Google Search vs. AI Chatbots: BofA Data Shows Google at 90% Share as Gemini Surges Past 27%
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32]. Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period...
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Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32].
Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period [1].
Claude is the fastest growing major AI chatbot — up 855% year over year to 953 million monthly visits — while Alphabet's core search traffic remains surprisingly resilient ahead of its July 22, 2026 Q2 earnings report...
Search & fact-check with cited sources for What does the latest BofA Securities data reveal about Google Search's traffic growth in June, hoGoogle's search dominance persists even as AI chatbots like Gemini and Claude experience explosive growth from smaller bases.
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Create a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: Search & fact-check with cited sources for What does the latest BofA Securities data reveal about Google Search's traffic growth in June, ho. Article summary: Here is the full picture based on the latest BofA Securities data, Similarweb traffic figures, and analyst estimates.. Topic tags: general, general web, user generated. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts with fake numbers, clickbait thumbnails, icons, and tiny thumbnail layouts. Make it useful as an illustrative
openai.com
The conventional wisdom that AI chatbots are rapidly eating Google's search business is not matching the data. BofA Securities' latest reports paint a more nuanced picture: Google's core search share actually rose to roughly 90% in April 2026, even as its own Gemini product and rivals like Claude grow explosively — but from much smaller bases . Here is what the numbers show and what they mean for Alphabet ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings.
BofA's View on Google Search Traffic
According to BofA Securities' April 2026 data report, Google's global search market share rose to approximately 90%, countering the narrative that ChatGPT was rapidly eroding it . BofA analyst Justin Post has tracked this closely: as of November 2025 data, Google's global web traffic declined only 0.4% month-over-month, while Gemini grew 18% and ChatGPT fell 2% . The bank noted that Google's critical metrics — including traffic, search share, and mobile daily active users — remained relatively stable even as AI adoption surged across the industry .
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What is the short answer to "Google Search vs. AI Chatbots: BofA Data Shows Google at 90% Share as Gemini Surges Past 27%"?
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32].
What are the key points to validate first?
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32]. Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period [1].
What should I do next in practice?
Claude is the fastest growing major AI chatbot — up 855% year over year to 953 million monthly visits — while Alphabet's core search traffic remains surprisingly resilient ahead of its July 22, 2026 Q2 earnings report...
Google Search vs. AI Chatbots: BofA Data Shows Google at 90% Share as Gemini Surges Past 27%
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32]. Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period...
Published byEdited with DeepSeek-V4-FlashImages generated with GPT Image 1.5
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32].
Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period [1].
Claude is the fastest growing major AI chatbot — up 855% year over year to 953 million monthly visits — while Alphabet's core search traffic remains surprisingly resilient ahead of its July 22, 2026 Q2 earnings report...
Search & fact-check with cited sources for What does the latest BofA Securities data reveal about Google Search's traffic growth in June, hoGoogle's search dominance persists even as AI chatbots like Gemini and Claude experience explosive growth from smaller bases.
AI Prompt
Create a landscape editorial hero image for this Studio Global article: Search & fact-check with cited sources for What does the latest BofA Securities data reveal about Google Search's traffic growth in June, ho. Article summary: Here is the full picture based on the latest BofA Securities data, Similarweb traffic figures, and analyst estimates.. Topic tags: general, general web, user generated. Style: premium digital editorial illustration, source-backed research mood, clean composition, high detail, modern web publication hero. Use reference image context only for broad subject, composition, and topical grounding; do not copy the exact image. Avoid: logos, brand marks, copyrighted characters, real person likenesses, fake screenshots, UI text, readable text, watermarks, charts with fake numbers, clickbait thumbnails, icons, and tiny thumbnail layouts. Make it useful as an illustrative
openai.com
The conventional wisdom that AI chatbots are rapidly eating Google's search business is not matching the data. BofA Securities' latest reports paint a more nuanced picture: Google's core search share actually rose to roughly 90% in April 2026, even as its own Gemini product and rivals like Claude grow explosively — but from much smaller bases . Here is what the numbers show and what they mean for Alphabet ahead of its Q2 2026 earnings.
BofA's View on Google Search Traffic
According to BofA Securities' April 2026 data report, Google's global search market share rose to approximately 90%, countering the narrative that ChatGPT was rapidly eroding it . BofA analyst Justin Post has tracked this closely: as of November 2025 data, Google's global web traffic declined only 0.4% month-over-month, while Gemini grew 18% and ChatGPT fell 2% . The bank noted that Google's critical metrics — including traffic, search share, and mobile daily active users — remained relatively stable even as AI adoption surged across the industry .
