Tracking Website Traffic from AI Tools Like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and More

Discovering how much referral traffic your website receives from AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini just got easier. AI Marketing specialist Niko Pajkovic developed a straightforward Looker Studio dashboard to streamline this process. With just a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) account, you can set up the dashboard in under two minutes.

Features of the AI Traffic Dashboard

1. Dynamic Dashboard:
   This page provides real-time insights with a date filter, including:
   • Total traffic generated by AI tools
   • Which tools are driving the most traffic
   • The most-visited pages receiving AI traffic
2. Month-Over-Month Report:
   Automatically updates monthly to track:
   • SessionsEngaged SessionsEngagement Rate
   These metrics are customizable to suit your needs.

Setting Up Your AI Traffic Dashboard

Step 1: Access the dashboard using this [link].
Step 2: Locate the three dots near your Google Account profile picture and select “Make a copy”.
Step 3: Replace the existing data source with your own GA4 data source in the pop-up window.
Step 4: Confirm the changes and click “Save” to open your customized AI Traffic Dashboard in a new tab.
Step 5: Adjust the metrics by navigating to Properties > Setup and selecting your preferred options.

Important Note: The conversion scorecard might not function after copying due to a custom filter for tracking form submissions. Follow Step 5 to update this if needed.

Detailed Step by Step Instructions for Setting Up the AI Driven Traffic Dashboard

Locate the three dots near your Google Account profile picture and select “Make a copy”.

Replace the existing data source with your own GA4 data source in the pop-up window

Click in Copy Report Button (Above) to open your customized AI Traffic Dashboard in a new tab. Bookmark the tab.

Alternative: Using Google Analytics 4 Directly

For those who prefer monitoring traffic within GA4, here’s a step-by-step guide:

Option 1: Create a Custom AI Channel Group

1. Open GA4 and navigate to Admin > Data Display > Channel Groups.
2. Create a new Channel Group and name it (e.g., “AI Traffic Channel”).
3. Add a new channel titled “AI-Driven Traffic”.
4. Set “Channel Conditions” to match sources using the regex: .*chatgpt.com.*|.*perplexity.*|.*edgepilot.*|.*edgeservices.*|.*copilot.microsoft.com.*|.*openai.com.*|.*gemini.google.com.*|.*nimble.ai.*|.*iask.ai.*|.*claude.ai.*|.*aitastic.app.*|.*bnngpt.com.*|.*writesonic.com.*|.*copy.ai.*|.*chat-gpt.org.*
5. Save the channel group and view it in Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition.
6. Change the dimension to your new custom channel group to see traffic data specific to AI sources.

Note: Data collection starts after setup, so results may take time to appear.

Option 2: Use GA4 Explorations to Track AI Traffic

1. Open GA4 and go to Explore.
2. Choose an existing report or create a new one with the “Free Form” option.
3. Set Dimensions to “Session source/medium” and add your desired metrics (e.g., Sessions, Active Users).
4. Apply the regex filter for session source/medium under Conditions: .*chatgpt.com.*|.*perplexity.*|.*edgepilot.*|.*edgeservices.*|.*copilot.microsoft.com.*|.*openai.com.*|.*gemini.google.com.*|.*nimble.ai.*|.*iask.ai.*|.*claude.ai.*|.*aitastic.app.*|.*bnngpt.com.*|.*writesonic.com.*|.*copy.ai.*|.*chat-gpt.org.*

By following these steps, you can effectively monitor how AI-driven traffic impacts your site’s performance.

Author: Niko Pajkovic