You’ve probably seen the “search is dead” headlines. As AI becomes more prevalent in our daily lives, those narratives are getting louder. The reality is more grounded. Yes, search is evolving. After years of relative stability, the last three years have been dynamic. But AI replacing search? That’s not what the data shows. 

To understand where search is going, we need to look at what’s happening across both traditional and AI search engines. We analyzed search visit share to understand where people actually go for discovery. The results are more balanced than the hype suggests. 

Key Takeaways from the Data

Here’s what we found: 

1. Search isn’t dead. It’s evolving. Search visits have grown +5% since Q3 2025, driven by steady traditional search growth and rapid growth in AI search. 
2. Traditional search isn’t going anywhere. Google and Bing represent 94% of total search visits, with traditional search projected to reach 90B visits by the end of 2026.¹
3. AI search is still small, but scaling quickly. While it represents only 6% of total search visits, it’s grown +48% from Q3 2025.¹
4. Agentic commerce is still early. It’s forecasted to drive just 5% of transactions in 2026, growing to ~20% by 2029.²

These findings have real implications for how brands should evolve their search strategies. Continue reading to learn more about our findings, 2026 AI search predictions, and get AI activation checklists. 

1. Search Isn’t Dead. It’s Evolving.

Across all forms of search, one thing is consistent. They are all growing. From August 2025 to February 2026, search visits grew 5%. While traditional search still represents most of the volume, AI is growing faster. The fact that both are on a growth trajectory tells us that people are using AI alongside traditional search, not as a replacement. 

To understand true performance, brands need a holistic view of search. Paid, organic, and AI search should be measured together in unified dashboards. At Ovative, we leverage third-party tools to track AI visibility alongside traditional search, integrating AI referral traffic into a holistic search reporting suite. This gives our clients a clear picture of performance across the funnel. 

2. Traditional Search Isn’t Going Anywhere

Traditional search still leads by a wide margin. In February, users visited traditional search platforms 15x more than AI platforms. By the end of 2026, it’s expected to reach 90 billion visits while holding ~90% of share.¹

So what’s changing? The experience. Traditional search platforms are adapting to new user behaviors and expectations with new features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. 

The opportunity is still significant. Brands that prioritize holistic search optimizations, integrating paid and organic search strategies, will see stronger efficiency and performance as the landscape evolves. 

3. AI Search Is Still Small, But Scaling Quickly

AI search is the fastest growing segment of search. At only 6% of search visits, volume grew +48% from Q3 2025 to Q1 2026.¹ AI platform share is starting to take shape: 

1. OpenAI’s ChatGPT leads with ~50% of AI search visits, driving the majority of AI web traffic.¹
2. Google’s Gemini follows at roughly 40% of share.¹
3. Anthropic’s Claude has doubled site visits since Q3 2025, now representing 6% of total visits.¹

As usage grows, monetization is starting to follow. Google is expanding ads across AI Overviews and AI Mode. OpenAI launched its first ad pilot earlier this year with around 300 select brands. While many brands watch from the sidelines, early movers have an advantage. At Ovative, we’re helping our clients test and learn now to stay ahead. 

4. Agentic Commerce Is Still Early

Agentic commerce represents a shift where AI can manage the full journey from discovery to purchase in a single interaction. Revenue is projected to reach $21B in 2026, or 1.5% of total retail ecommerce sales. By 2029 revenue is projected to grow to $144B, making up 9% of sales.²

The potential is clear, but the infrastructure is still developing. Today, brands should prepare by preparing their sites for Google’s Unified Commerce Protocol (UCP) and improving product data accuracy and depth. 

Our 2026 AI Search Predictions

So what do these trends point to next? If current growth patterns continue, here’s where our search experts expect search to go:  

1. AI search will reach 10% of total search visits by the end of 2026 while traditional search continues to grow. 
2. SEO and AI optimization will continue to converge. 85% of SEO fundamentals scale to AI search, including content quality, authority, technical health, and structured data. 
3. Ads in AI will become a real growth driver. Formats are new and scale is limited today, but momentum is building. 
4. Gemini will gain ground on ChatGPT, with Claude continuing to pressure both. 
5. Agentic commerce will grow but stay niche. Early adopters will move first, but widespread adoption will take time. 

Your AI Activation Checklists

These shifts are already changing how brands should approach search. The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. Most of what drives traditional search success still applies. 

Here’s what our experts recommend prioritizing to make sure your brand is AI search-ready: 

Fundamental Optimizations Checklist

1. Optimize AI Crawler Accessibility: Make sure AI bots aren’t blocked or restricted by your site. 
2. Build An AI Referral Dashboard: Track sessions from AI search engines to understand traffic and conversion volume from AI search. 
3. Strengthen E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness): Traditional search signals, including author expertise, brand citations, and third-party mentions, are also how AI decides who to trust. 
4. Optimize for Conversational Queries: Use Google Search Console to identify question-based searches and build or optimize your content to answer them. 
5. Build FAQ and Long-Form Content: LLMs cite these content formats often. 

Paid Search Checklist

1. Adopt Google’s AI Max: It’s quickly becoming a core entry point into AI-driven placements. In fact, 100% of Ovative’s eligible clients are using AI Max. 
2. Monitor the ChatGPT Ads Pilot: Scale is limited today, but this space will evolve quickly. 

Agentic Commerce Readiness Checklist

1. Prepare for Google’s UCP: Explore opt-in requirements, configure your Merchant Center, and add a supplemental feed now before it’s a scramble. 
2. Enable Guest Checkout and Mobile Payments: This will ensure agentic checkout experiences can function across a wide variety of platforms. 
3. Apply for the OpenAI Merchant Program: Ensuring your product feeds are being shared directly with ChatGPT to provide accurate, structured product information. 

Is Your Brand AI-Search Ready?

The takeaway is simple. Search is expanding, not being replaced. While AI search is the most significant shift the search landscape has seen in over 20 years, it’s unfolding more gradually than headlines suggest. The brands that win will focus on strong fundamentals while adapting early. The question isn’t whether AI will reshape search. It’s whether your brand will be ready as it does. 

At Ovative, we’re tracking this shift in real time. We’re benchmarking AI platform share,¹ testing new ad placements, monitoring referral traffic across our client portfolio, and helping brands build for what’s next. 

If you’re curious where your brand stands, we offer AI Activation Audits that provide a clear view of performance and readiness across your digital presence. We look at: 

1. How well your brand appears in discovery platforms 
2. How well your site is configured to perform in AI search engines 
3. How well your media, content, and creative is leveraging the power of AI 

Our media and measurement experts are ready to help your brand get AI-search ready. Contact us to get started. 

Sources: 

1) Similarweb web visit data across traditional search platforms (Google, Bing) and AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and estimated AI Mode). AI visits were adjusted to reflect search-only activity. While this methodology isn’t perfect—none are at the moment—we believe it’s a helpful, directionally accurate proxy for share of search. 

2) eMarketer