Traditional Search Will Decline by 25% by 2026 Because Of AI Chatbots, Finds New Report

According to a report published by Gartner, Inc., traditional search engine usage is expected to decline by 25% by 2026, with AI chatbots and virtual agents gaining market share at the expense of search marketing.

Alan Antin, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, highlighted the significance of organic and paid search channels for tech marketers aiming to achieve awareness and demand generation objectives. He noted that Generative AI (GenAI) solutions are increasingly serving as alternative answer engines, taking over user queries previously directed to traditional search engines. As a result, companies will need to reassess their marketing channel strategies as GenAI becomes more integrated across various business functions.

With GenAI reducing the cost of content production, there are implications for activities such as keyword strategy and website domain authority scoring. Search engine algorithms will place greater emphasis on content quality to counter the proliferation of AI-generated content, as content utility and quality remain crucial for success in organic search results.

Moreover, there will be an increased focus on authenticating high-value content through measures like watermarking. Government regulations worldwide are starting to hold companies accountable by requiring the identification of marketing content assets generated by AI. This regulatory landscape is likely to influence how search engines present such digital content.