Does AI Search Reduce Website Traffic for Mortgage Brokers? (2026)

Something has shifted in how borrowers find a broker online, and you've probably felt it even if you can't name it. AI answers now sit at the top of many Google searches, and tools like ChatGPT are part of how people research big financial decisions. If your website traffic has softened, or you're wondering whether it's about to, the question is a fair one.

The honest answer is that AI search does change how traffic flows, but what matters for your brokerage is where that traffic goes and whether the right borrowers are still finding you. Understanding that is more useful than worrying about the headline number.

At Copyburst, we work with mortgage and finance brokers across Australia on mortgage broker SEO, Google Business Profiles and AI search visibility, and this is one of the most common things brokers are asking us right now. Below, we'll show you what the data actually says, what's worth doing about it and what to ignore.

Does AI search actually reduce website traffic?

Yes, in measurable ways, but the effect depends heavily on the type of search. A Pew Research Center study (US adults, March 2025 browsing data, published July 2025) found that when an AI summary appeared in Google results, people clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits compared to 15% when no AI summary showed. An Ahrefs study from February 2026 found AI Overviews were associated with around 58% lower click-through for the top-ranking result. Those are real reductions. But that same Pew data showed AI summaries appeared in about 18% of searches in the sample, and Google itself says clicks from results pages that include AI Overviews are "higher quality" in that visitors spend more time on site. So the picture is more complicated than "AI search kills traffic".

What does the data actually show about how borrowers are searching?

Most borrowers are still searching in ways that lead to websites. Australian monthly Google searches show "mortgage broker near me" at about 6,600 and "mortgage broker close to me" at about 12,100 (Ubersuggest, July 2026). Those are local searches and AI Overviews tend to show up less on searches with strong local intent, where Google's Map Pack is more prominent. AI summaries are more common for general information queries, like "how does a fixed rate work" or "what is an offset account", than for "find a broker near me".

At the same time, Roy Morgan's research from June 2026 found that 13.6 million Australians (58% of those aged 14 and over) used AI tools in an average four-week period in the March quarter 2026, with ChatGPT used by 10.5 million. So borrowers are using these tools, and a first home buyer researching the process is very likely to ask ChatGPT something before they call anyone. The question is whether your brokerage comes up when they do.

• Informational queries:"how do I refinance" or "what documents do I need for a home loan" are where AI summaries appear most and where click-through drops.
• Local queries:"mortgage broker near me" or "mortgage broker [suburb]" still resolve to the Map Pack and traditional results, where your Google Business Profile and your website compete directly.
• Branded queries: searches for your name or your brokerage name go straight to your site; AI doesn't intercept those.

Expert tip Open an incognito window and search "mortgage broker" plus your suburb the way a first home buyer would. Check what Google shows you: traditional results, a Map Pack, an AI Overview or a mix. What you see there is exactly what a borrower sees, and it tells you where the real competition is for your area right now.

How can you tell if AI search is affecting your traffic?

This is where most brokers hit a practical wall, because the tools make it harder than it sounds. Google Search Central confirms that traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is counted in the Search Console Performance report under the "Web" search type, but it can't be separated from other Google organic traffic there. So you can't pull a report that says "AI Overview brought me 47 visits this month." What you can do is watch total impressions alongside clicks. If impressions are holding steady or growing while clicks are falling, that's a signal worth investigating.

ChatGPT is different. Visits that come from ChatGPT search carry a "utm_source=chatgpt.com" tag, so they show in your website analytics as referral traffic from chatgpt.com. That one you can actually measure. It won't be a large number for most brokers right now, but it will grow.

The more useful question isn't "is AI reducing my traffic?" but "am I still getting enquiries from search?" Set up tracking for form submissions and click-to-call on your site, and add "How did you find us?" to your enquiry form. That gives you a ground-level picture that no analytics report can fully replace.

Mortgage broker SEO Need help with showing up in AI search? We help mortgage brokers get found first in Google, Google Maps and AI search. Book a free strategy call How we help brokers

What should you actually do about AI search as a broker?

Say you're a broker who has built solid Google rankings over the past two years and you're now noticing your click-through rate dropping even though you're still appearing in search. The right move isn't to panic or pivot away from SEO. It's to make sure you're visible in both the traditional results and the AI layer sitting on top of them.

