AI-Driven Website Traffic Growth

AI-driven search tools are becoming increasingly popular, and as a result, businesses are starting to see traffic from these tools in their Google Analytics or other analytics platforms. In this article, we will explore how users are getting from AI tools to websites, the use cases for AI chat, and how to track AI-driven search traffic. We will also analyze the data from seven brands to understand the impact of AI-driven traffic on their overall website traffic.

How Users Get from AI Tools to Your Website

AI chat tools like chat-gpt.org, Microsoft Bing Chat, Google Bard, Neeva, and Writesonic are used by users to find information or seek assistance. For example, someone might use an AI chat tool to find baking recipes or discover the best bakeries in their area. These tools provide links to external websites that can fulfill the user’s needs.

Use Cases for AI Chat

The use cases for AI chat are growing daily. Users are turning to AI chat tools to find information, get recommendations, or seek assistance in various domains. For example, someone might use an AI chat tool to find a recipe, get travel recommendations, or solve a technical problem. As AI chat tools become more advanced, they can provide personalized and accurate responses to user queries.

AI-Driven Search Traffic in Google Analytics

The analytics team at Seer Interactive analyzed the AI-driven search traffic for seven brands. They found that monthly sessions peaked at 177 sessions in aggregate. However, they did not find any brands where AI-driven traffic became a significant part of their overall traffic. Neeva was found to be the leading driver of AI-driven search traffic among the analyzed brands.

Tracking AI-Driven Search Traffic

To track AI-driven search traffic in Google Analytics, Seer Interactive recommends setting up a tracking system to monitor if and when AI-driven traffic starts to increase for your business. They have also developed Looker Dashboards that allow you to track AI-search traffic landing on your website directly in Google Analytics. These dashboards use referrer traffic data to capture trends and provide insights into the sources of AI-driven search traffic.

Referral Traffic from AI Tools

Referral traffic refers to traffic that comes to your website from sources other than search engines and paid media. Referral traffic can include traffic from AI chat tools. Seer Interactive’s analytics development team surveyed several AI tools and found that some platforms suppress referral information on outbound links, while others provide referral information. One platform was deprecated and no longer provides referral information.

Reasons for Withheld Referrer Data

Referrer data can be withheld in two ways: through the same-origin referrer policy and the “rel=noreferrer” attribute. The same-origin referrer policy is set by websites to control the referrer information sent when users navigate from one page to another. The “rel=noreferrer” attribute is added to specific links in HTML code and prevents the sending of referrer information to the destination page. These methods are used by AI chat tools to protect user privacy and prevent the sharing of referrer data.

Considerations for Using Referral Traffic Data

Before using referral traffic data to make decisions, Seer Interactive suggests considering the following:

1. This data is not holistic and does not capture all AI-driven search traffic. Not all AI search tools pass referrer information to analytics tools.

2. Run additional analyses to understand the impact of AI-driven search traffic, such as analyzing zero-click searches and monitoring 404 errors.

404 Errors and AI-Driven Search Traffic

Seer Interactive identified an increase in 404 errors across all brands analyzed. This increase can be attributed to several factors related to AI-driven search traffic. Some traffic from AI chat tools may lead to non-existent pages. Large language models used in AI chat tools may have outdated URLs in their training data, and they may also generate URLs through educated guesses. These factors can result in users encountering 404 errors when clicking on links from AI chat tools.

Delighting Users with 404 Pages

When users encounter a 404 error, it presents an opportunity for businesses to capture their attention and provide a positive user experience. Seer Interactive suggests the following strategies for turning a “page not found” message into a positive interaction:

1. Extend the lifespan of 302 redirects to ensure users are directed to the intended content.

2. Improve the user experience of 404 pages by making them visually appealing and providing clear instructions on how to navigate back to relevant content.

3. Provide search functionality on 404 pages to help users easily find what they are looking for.

4. Offer other content-finding or product-finding tools, such as showcasing featured articles or frequently asked questions, to engage users and help them find relevant information.

Setting Up AI-Search Traffic Channel in Analytics Account

To track AI-driven search traffic effectively, Seer Interactive recommends setting up a dedicated channel in your analytics account. This allows you to categorize and analyze AI-driven search traffic separately from other traffic sources. They provide instructions on how to create an AI-Search traffic channel in Google Analytics 4, PiwikPRO, and Adobe Analytics.

In conclusion, AI-driven search traffic is starting to appear in Google Analytics and other analytics platforms. While it may not yet be a significant part of overall website traffic for most brands, it is worth tracking and analyzing to understand its impact. By setting up tracking systems and implementing strategies to delight users, businesses can leverage AI-driven search traffic to enhance their online presence and drive growth.