Three kinds of ChatGPT visit
| Visit | How it shows in GA4 |
|---|---|
| Click from a ChatGPT answer, with tag | Source chatgpt.com, often in the AI assistant channel |
| Click from an answer, tag or referrer lost | Direct |
| Click on a ChatGPT ad | Whatever your ad UTMs say |
Set it up
- Check the AI assistant channel in GA4's default channel group.
- Create an exploration filtered on source contains "chatgpt" to see landing pages and conversions.
- Tag ads with your own convention, such as utm_source=chatgpt-ads and utm_medium=cpc, so they never merge with organic visits. A UTM convention for ChatGPT ads.
- Mark demo requests as a key event.
What the data shows so far
Clickport's 30-day snapshot in April 2026 found:
- AI search was 0.7% of all sessions.
- ChatGPT was 76.1% of recognised AI search sessions.
- 35.7% of AI search sessions had the source tag but no referrer.
- On sites with goals, 20.7% of AI search sessions completed one, against 11.1% of direct sessions, in a small subset.
Watch direct traffic
A rise in direct visits to deep pages, such as pricing or comparisons, can be AI traffic that lost its tag. How to find it.
A GA4 exploration to build
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Technique | Free form |
| Rows | Session source / medium, then landing page |
| Values | Sessions, engaged sessions, key events |
| Filter | Session source contains "chatgpt" or "perplexity" or "copilot" or "gemini" |
| Date range | Last 90 days, compared with the previous period |
Save it and check it weekly.
Questions
Why do some ChatGPT visits show as referral and others as direct?
It depends on whether the referrer and tag survive the click. Apps and privacy settings often strip them.
Should we exclude ChatGPT ads from the AI channel?
Yes. Tag ads with your own source so the AI assistant channel shows organic answers only.
Can GA4 tell us which company visited?
No. GA4 doesn't identify companies. That's what company identification adds.
Start here: Company identification from AI. More articles in Company signals.