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How to see traffic from ChatGPT and other AI tools in Google Analytics

Updated By Akkrev

How to see visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot in GA4, set up an AI channel in five minutes, and what analytics can't show.

Key points

  • Google Analytics 4 can show visits from AI assistants when source information is available.
  • Look for chatgpt.com in your session source. Some links also include `utm_source=chatgpt.com`.
  • A custom 'AI assistants' channel in GA4 puts them in one line you can watch every week.
  • Clicks from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode show up as normal Google organic traffic, not as AI.
  • Analytics undercounts AI's influence. Many guests read the answer, then search your name or book on an OTA.
Set up an AI channel in GA4
  1. 1

    Open channel groups

    Admin, then Data display, then Channel groups. Copy the default group.

  2. 2

    Add a channel

    Name it 'AI assistants'. Condition: Source matches regex (see below).

  3. 3

    Move it up

    Place it above 'Referral' so AI visits aren't counted twice.

  4. 4

    Use it

    Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition. Pick your new channel group.

Google Analytics 4 can record visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Claude when referral or campaign information is available. Set up a custom “AI assistants” channel and you can see them in one line. Clicks from Google’s own AI Overviews and AI Mode are different: they arrive as normal Google organic traffic.

Domains to look for

AI tool Source you’ll see
ChatGPT chatgpt.com (older visits: chat.openai.com)
Perplexity perplexity.ai
Gemini gemini.google.com
Microsoft Copilot copilot.microsoft.com
Claude claude.ai

If a link includes utm_source=chatgpt.com, GA4 can use that tag even when the browser does not send a referrer.

Quick check, no setup

In GA4, open Reports, then Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition. Change the dimension to Session source. Type “chatgpt” into the search box, then “perplexity”, “gemini” and so on.

Set up an AI channel (five minutes)

  1. Go to Admin, then Data display, then Channel groups.

  2. Copy the default channel group and give it a name such as “Channels with AI”.

  3. Add a new channel called AI assistants with the condition Source matches regex:

    chatgpt|openai|perplexity|gemini\.google|copilot\.microsoft|claude\.ai

  4. Drag the new channel above Referral, so these visits aren’t counted there instead.

  5. Save, then pick your new channel group in the Traffic acquisition report.

Custom channel groups apply to past data too, so you can look back as well as forward.

What to do with it

  • Compare engagement. AI visitors often arrive knowing what they want. Look at booking or reservation clicks per session, not only page views.
  • See landing pages. Which pages AI sends people to tells you which of your pages it trusts.
  • Set a conversion. Mark booking engine clicks, reservation clicks, calls and direction requests as key events.

What analytics can’t show

  • Google’s AI. Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted as google / organic. Use Search Console for Google’s AI features reporting where it is available.
  • Answers without a click. Many guests read the AI’s shortlist, then search your name, open Maps or book on Booking.com or OpenTable. That shows up as branded search, direct or OTA bookings, not as AI.
  • Competitors. You can’t see their traffic. You can see whether AI names them for your guest questions.

So treat AI referral traffic as a floor, not the full picture. Two easy additions:

  1. Add “AI assistant such as ChatGPT” to any “How did you hear about us?” question on booking or enquiry forms.
  2. Track how often AI names you for a fixed set of guest questions.

Akkrev does the second one every week across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok models, and keeps the answers and sources so you can see what changed. See plans or how to measure whether AI SEO is working.

Questions

What analytics tools show traffic from ChatGPT and Perplexity?

Google Analytics 4 shows it under Referral by default, and you can group it into its own AI channel. Most other analytics tools, including Cloudflare Web Analytics, Plausible and Matomo, show the referring domain too. Look for chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com, copilot.microsoft.com and claude.ai.

Can I see traffic from Google's AI Overviews in GA4?

Not separately. Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as Google organic traffic. Search Console reports on Google's AI features separately from normal results where available.

Why is my ChatGPT traffic so low when people say they found us through AI?

Most AI recommendations don't produce a click. Guests read your name, then search for you on Google, open Maps or book on an OTA. Ask guests how they found you and track how often AI names you, not only clicks.

How can I check the ChatGPT traffic of my competitors?

You can't see their analytics. You can see whether AI names them for your guest questions, which is a better guide to who is winning. That is what AI visibility tracking measures.

Sources

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