In the second quarter, 63% of cryptocurrency media outlets in Eastern Europe reported a decline in traffic despite market growth. One reason cited is the proliferation of generative AI, according to a report by Outset PR provided to ForkLog.
AI-based platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot have begun to influence audience behavior. They offer users instant answers to queries, eliminating the need to visit original source websites.
As a result, search and referral traffic is decreasing. The Outset PR study revealed:
20.6% of crypto publications already receive some traffic from AI platforms, but the share remains small—only 0.65% of total visits;
41.8% of traditional media (finance, technology) also recorded referrals from ChatGPT and similar services;
one in five editors noted that brief chatbot responses reduce the click-through rate of materials in search engines.
“Articles referenced by ChatGPT or You.com may experience a temporary traffic spike for a few hours. But optimizing content for this is impossible… for now,” noted one editor from Eastern Europe who participated in the agency’s anonymous survey.
Chatbots also tend to reference major media outlets like the BBC or Forbes more frequently than niche crypto resources.
Meanwhile, some publications have already begun adapting content for AI search, structuring it for better visibility in language models.
Other Reasons for Traffic Decline
Alongside the influence of AI, regulatory restrictions have also affected the visibility of crypto media in Eastern Europe. In Russia, mining is legalized, but cryptocurrency advertising is banned. In Ukraine, laws have not changed, yet editors filter materials themselves. In the EU, including Hungary, Poland, and Romania, MiCA rules and ESMA recommendations are already impacting search engine rankings.
Overall, crypto publication traffic fell by 18% in the second quarter. Total visits decreased from 7.72 million in April to 6.3 million in June, with the majority coming from Russia and Poland.
Only 17 publications accounted for 80% of visits. Three key players in the segment, including ForkLog, generated 8.77 million in traffic.
Back in August, Google denied claims of reduced publisher site visits due to the active use of AI-based chatbots.
