The Hidden Pitfall of AI Search
A recent Ahrefs study of 16 million URLs reveals a surprising problem: AI-powered search is far more likely to send users to broken pages than traditional search engines.
AI Search Sends Users to Broken Pages
More Often Than Google
This core finding highlights a significant reliability gap between emerging AI assistants and established search giants when it comes to linking to valid web content.
Broken Link Rate: AI vs. Google
When users click on links provided by various platforms, AI assistants show a consistently higher error rate. ChatGPT leads the pack in sending users to 404 pages, being over 6 times more likely to do so than Google.
Why Does This Happen? The Two Root Causes
1. URL "Hallucinations"
In its effort to be helpful, AI sometimes invents plausible-sounding URLs that have never actually existed, creating a direct path to a "Page Not Found" error.
2. Outdated Information
LLMs are trained on snapshots of the web. If a page has moved or been deleted since the AI's last training update, it may still reference the old, now-broken link.
Current Impact: A Problem in Perspective
While the error rate is high, the immediate impact on most websites is minimal. AI assistants currently drive a tiny fraction of the traffic that Google does, making this an emerging issue rather than a current crisis.
The Future Outlook: A Gathering Storm
The situation is set to change. With the explosive growth of AI-generated content, which can perpetuate broken links, and increasing user adoption of AI search, this problem is poised to become much more significant.
What Should Website Owners Do?
Improve 404 Pages
Create helpful "Not Found" pages that guide lost users to other relevant content on your site, turning a negative experience into a positive one.
Use Strategic Redirects
Monitor analytics for broken links receiving traffic from AI. Set up 301 redirects to send users from these "hallucinated" URLs to the correct pages.
Embrace GEO
Optimize your content for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). A clear, logical URL structure can reduce the chances of AI inventing incorrect links to your site.
Frequently Asked Questions
AI assistants sometimes “hallucinate” URLs that look real but don’t exist. They can also reference outdated links from older training data, leading users to 404 errors.
At the moment, the impact is small because AI assistants generate only a tiny fraction of overall web traffic compared to Google. However, as AI adoption grows, the problem is expected to become more significant.
Website owners can minimize the issue by setting up smart redirects, optimizing their 404 pages to guide lost visitors, and using Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies to ensure AI surfaces the right URLs.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) helps structure your site so AI assistants can better understand your content and surface accurate, up-to-date links instead of broken ones.
Source : Ahrefs AI Case Study by Ryan Law