Bocconi Study Finds ChatGPT Directs Fewer Referrals Than Google, Skewing Toward Reference Sites

A Bocconi University study found that ChatGPT directs only 5.2 % of sessions to external sites, compared with 31.1 % for Google searches, and that the referrals skew toward reference, tools, SaaS, and academic sites.

The research shows that ad‑supported sites receive 27.6 % fewer referrals from ChatGPT, while the platform’s referral rate rose from 2.5 % to 6.5 % during the measurement period. Broader access reduced traditional search queries by 9.4 % overall, with a 17 % drop after 20 weeks for existing users. Informational searches (academic, references) declined 32.8 % and 26.5 % respectively, whereas transactional and recreational searches remained largely unchanged. The study cautions that content creators may experience lower traffic from AI search, especially for generic topics. It highlights the need to target specialized audiences that ChatGPT tends to surface. Marketers should adjust their content strategy to focus on reference and developer sites to capture the AI‑driven traffic.