Google search is 373x bigger than ChatGPT search

With 400 million weekly users, many consider ChatGPT to be the future of search. Indeed, it only takes a few scrolls on LinkedIn to find posts (that are probably AI-generated themselves) spouting nonsense like “Google’s dead, ChatGPT is the future”.

Yes, ChatGPT and other LLMs are changing the game. But is Google really finished? No. Not a chance. It doesn’t matter how much scaremongering you hear, Google is very much here to stay. And a recent SparkToro/Datos study backs this up.

Shared by Rand Fishkin, the study revealed that Google had over 14 billion searches per day in 2024, while ChatGPT had at most 37.5 million searches per day. Meaning? Google had 373x more searches as ChatGPT.

What does this mean for digital PR?

When it comes to AI and search, all we see are sweeping (and often conflicting) statements. “Google is dead” “Google will never be replaced” “Everyone’s switching from Google to LLMs” “LLMs are useless”. And honestly, we’re fed up.

There’s no doubt that search is changing. But we shouldn’t be losing our minds. This is an opportunity to innovate, not panic. Will AI transform how we search? Yes, definitely. In some cases it already has. But are traditional SEO and digital PR dead? No, absolutely not. We just need to adapt.

This SparkToro/Datos study demonstrates exactly that. At 373x bigger than ChatGPT, Google is still the (very) dominant player in search. So instead of throwing your search strategies out the window, focus on innovation instead. Don’t panic. Plan for the future.

Chegg sues Google for stealing their content in AI Overview

SEOs have been unhappy about Google’s AI Overviews ever since they hit the headlines. But complaining and taking action are two very different things. And this month we’ve seen the first business make a stand.

Chegg, a US-based edtech company, has sued Google, claiming that AI Overviews have hurt their traffic and revenue. The company said:

“As we allege in our complaint, Google AIO has transformed Google from a “search engine” into an “answer engine,” displaying AI-generated content sourced from third-party sites like Chegg. Google’s expansion of AIO forces traffic to remain on Google, eliminating the need to go to third-party content source sites. The impact on Chegg’s business is clear. Our non-subscriber traffic plummeted to negative 49% in January 2025, down significantly from the modest 8% decline we reported in Q2 2024.”

What does this mean for digital PR?

Now Google doesn’t owe anyone traffic. That’s for certain. But it’s no secret that AI search (e.g. AI Overviews) is taking informational traffic from websites. And for brands that rely on this as a source of revenue, it’s been catastrophic. So honestly, we’re not surprised to see companies like Chegg taking action.

Google is now under threat from all directions. The US DOJ trial, the EU’s Digital Markets Act charges, and now this. Chegg’s lawsuit may come to nothing, but we’ll be watching closely. Will brands like Chegg need to adapt and find alternative sources of income? Or will Google need to adapt itself, ensuring its AI offering better supports the search ecosystem? Only time will tell.

Looking wider, it’s also a great reminder of the importance of multi-channel marketing strategies. There’s no doubt that Google is a very important channel, but we shouldn’t rely on it. Digital PR, social media, emails. Wherever audiences are spending their time, that’s where brands need to be visible. Influencing decision making and driving revenue across multiple channels.

In other words, it's a very exciting time to be working in PR.

Other digital PR updates this month:

• Google launched the March 2025 core update. Another chunky algorithm update that’s impacting plenty of websites (we’ve already seen shifts on our Energy PR site). If you or your clients are seeing website volatility, this is probably the reason. So keep a close eye on your analytics and get ready to investigate any drastic changes.

• A study found that when given an excerpt from a news article, chatbots incorrectly cited where it came from 60% of the time. And they didn’t just mis-cite the articles – the chatbots were confidently wrong. In an era of fake news and AI-generated slop, this is a very worrying finding for us as PRs.

• Google set to be charged with breaching the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The investigation is around Google favouring its own products in search (e.g. Google Flights) and downgrading third-party services. More bad news for Google, but potentially good news for the search industry? We’ll have to wait and see.