The way people discover products is evolving fast. AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews are changing how shoppers find answers, compare options, and make decisions — often before they even land on your site.
For ecommerce brands, this creates a new kind of visibility. You’re not just appearing in search results anymore — you’re showing up in answers. But visibility is only part of the puzzle. The real challenge? Measuring it.
So, how can ecommerce teams track traffic, clicks, and engagement from these emerging AI platforms?
Here’s a practical guide to understanding where your traffic is coming from — and how to start capturing meaningful insights.
What Is ChatGPT Search Traffic?
When someone uses ChatGPT to find product recommendations, compare features, or ask retail-specific questions, the chatbot may return links to ecommerce sites. These links are clickable — and more importantly, they’re trackable, if you know what to look for.
ChatGPT now offers users browsing capabilities via “Search with Bing” or native integrations. In these cases, it often credits sources by linking directly to product pages, blogs, or FAQs — especially if the content is structured well for AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation).
The referral won’t show as “ChatGPT” in your analytics by default. That’s where the detective work starts.
How to Track ChatGPT Referrals in GA4
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) won’t magically label traffic from ChatGPT for you, but you can still find it by:
1. Monitoring referral paths
In GA4, go to:
Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition → Session source/medium
Then, look for referrers like:
- t.co (ChatGPT sometimes uses Twitter links to fetch previews)
- bing.com (for queries answered via Bing Search plugin)
- chat.openai.com (increasingly appearing for direct link clicks)
Use secondary dimensions to dig deeper into landing pages and user behaviour.
2. Creating a custom segment
Build a custom segment in GA4 using session source or session medium that includes potential indicators like:
- Source contains chat
- Source equals chat.openai.com
- Referral path contains bing.com/search
Track user journeys, bounce rates, and conversion goals against this segment to see what kind of traffic it’s driving — and whether it’s worth scaling AEO efforts for these channels.
3. Using UTM parameters
If you’re contributing links to ChatGPT plugins (e.g. through third-party data feeds), or are seeing regular inclusion in responses, start tagging links with custom UTMs like:
?utm_source=chatgpt&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ai-answers
This will create clean, attributable data streams inside your GA4 and other analytics tools. Use consistent naming so you can build reliable reports.
What About Google AI Overviews?
Google’s AI Overviews are now appearing in search results — summarising content from multiple sites and often citing sources as expandable links. For ecommerce brands, this means your product guides, FAQs, and buyer comparisons can become featured answers in SERPs, even without being in the top few organic spots.
But just like ChatGPT, Google doesn’t always make it obvious how users arrived at your site after clicking from an AI Overview.
Here’s how to catch that traffic:
How to Track AI Overview Traffic in Google Search Console
Google has been slowly integrating AI Overviews into Search Console (GSC) reporting — but it’s still a work in progress. Here’s how to surface the signals you can use:
1. Use the “Search Appearance” report
Inside GSC, under the Performance tab, click the “Search Appearance” filter. Google has introduced a label for “AI Overviews” — but it’s not consistently applied yet.
Still, if you spot it, you’ll be able to see:
- Total impressions
- Click-through rates
- Pages that are being referenced
Keep an eye on this report regularly — it’s likely to expand as AI Overview usage scales.
2. Compare branded vs non-branded queries
AI Overviews often show up for long-tail, intent-driven queries. Compare traffic changes in GSC for non-branded searches (like “best laptops for video editing” or “how to waterproof leather boots”) over time.
If you’re seeing increased clicks without corresponding rank changes, chances are your site is being pulled into AI summaries.
3. Use URL inspection and page-level queries
Pick a key product or guide page. Run it through the URL inspection tool in GSC, then click “View Search Results”. You’ll be able to see queries that triggered impressions and any new search appearances (including AI features).
Bonus: Use Server Logs to Detect AI Crawlers
AI platforms often use their own crawlers to collect content. If you have access to server logs or your web hosting control panel, look for these user agents:
- ChatGPT-User
- OpenAI-Chat
- Google-Extended
- BingPreview
These don’t track traffic, but they do confirm that your content is being seen — and potentially used — by AI tools. If you’re seeing spikes in this activity, it’s a strong signal that your content is being pulled into these new channels.
Tracking Isn’t Just About Attribution — It’s About Strategy
Most ecommerce teams are still focused on traditional traffic sources: organic search, paid ads, and social media. But AI-generated traffic is growing — and those clicks are high-intent. Users aren’t browsing; they’re asking pointed questions and making quick decisions.
Tracking this traffic allows you to:
- Optimise content that’s working — Double down on FAQs, buyer’s guides, or how-to content that gets referenced
- Spot high-converting entry points — Learn which AI-referred pages convert best and mirror that UX across your site
- Prove ROI for AEO efforts — If you’re investing in answer-ready content, schema, and structured data, this is how you validate the return
How Ecommerce Brands Can Prepare for AI-First Discovery
If you’re not already preparing for traffic from AI sources, now’s the time to start. A few key actions to take:
- Ensure your product pages and FAQs are marked up with structured data (like Product, FAQPage, and HowTo schema)
- Write content that directly answers real customer questions, especially long-tail queries
- Monitor server logs and analytics for emerging AI referrers
- Track branded mentions and source links using alert tools or backlink monitoring platforms
- Build UTM tagging into any controlled AI integrations (e.g. ChatGPT plugins or Bing Shopping feeds)
