How to Track Website Traffic from AI Search Engines

More people are finding websites through AI answers than ever before. The catch: most analytics tools still treat that traffic as “direct” or “unknown.” If you want to know how much traffic you actually get from AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, you need a clear way to track it. Here’s how.

Traditional web analytics were built for browsers and search engines that send clear referrer headers. When someone clicks a link in a ChatGPT or Perplexity answer, the referral data isn’t always passed through in the same way. That makes it hard to see “AI search” as its own channel. The good news is that with the right setup, you can isolate and measure traffic from AI search engines.

The goal is simple: know how many visitors came from AI answers, which AI sources send the most traffic, and how that trend changes over time. Once you have that, you can tie it back to your AI visibility efforts—content, positioning, and the prompts you optimize for—and see what’s actually working.

• Use or extend your analytics to capture AI referrers Many AI answer engines use distinct domains or referrer patterns when users click through to your site. By defining those domains (e.g. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude-related domains) as a custom source in your analytics, you can segment “AI search” traffic separately from direct or organic search. Some platforms offer built-in AI traffic reports; others need a small amount of configuration or a dedicated tracking layer.
• Tag outbound links so you can attribute clicks If you’re promoting content or tools that get cited in AI answers, using consistent UTM parameters or link tags helps you see which campaigns or pieces of content drive traffic when they’re surfaced by AI. That way you’re not only counting “unknown” visits; you can tie them back to specific assets and keywords.
• Track AI visibility and traffic together Traffic from AI search is one outcome of AI visibility: when you show up in more answers, you tend to get more clicks. By measuring both—how often you’re cited in AI answers and how much traffic those answers send—you get a full picture. Tools that combine citation tracking with referral analytics make it easier to see the link between visibility and visits.

Why does this matter? Because “AI search” is becoming a real channel. If you only look at classic organic search, you’re missing a growing slice of how people discover you. Tracking AI search traffic lets you justify investment in AI visibility, compare it to other channels, and optimize for the prompts and content that actually send visitors.

In practice, start by identifying the referrer domains or patterns that correspond to the AI engines you care about. Add them to your analytics as a custom dimension or segment. Then review that segment over time and, if possible, cross-reference with any data you have on which prompts or pages get cited. Over time you’ll see how traffic from AI search engines grows and which levers move it.

How to Set Up AI Search Traffic Tracking

First, list the AI search engines you care about (e.g. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews) and find out what referrer values or domains they use when users click through to your site. Your analytics provider’s documentation or support can help, and some vendors already publish lists of AI referrer domains.

Next, in your analytics tool, create a segment or custom report that filters sessions where the referrer matches those domains. Name it something like “AI search traffic” so you can reuse it. If your tool supports custom dimensions, you can tag traffic with a source type (e.g. “AI search”) for easier reporting.

Finally, review that segment regularly. Compare AI search traffic to organic search and direct. Over time you’ll see trends and can tie them to content and positioning changes. If you use a platform that tracks both AI citations and site traffic, you can correlate “more mentions in AI answers” with “more visits from AI search” to validate your strategy.

So: can you track website traffic from AI search engines? Yes. You identify the referrers those engines use, segment them in your analytics, and optionally tag your links so you can attribute clicks. The result is a clear view of how much traffic AI search sends and how it changes over time.

If you want to go further, combine that with visibility tracking—knowing when and where you’re cited in AI answers—so you can see the full loop from citation to click. Tools like Clutch Click AI help you measure both: your presence in AI search and the traffic that comes from it. For more on the bigger picture, see the 2026 AI Visibility Report and our guide to golden prompts.