You're using ChatGPT to find restaurants, Claude to research products and Gemini to determine if that weird mole should be looked at by a doctor. So, are websites still relevant in the age of AI?

That's one of the questions we set out to answer in the Wix State of Websites report, based on data from 310 million users. For the report, we looked at custom domain adoption, revenue generation and traffic trends to determine the purpose websites serve in the era of the chatbot.

Are websites still relevant in the age of AI?

Yes, and here’s why: AI allows people to create websites faster, but it also means skepticism among site visitors. Customers need to know a business is real, not a scam or an LLM hallucination. This means your website is your proof of legitimacy.

Websites build trust in brands through custom domains

Creators aren't treating domains as an afterthought. They're a commitment made from day one. Custom domain rates among published sites grew 2.5x in three years, from 26% in 2022 to 66% in 2025. 

In 2025, 69% of sites with a custom domain connected it before or on launch day, up from 47% in 2022. 

A custom domain signals that a business is real, invested in, and here to stay. Fun fact: Wix is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar for .com and .net domain extensions.

Robust website infrastructure is non-negotiable

Any tool can get a website live fast. But a site that loads slowly or feels unsafe won't hold up in an era where trust is already thin. Site reliability, speed and security are more important than ever. The ratio of Wix sites with good scores across all three Core Web Vitals increased 25% in the last year alone.

Direct traffic is up

LLMs account for less than 1% of site traffic, according to the Wix report. But that’s not the whole picture. Direct traffic to Wix sites reached 1.74 billion unique visitors in the US,
up 71% since 2020.

This suggests that potential customers are learning about brands through AI search, then visiting websites directly to do more research before making a purchase or booking a service. LLMs may ignite interest in a brand, but people still visit websites to determine if a business is worthy of trust.

Traffic breakdown of popular LLMs

Websites are still generating revenue for businesses online

Between 2022 and 2025, there was a 48% increase in the number of professional sites that generated revenue in their first year. Revenue from events (tickets, RSVPs) is up 40% in the same period. Over half of new businesses in 2026 start with bookings, converting in an average of 10.6 days.

LLMs may change how people discover your business. But customers still need a place to learn more about your brand and book your services. That's your website.