ChatGPT was cited in 22.6% of travel responses and 4.8% of education responses in May, versus an average of 6.8% for all responses, according to Similarweb’s 2026 Generative AI Landscape report. Statistics include US desktop usage.
The same website sells AI visibility tracking products, and the report is included on the back of the download form.
How often the ChatGPT response handles any given link varies greatly by topic in the Similaweb data. The fewer answers there are links to, the fewer answers your site can appear in.
How Often ChatGPT Cites Sources, Per Topic
The same website rates in nine categories based on the number of responses that included at least one quote. Travel led at 22.6%, followed by retail at 13.5% and sports at 10.7%. Financials were at 8.0%, slightly higher than the overall average of 6.8%. Technology, health, media and entertainment, and education all fell below the average, with education falling the most at 4.8%.
According to Similarweb, ChatGPT is the most visited web site when people compare products, plan to purchase, or inquire about replacements.
Total Value Increased Throughout The Year
The overall rate increased from about 1.3% in June 2025 to 6.8% in May 2026, something Similaweb describes as a five-fold increase in less than a year.
The increase was not steady: it fell to 6 percent in October, then fell back to around 4.5 percent in February, before rising again in the spring. That increase is close to SEJ’s April report, which noted that Resoneo saw ChatGPT cite fewer websites per response for each GPT-5.3 response. The reports come from different datasets that count different things. One checks whether a response includes any citations at all, while the other counts how many domains appear within a single response.
ChatGPT Cites Different Sites on Different Topics
Similaweb also breaks down what types of sites are being cited, using what it labels the top 10,000 citations recorded on US desktops in May.
Of all ChatGPT responses, reviews and user-generated content (UGC) accounted for 28.9% of citations, while news sites and publishers accounted for 26.0%. Retail and e-commerce websites represent 14.1%.
But, if we look at specific topics, the patterns can be very different. For example, in beauty, sales and e-commerce sites are the most common, making up 54.7% of the citations. Tourism, reviews and UGC accounted for 54.1%. In finance, finance-specific sites held 36.6%, news sites and publishers 28.0%.
Overall, The Same Web highlights that there is no one-size-fits-all playbook. Instead, brands should focus on understanding what types of sites they are most often cited on in their specific niches.
Meanwhile, SEJ looked at this from a different angle. Roger Montti’s May article discusses how source preferences differ between AI engines. Similar web analytics, however, focus on topics.
What Does the Data Include?
All figures refer to US desktop usage. The source mix is based on what Similaweb labeled the top 10,000 citations in May. The report states that all of its data are estimates and additional information taken from third-party sources, and are not guaranteed for accuracy or completeness. The report does not include API usage, desktop applications, or AI features integrated into other mobile and web applications.
Why This Matters
Quote rates vary greatly by topic in May. Less than 5% of education responses carried links, while more than 20% of travel responses did. The pressure of academic citations to chase a bunch of citation answers has the same function of travel.
Additionally, sources of citations vary by domain. In beauty, most quotes come from retail and e-commerce sites, while in finance, they come mostly from finance-specific websites and news outlets. A brand that focuses on its niche may see different websites being cited depending on the industry, and the types of content referred to may vary greatly across locations.
Looking Forward
Citation rates have moved significantly over the twelve months tracked by the same Web, and not in a straight line. The ranking lists answers that carry at least one external link, and can move on its own without anything being done by the publisher.
Look at how the rate changes over time, not just its current level. The overall level dropped in the winter but has rebounded. Also, remember that Similaweb’s article classification only looks at one month.
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