Here's how to think about each piece:

1. Check what Google says about you. Search your brokerage name in Google AI Mode and ask ChatGPT and Gemini how they'd describe you to a borrower. If the answer is wrong or vague, the fix starts on your own website pages, not inside those tools.
2. Make sure your key pages are indexed in both Google and Bing. ChatGPT uses its own crawler (OAI-SearchBot), and Microsoft Copilot draws on Bing's index. A page blocked to those crawlers won't appear in their answers.
3. Write your service pages to answer the questions borrowers actually ask. A refinancer sitting at home at 9pm types "is it worth refinancing now" into Google or ChatGPT. The broker whose page answers that question clearly, with their name attached, is the one who gets the call.

Google's own guidance (Search Central, "AI features and your website") says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal SEO best practice. You don't need special files or new markup. You need pages that are helpful, readable and genuinely about what borrowers search for.

Expert tip Ask ChatGPT: "Who are the best mortgage brokers in [your suburb or area]?" Then ask it: "What can you tell me about [your brokerage name]?" The first answer tells you who it's recommending instead of you. The second tells you whether what it knows about you is accurate. Both questions take thirty seconds and tell you a lot.

How does AI search affect your local Map Pack and Google Business Profile?

For local searches, the Map Pack remains central. When a borrower searches "mortgage broker near me" on their phone, Google typically shows the three local businesses with the map before any AI Overview. Your Google Business Profile, your reviews and your website's prominence all feed into whether you're in those three positions. Google's own guidance on local ranking (Google Business Profile Help, "How Google determines local ranking") says that web position is a factor in prominence, so the two are connected.

What's worth noting is that Google's AI Mode and Gemini can surface Google Maps listings for local questions, so a strong Business Profile with genuine reviews helps you appear in both the traditional Map Pack and the AI-generated local answers that are starting to appear. That means the work of managing your profile well isn't wasted in the AI era. It compounds.

Is there any upside to AI search for mortgage brokers?

There is, and it's worth understanding. Google itself says that clicks from results pages that include AI Overviews are "higher quality", meaning visitors spend more time on site. A borrower who has already read an AI summary explaining how refinancing works and then clicks through to your refinance page is further along in their thinking than someone who bounced after ten seconds. Fewer clicks, but more of the right ones, is a trade-off that can work in your favour if your page is built to convert that intent into an enquiry.

There's also the visibility angle. If your brokerage is mentioned in a Google AI Overview or a ChatGPT answer, that's brand exposure to a borrower who may not have clicked on your site but now knows your name. They might search for you directly later. That kind of passive awareness is hard to measure but real, and it's one reason building your profile across the web, through genuine reviews, mentions in reputable directories and a clear consistent presence, is worth doing.

What's the catch with chasing AI visibility?

The main one is that how each AI tool picks which sources to reference isn't published in full, so there's no reliable set of steps that guarantees you'll appear. Google's own guidance (Search Central, "AI features and your website") is clear: there are no special optimisations required beyond normal SEO best practice. Anyone selling a separate "AI SEO" product that promises placement in AI Overviews is overstating what's possible to control.

The second catch is measurement. Because Google's AI traffic can't be split out from other organic traffic in Search Console, you can't prove a direct line between a specific piece of content and an AI Overview appearance. You're working from what you can see, including impressions versus clicks over time, referrals from chatgpt.com in your analytics and what these tools say about you when you ask them directly.

That doesn't mean the work isn't worth doing. It means the goal is to be a broker with a strong, well-structured, genuinely helpful website and a solid local presence, and then the AI tools have something real to draw on.

Expert tip Read your last ten Google reviews as if you were a first home buyer who found your brokerage through an AI answer. Do those reviews tell a clear story about what you do and who you help? Reviews that name the loan type, the situation and the outcome ("helped us get approved for a construction loan when another broker said no") are the kind of specific, credible signals that build trust at every stage of the borrower's search, whether they found you through Google, ChatGPT or a referral. Copyburst helps brokers build this kind of consistent local presence as part of our SEO and GBP work.

Mortgage broker SEO Need help with getting mentioned by ChatGPT and Google AI? We help mortgage brokers get found first in Google, Google Maps and AI search. Book a free strategy call How we help brokers

What else do brokers ask about AI search and website traffic?

Your next steps

Start with what you can see. Search your own brokerage name in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode and check whether what they say about you is accurate. Then look at your enquiry tracking: are form submissions and calls holding steady even if raw traffic has shifted? If you want help understanding your AI search visibility and what to do about it, book a call with the Copyburst team.

About the author Adam Maynard Founder, Copyburst Adam Maynard is the founder of Copyburst, Australia's dedicated mortgage broker SEO and AI search agency. With over 15 years in search, he helps mortgage and finance brokers rank at the top of Google and AI search so they become the go-to broker in their area. Meet the team → Book a call →