How to see AI traffic in Google Analytics 4
Published 8 min read
To see ChatGPT traffic in Google Analytics 4, open Traffic acquisition and find the AI Assistant channel. For older data and Perplexity, add one regex filter.
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The short answer
In GA4, ChatGPT visits show in the AI Assistant channel, under Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition. Google added it on 13 May 2026. For older visits and Perplexity, filter Session source with a regex.
Dates and limits: Google Analytics Help (What's new, Custom channel groups), checked 11 November 2026. GA4 counts visits, so an answer without a click never shows.
Key points
Built in. GA4 has an AI Assistant channel since May 2026. No setup needed.
Regex for more. A source filter shows each AI site, and data from before May.
Gaps. Visits without a referrer count as Direct. Google AI Overviews count as Organic Search.
Answers, not clicks. GA4 never sees an answer that names you without a click.
Does GA4 show AI traffic on its own?
Yes, since 13 May 2026. GA4 puts visits from known AI assistants into a channel called AI Assistant.
What goes in
Google names ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Copilot and Grok as examples. When the referrer is a known AI assistant, GA4 sets the medium to ai-assistant.
What stays out
Google says the channel excludes its own AI Overviews and AI Mode. Those clicks count as Organic Search.
Older data
Google's page does not say older visits move to the new channel. A custom channel group can show them (step 3).
5 steps to see AI traffic in GA4
Steps 1 and 2 take 2 minutes. Step 3 builds a channel you keep.
Open Traffic acquisition
Go to Reports, then Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition. The table shows channels by default. Look for the row AI Assistant. It appears once AI visits come in.
Filter by session source
In the menu above the table, change the dimension to Session source. Add a filter: Session source, matches regex, and paste the pattern below. Each AI site gets its own row.
Build a custom channel group
Go to Admin, Data display, Channel groups, then Create new channel group. Add a channel AI assistants with the condition Source matches regex and the same pattern.
Put the channel above Referral
Click Reorder and move AI assistants above Referral. GA4 puts each visit in the first channel that fits. Then save the group.
See which pages AI sends people to
In Traffic acquisition, switch to your new channel group. Add Landing page as a second dimension. Check engaged sessions and key events.
.*(chatgpt\.com|chat\.openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|claude\.ai|deepseek\.com|grok\.com).*- The .* at both ends lets the pattern match the whole source value. Google says GA regex is a full match and case sensitive by default (Google).
- The domain list is ours, not Google's. AI sites change their domains, so check it every few months.
- OpenAI says ChatGPT adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to links from its search results. Those visits show chatgpt.com as the source.
Limits of custom channel groups
A standard GA4 property can have 2 custom channel groups, and a GA4 360 property 5. Each group holds up to 50 channels.
Google says custom channel groups can be applied to your reports for past dates too. You need Editor access to the property to make one.
What does GA4 see, and what does it miss?
GA4 counts visits that arrive with a source. It cannot see the AI answer itself.
| GA4 sees | GA4 misses |
|---|---|
| Clicks from ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and others with a referrer or utm tag | AI visits that arrive without a referrer. They count as Direct |
| Each AI site as its own source, with the regex filter | Clicks from Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. They count as Organic Search |
| Landing pages, engaged sessions and key events of AI visitors | Answers that name your company when nobody clicks |
| Past AI visits, once you build a custom channel group | Answers that name a rival instead of you |
Why does AI traffic show as Direct?
Because some AI links arrive with no referrer and no utm tag. GA4 then has no source to show.
No tag, no source
Seer Interactive found that ChatGPT links without utm tags or referral data will likely appear as Direct in GA4.
Not every link is tagged
OpenAI says ChatGPT adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to referral links. Seer found citations usually carry it, but not always.
What to do
Watch Direct visits to deep pages, like a price or help page. Few people type those addresses by hand.
Where do Google AI Overviews clicks go?
Into Organic Search, together with normal Google clicks. GA4 cannot split them.
In GA4
Google says the AI Assistant channel excludes AI Overviews and AI Mode. So you cannot filter them out by source.
In Search Console
Since 31 August 2026, every site has a generative AI report in Search Console. It shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, not clicks.
Why are AI visits only half the picture?
Because many AI answers name a company and the reader never clicks. GA4 counts none of those.
- A visit tells you AI sent someone. It does not tell you how often AI named you, or who it named instead.
- For that you need the answers themselves, asked again every week. See citation vs mention.
GA4 counts clicks. The weekly check counts the answers that name you. Start 7-day trial
Questions about AI traffic in Google Analytics
How do I check ChatGPT traffic in GA4 for last year?
Build a custom channel group with the regex from step 2. Google applies custom channel groups to past data in reports, so older visits show too.
Is Perplexity traffic in the AI Assistant channel?
Google's help page does not say. It names ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Copilot and Grok as examples. Filter Session source for perplexity.ai to be sure.
Does utm_source=chatgpt.com mean the visit came from ChatGPT?
Yes. OpenAI says ChatGPT adds this tag to referral links. But not every ChatGPT link carries it, so some visits still show as Direct.
Can GA4 show when ChatGPT mentions my company?
No. GA4 only counts visits. An answer that names you without a click leaves no trace in GA4. You need to check the answers themselves.
Why is ChatGPT traffic so small in my GA4?
Many readers get the answer and do not click. Some clicks arrive without a referrer and count as Direct. So GA4 shows only part of what AI does.
See the AI answers that name you, with or without a click
GA4 counts clicks. Each week Nenn asks your customers' questions on 3 AI engines and shows who is named.
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