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Analysis

The Rise of AI Search: ChatGPT Surpasses DuckDuckGo, Threatens Bing

Since December 16th, ChatGPT Search traffic to Class Central has grown threefold, becoming one of the site’s top 5 traffic sources

As the founder of Class Central, I’ve long been fascinated by how learners discover online courses. Having previously analyzed the SEO strategies of Coursera, MasterClass, and edX, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial organic search traffic is for the success of online learning platforms.

I’ve also written about how algorithm updates can dramatically impact a site’s traffic. Just ask 2U, whose enrollments and market cap declined around the same time Class Central experienced a 40% drop in visits from Google.

But the landscape is changing. The launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search just three months ago has catapulted it into one of Class Central’s top five traffic sources, with a notable surge beginning December 16th.

Weekly Sessions from ChatGPT on Class Central

The session traffic graph for Class Central shows a rapid increase in ChatGPT referrals. From virtually no sessions during the summer months, the line gradually rises in August and September, then experiences a more pronounced bump in November. By mid-December, it skyrockets to over 2,000 sessions per week and continued its climb into January, topping the 6,000 mark.

I thought it would be interesting to share Class Central’s traffic data from these ChatGPT Search and compare them to:

  • Traditional Search Engines: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo
  • Emerging AI Competitors: Perplexity, Gemini
  • Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Youtube

Methodology

Top Traffic Sources by Number of Sessions (Excluding Google & Direct)

To understand what’s happening, I analyzed more than half a million user sessions on Class Central using Google Analytics data from December 23, 2024, to January 5, 2025.

Despite the upheaval in Google’s search algorithm in August of 2024, and the decrease in traffic to Class Central, the search engine still accounts for 60% of Class Central’s traffic. “Direct” traffic, representing users who directly type the URL or use bookmarks, is the second largest source, which combined with Google, accounts for over 80% of the traffic to the site.

This analysis will focus on the remaining 20%.

ChatGPT Overtakes DuckDuckGo, Threatens Bing’s Long-Held Position

For over a decade, Bing has languished as Google’s distant runner-up, despite Microsoft’s considerable resources. Now, ChatGPT has accomplished something remarkable: in mere months since launch, it’s driving nearly half of Bing’s referral traffic (11,000 vs. 23,000 sessions).

Even more striking, ChatGPT has already surpassed DuckDuckGo, my personal search engine of choice. DuckDuckGo’s privacy-first approach and fifteen-year history have earned it billions of monthly searches, yet it contributed only 3,000 sessions to Class Central during the same period—far behind ChatGPT’s 11,000 sessions.

This rapid rise speaks volumes. Within months, ChatGPT has overtaken a well-established search engine and is now poised to challenge Bing’s longstanding position as Google’s primary competitor.

The AI Search Wars: ChatGPT Dominates Perplexity and Gemini

Among AI-powered search tools, ChatGPT leads by a wide margin. With 11,000 sessions, ChatGPT generates more than ten times the traffic of Perplexity.AI (1,000 sessions) and thirty times that of Google’s Gemini (370 sessions).

Perplexity.AI, one of the earliest GenAI-powered search engines (launched in August 2022), has built a solid user base, but it’s still far behind ChatGPT. While Perplexity.AI is our second-most significant AI traffic source, it currently sits between YouTube (1,650 sessions) and Reddit (801 sessions) in overall referrals

ChatGPT Challenges Social Media’s Dominance in Content Discovery

ChatGPT’s impact extends beyond traditional search, encroaching on social media’s territory. At 11,000 sessions, ChatGPT trails only Facebook (14,000 sessions) among non-search traffic sources. Notably, it surpasses Instagram (5,700 sessions) by almost double and generates more than twice as many visits as Twitter/X (4,500 sessions).

Even professional and educational heavyweights like LinkedIn and YouTube pale in comparison. LinkedIn drives about 2,000 sessions to Class Central, while YouTube accounts for 1,650—both far below ChatGPT’s traffic volume.

Will it Last?

ChatGPT’s surge is impressive, but traffic patterns change quickly. Class Central has seen this firsthand over the years with Google’s algorithm updates, Facebook’s newsfeed shifts, and other unpredictable platform decisions. One month’s windfall can vanish the next.

The point is, relying on one source for traffic is risky. Algorithms change, users move on, and new things pop up. ChatGPT could be a lasting force, or it might be replaced. It may choose a different business model and disappear behind a paywall.

Dhawal Shah Profile Image

Dhawal Shah

Dhawal is the CEO of Class Central, the most popular search engine and review site for online courses and MOOCs. He has completed over a dozen MOOCs and has written over 200 articles about the MOOC space, including contributions to TechCrunch, EdSurge, Quartz, and VentureBeat.

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