Transforming Search and AI Citation Rankings into Tangible Growth: How G2 is Achieving Record Traffic

The way software buyers conduct their research has transformed significantly. For many years, organic search was the primary method for making software decisions. Today, however, we are experiencing a major shift toward an AI-first approach in discovering and evaluating software. At G2, we are not merely observing this change; we are actively leading it.

While numerous brands have experienced a drop in web traffic during this transition, G2’s growth trajectory tells a different story.

G2’s Web Traffic Rises Amid Declines Elsewhere

I’m proud to report that we are surpassing our annual web traffic goals by over 20%. What excites me most, though, is not just the number of visitors to G2, but the wide-ranging and substantial nature of this growth—highlighting G2’s pivotal role in the software purchasing journey.

We’re seeing strong gains across multiple channels:

• Direct traffic has increased by more than 20% quarter-over-quarter during peak times, indicating strong brand awareness and buyer preference.
• Editorial content, including expert articles and thought leadership pieces, has contributed to over 50% growth in organic web traffic recently.
• Referral traffic from large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot has surged tenfold year-over-year.

This rapid growth is exciting for us. Buyers often see G2 referenced by AI answer engines and react in two ways—some immediately click through to G2, boosting our LLM referral and direct traffic, while others remember G2.com to visit later in their research. The positive influence of AI is driving traffic through various avenues.

Why G2 Is AI’s Top Resource for Software Queries

Our momentum stems from G2’s position as the foremost provider of software insights in the AI era. After years of accumulating millions of verified user reviews, G2 has become a trusted and authoritative source for software buyers and a primary reference point for AI answer engines. Currently, G2 is the number one cited source for B2B software questions across all major LLMs, outperforming other marketplaces and research firms—with the lead continuing to grow.

• G2 receives 2.6 times more citations than other top software review platforms for B2B software queries.
• Our citation growth has tripled in recent months.
• G2 is among the top three cited sources in over 200 software categories.

The Importance of This Transformation

Buyer behavior has shifted dramatically in recent years. An

The way buyers research software has undergone a dramatic change. For decades, organic search has been the preferred starting point for software decision-making. However, today, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift to an AI-first discovery and evaluation process. And at G2, we’re not just watching this transformation; we’re driving it.

While many brands have seen a decline in web traffic as this evolution has played out, G2’s momentum tells a different story. 

G2’s web traffic surges while others see a decline

I’m proud to say that we’re not just meeting our annual web traffic targets, we’re exceeding them by more than 20%. However, what excites me most isn’t just the volume of visitors coming to G2; it’s the depth and diversity of this growth, and what it signals about G2’s position in the software buying cycle.

We’re seeing strong performance across every channel:

• Direct traffic has surged more than 20% quarter-over-quarter during peak periods, reflecting strong brand recognition and buyer preference.
• Editorial content, including expert-driven articles and thought leadership, has driven organic web traffic growth of more than 50% in recent months.
• Large language model (LLM) referral traffic has increased by 10x year-over-year from AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot.

This is exciting growth for our business. Buyers frequently see G2 cited by AI answer engines and respond in two ways — some click through to G2 immediately (driving our LLM referral and direct traffic), while others make a mental note to return to G2.com later in their search process to learn more (indirect). The halo effect from AI is driving traffic across multiple channels. 

Why G2 is AI’s best resource for questions about software

This momentum is a direct result of G2’s position as the leading source for software insights in the age of AI. We’ve spent years building millions of verified user reviews, which create a foundation of trust and authority for software buyers, and have become the baseline for AI answer engines. G2 is now the #1 cited source for B2B software queries across all major LLMs, outperforming every other software marketplace and research firm — and that competitive gap is widening.

• G2 receives 2.6x more citations than other leading software review platforms for B2B software queries.
• Our citation growth has accelerated 3x in recent months alone.
• G2 appears in the top 3 cited sources for more than 200 software categories.

Why this transformation matters

Consider how dramatically buyer behavior has shifted in recent years. We published the results of an August 2025 survey, which revealed that 87% of B2B software buyers feel AI chatbots have fundamentally changed how they research products and services. Half now start their buying journey with an AI chatbot instead of a traditional Google search. 

This isn’t a gradual shift, either. When buyers research software today, they’re opening ChatGPT or Perplexity and getting instant, synthesized answers to their questions, rather than scrolling and clicking through search results. This change is driving rapid growth for G2.

What we’re witnessing is a fundamental shift in how influence is measured and captured online. The traditional search engine optimization (SEO) model was about optimizing for clicks and rankings on search engine results pages. Now, it’s all about answer engine optimization (AEO) — becoming the source that AI answer engines trust and cite when answering questions. 

For software vendors building their presence on G2, this creates a compounding advantage. Every review, comparison, and piece of content becomes a data point that AI models reference when making recommendations to buyers. As these models become more sophisticated and widely adopted throughout the buyer journey, your G2 presence becomes exponentially more valuable. 

As the quality of AI-referred traffic continues to improve, I expect to see G2’s web traffic to continue growing. I also expect buyers who arrive on G2.com to be more informed and further along in their evaluation process.

What’s next for G2 to further strengthen our SEO and AEO visibility

The momentum we’re seeing is validation that G2 has become the nexus for software buying decisions in the AI era. The shift to AI-first discovery is accelerating, and G2’s position as the trusted source for both buyers and AI systems puts us at the center of how software gets bought and sold.

For software vendors, the implications are clear: establishing and strengthening your G2 presence is no longer optional. It’s how you ensure your product gets discovered, evaluated, and ultimately chosen as buyers increasingly rely on AI-powered research.

As we move into 2026, we’re focused on creating more structured, authoritative content, improving review quality and verification, and expanding our coverage across software categories.