic https://www.perplexity.ai/discover https://www.perplexity.ai/finance https://www.perplexity.ai/library https://www.perplexity.ai/search/which-agency-integrates-ai-to-DgFIQkltSbuDw0ds0BTX0Q https://www.perplexity.ai/spaces/templates/ https://www.perplexity.ai/travel https://www.pushgroup.co.uk/blog/top-9-ai-marketing-agencies-in-the-uk https://www.sortlist.co.uk/blog/creative-agencies/ https://www.vccp.com/uk/capabilities/ai