Ahrefs Releases Tracker Comparing ChatGPT And Google Referral Traffic

Ahrefs has released a powerful tracker that gives a precise and data-driven comparison of the referral traffic generated by ChatGPT against the traditional Google search.

Ahrefs has released a brand new monthly dashboard that monitors and analyzes the traffic that comes through Google Search and ChatGPT. This tool allows marketers to observe AI searches as a distinct and quantifiable traffic source in addition to traditional search.

Early Data Insights

The first dataset includes three months of data and includes 44,421 sites that are connected to Ahrefs, the free Web Analytics tool. 

In July, the dashboard reports that Google was responsible for 41.9% of all web traffic in this group, in which ChatGPT referral traffic was 0.19%.

Growth rates vary from month to month as Google grew by 1.4%, while ChatGPT increased by 5.3%. 

Contrastingly, the prior month saw Google grow by 6.8% while ChatGPT grew by 1.6%. These differences show the changes in growth that are dynamic, even though Google’s share is greater.

Ahrefs Traffic Analysis

The dashboard states:

“ChatGPT is growing 3.8“ChatGPT is growing 3.8x faster than Google.”x faster than Google.”

It also clarifies:

“With 5.3% monthly growth vs Google’s 1.4% in the latest month, AI-powered search continues to evolve rapidly.”

And:

“ChatGPT now drives measurable referral traffic to websites, representing a new channel that didn’t exist 2 years ago.”

To ensure continuity, the tracker comprises only sites that appear in all the months. As the page explains:

“Our analysis tracks sites that appear in all months, ensuring statistically significant and reliable growth metrics.”

The dashboard also lists the last update timestamp and confirms that it will receive updates every month.

Important Considerations and Limitations

The dashboard tracks the traffic from referrals that have the referrer tag. However, certain AI platforms, as well as in-app browsers, implement “noreferrer” settings or otherwise erase referrer data that could undercount AI-generated visits.

Ahrefs has documented these blind spots in analytics while measuring AI assistants and Google’s AI Mode, as a vital caution when comparing AI-driven traffic to conventional search results.

The data cohort is limited to websites using Ahrefs’ Web Analytics. Previous research conducted by Ahrefs found AI referrals that averaged around 0.17% of website traffic, which is close to the reported 0.19%.

Looking Forward

Google continues to deliver the majority of traffic to this data set, a fact that will keep your paid and SEO efforts focused on the platform. However, ChatGPT’s fast increase in referrals indicates a young, trackable channel worth observing and testing as time goes on.

Google continues to provide the vast majority of the traffic in this database, which should ensure that your paid SEO efforts are centered around its platform. But ChatGPT’s rapid increase in referrals indicates a young and measurable channel that is worth keeping an eye on and exploring in the future.

Key Takeaways

The data from the real world can be used to guide budget allocation, testing, and strategic changes as AI search advances and integrates further into online discovery routes. Marketers can utilize the Ahrefs dashboard to track changes in Google or AI referral traffic on a monthly basis.