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What is the short answer to "Google Search vs. AI Chatbots: BofA Data Shows Google at 90% Share as Gemini Surges Past 27%"?
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32].
What are the key points to validate first?
Google's global search market share rose to 90% as of April 2026, defying predictions of rapid erosion by AI chatbots, per BofA Securities data [12][32]. Gemini captured 27.3% of generative AI web traffic by late May 2026, up from 8.9% a year earlier, while ChatGPT's share fell from 76.4% to 52.7% in the same period [1].
What should I do next in practice?
Claude is the fastest growing major AI chatbot — up 855% year over year to 953 million monthly visits — while Alphabet's core search traffic remains surprisingly resilient ahead of its July 22, 2026 Q2 earnings report...
There is no specific BofA data point for June 2026 alone in the available sources, but the consistent message through Q2 is that Google's core search traffic has proven surprisingly resilient. Google also disclosed it now processes over 5 trillion searches annually, implying a 12% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2016 to 2024, which BofA noted is healthy even if below the 19% CAGR for search revenue .
How AI Rivals Are Growing from Smaller Bases
The explosive growth among AI chatbots is real and dramatic, but it comes from tiny starting points relative to Google's overall search volume.
Claude: The Fastest-Growing Major AI Chatbot
Claude is the standout growth story of 2026. Its web visits surged from approximately 100 million in May 2025 to 953 million in May 2026 — an 855% year-over-year increase. It grew 228% in a single quarter from February to May 2026 . Comscore data shows Claude's desktop conversations skyrocketed 1,858% from October 2025 to March 2026, though from a very low base . Forbes reported Claude's traffic rose nearly 16% month-over-month in May 2026 alone .
By late May 2026, Claude's global web traffic share reached 8.9% to 9.2%, up from just 1.6% a year earlier . Its US mobile chatbot daily active user share hit roughly 17% as of June 2026, up from under 2% at the start of the year .
Meta AI: Data Gap
Publicly available sources in the search results do not provide specific comparable June 2026 traffic data for Meta AI. That is a gap in the current evidence.
ChatGPT: Still Largest, But Losing Share Fast
ChatGPT remains the largest AI platform but is losing market share rapidly. Its share of generative AI web traffic dropped from 86.7% a year ago to 64.5% by January 2026, then further to approximately 54.7% by June 2026. ChatGPT's absolute web visits are still growing — up 84% between September 2024 and March 2026 — but its relative dominance is shrinking fast .
Gemini's Share of Generative AI Traffic
Google's Gemini has been the primary beneficiary of ChatGPT's share loss, growing from a niche player to a clear #2.
As of late May 2026, Gemini held 27.3% of global generative AI web traffic (Similarweb data), up from 25.5% in March and just 8.9% a year earlier .
Other estimates put Gemini slightly higher at 27.4% in June 2026 .
In January 2026, Gemini crossed the 20% threshold for the first time, up from 5.7% a year prior .
Google announced at I/O 2026 that Gemini had 900 million monthly active users, up from 350 million in April 2025 and 750 million at Q4 2025 earnings .
Gemini has now overtaken Perplexity as a referral traffic source and is the clear #2 in generative AI market share behind ChatGPT .
Implications for Alphabet Ahead of Q2 2026 Earnings
Q2 2026 Earnings Expectations
Alphabet is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 22, 2026. Wall Street consensus expects EPS of $2.86, up 23.8% year-over-year. Alphabet has beaten earnings expectations in each of the past four quarters, including Q1 2026 when it posted EPS of $5.11 (well above the $2.73 consensus) on revenue of $94.7 billion .
BofA's Rating and Thesis
BofA Securities maintains a Buy rating on Alphabet with a $370 price target .
BofA analyst Justin Post raised 2026 revenue estimates after Q1's beat and sees catalysts from AI search expansion cycles, monetization of AI Overviews (zero-click searches), Gemini monetization, and rollout of agentic capabilities .
BofA's April 2026 report found that Google's search share rose to 90%, countering the narrative that ChatGPT was eating Google's lunch .
The Big Question: Expansion or Cannibalization?
The evidence points to a complex, mixed picture:
The expansion argument: AI chatbots are creating new use cases and growing the overall information retrieval pie. AI platforms now make up approximately 0.24% of global internet traffic , and the category is growing quickly for all major players, including ChatGPT's absolute traffic .
The cannibalization argument: BofA itself downgraded Monday.com in August 2025, citing Google's AI Overviews eroding SEO-driven traffic to third-party sites . Google's own query growth (12% CAGR) has lagged its revenue growth (19% CAGR), partly because AI Overviews answer queries without generating a click .
The net for Alphabet: Core search remains extremely sticky (90% share), and Gemini gives Google a powerful second front in the AI market. BofA's thesis is that Alphabet can monetize both — traditional search ads plus AI-powered answers and subscriptions — rather than seeing one cannibalize the other .
tipranks.com
Google query volume disclosures could build confidence, says BofA
There is no specific BofA data point for June 2026 alone in the available sources, but the consistent message through Q2 is that Google's core search traffic has proven surprisingly resilient. Google also disclosed it now processes over 5 trillion searches annually, implying a 12% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2016 to 2024, which BofA noted is healthy even if below the 19% CAGR for search revenue .
How AI Rivals Are Growing from Smaller Bases
The explosive growth among AI chatbots is real and dramatic, but it comes from tiny starting points relative to Google's overall search volume.
Claude: The Fastest-Growing Major AI Chatbot
Claude is the standout growth story of 2026. Its web visits surged from approximately 100 million in May 2025 to 953 million in May 2026 — an 855% year-over-year increase. It grew 228% in a single quarter from February to May 2026 . Comscore data shows Claude's desktop conversations skyrocketed 1,858% from October 2025 to March 2026, though from a very low base . Forbes reported Claude's traffic rose nearly 16% month-over-month in May 2026 alone .
By late May 2026, Claude's global web traffic share reached 8.9% to 9.2%, up from just 1.6% a year earlier . Its US mobile chatbot daily active user share hit roughly 17% as of June 2026, up from under 2% at the start of the year .
Meta AI: Data Gap
Publicly available sources in the search results do not provide specific comparable June 2026 traffic data for Meta AI. That is a gap in the current evidence.
ChatGPT: Still Largest, But Losing Share Fast
ChatGPT remains the largest AI platform but is losing market share rapidly. Its share of generative AI web traffic dropped from 86.7% a year ago to 64.5% by January 2026, then further to approximately 54.7% by June 2026. ChatGPT's absolute web visits are still growing — up 84% between September 2024 and March 2026 — but its relative dominance is shrinking fast .
Gemini's Share of Generative AI Traffic
Google's Gemini has been the primary beneficiary of ChatGPT's share loss, growing from a niche player to a clear #2.
As of late May 2026, Gemini held 27.3% of global generative AI web traffic (Similarweb data), up from 25.5% in March and just 8.9% a year earlier .
Other estimates put Gemini slightly higher at 27.4% in June 2026 .
In January 2026, Gemini crossed the 20% threshold for the first time, up from 5.7% a year prior .
Google announced at I/O 2026 that Gemini had 900 million monthly active users, up from 350 million in April 2025 and 750 million at Q4 2025 earnings .
Gemini has now overtaken Perplexity as a referral traffic source and is the clear #2 in generative AI market share behind ChatGPT .
Implications for Alphabet Ahead of Q2 2026 Earnings
Q2 2026 Earnings Expectations
Alphabet is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 22, 2026. Wall Street consensus expects EPS of $2.86, up 23.8% year-over-year. Alphabet has beaten earnings expectations in each of the past four quarters, including Q1 2026 when it posted EPS of $5.11 (well above the $2.73 consensus) on revenue of $94.7 billion .
BofA's Rating and Thesis
BofA Securities maintains a Buy rating on Alphabet with a $370 price target .
BofA analyst Justin Post raised 2026 revenue estimates after Q1's beat and sees catalysts from AI search expansion cycles, monetization of AI Overviews (zero-click searches), Gemini monetization, and rollout of agentic capabilities .
BofA's April 2026 report found that Google's search share rose to 90%, countering the narrative that ChatGPT was eating Google's lunch .
The Big Question: Expansion or Cannibalization?
The evidence points to a complex, mixed picture:
The expansion argument: AI chatbots are creating new use cases and growing the overall information retrieval pie. AI platforms now make up approximately 0.24% of global internet traffic , and the category is growing quickly for all major players, including ChatGPT's absolute traffic .
The cannibalization argument: BofA itself downgraded Monday.com in August 2025, citing Google's AI Overviews eroding SEO-driven traffic to third-party sites . Google's own query growth (12% CAGR) has lagged its revenue growth (19% CAGR), partly because AI Overviews answer queries without generating a click .
The net for Alphabet: Core search remains extremely sticky (90% share), and Gemini gives Google a powerful second front in the AI market. BofA's thesis is that Alphabet can monetize both — traditional search ads plus AI-powered answers and subscriptions — rather than seeing one cannibalize the other .
tipranks.com
Google query volume disclosures could build confidence, says BofA
