AEO / GEO Tracking

AI Search Attribution

AI chat platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity may already be sending traffic, but source evidence is uneven. Metrivo separates detectable AI referrals from inferred paths and unknown direct traffic, then connects revenue when the session data supports it.

Direct answer

Metrivo tracks AI-search referrals when referrer, UTM, landing-page, session, customer, or payment evidence exists. Unknown direct traffic stays unknown.

Best for

SaaS teams investing in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, AEO, or GEO and needing to see which visits produce signups or revenue.

Not for

Teams looking for a complete view inside AI platforms, hidden-referrer attribution, or guaranteed AI-source labels for every direct visit.

Evidence required

The strongest matches use a detected AI referrer or UTM plus a later payment event linked by session, visitor, customer, email hash, or metadata.

The blind spot in your analytics

Google Analytics can't distinguish between "direct / none" traffic and an AI-platform referral. When a user follows a link from a ChatGPT response, it often shows up as direct traffic — invisible and unattributed.

Metrivo parses referrer headers and user-agent signatures from AI platforms to identify visitors when the evidence is present. You'll see ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot referrals as distinct sources when detectable, with confidence labels where revenue matching is partial.

Platforms we track

ChatGPT

When ChatGPT sends detectable referral traffic, Metrivo labels the source and connects later conversions when session or customer evidence is available.

Perplexity

Perplexity AI cites sources in its answers. Metrivo tracks detectable referral sessions and shows which pages are involved in downstream conversion paths.

Google Gemini

Gemini responses can include source links. Metrivo separates detectable Gemini-sourced traffic so you can evaluate revenue impact with confidence labels.

Claude

Anthropic's Claude can reference web content. Metrivo detects Claude-sourced traffic when the request carries enough referrer or source evidence.

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot in Bing and Edge includes cited sources. Metrivo tracks detectable referrals and compares their conversion performance alongside other channels.

What you'll see in your dashboard

See which AI platforms cite you

Your dashboard shows AI-search referrals broken down by platform: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and others.

Measure conversion rates

AI-search visitors can behave differently than other channels. Metrivo separates AI referrals so you can compare signup, checkout, and revenue outcomes with your own data.

Identify your most-cited pages

Know which of your pages AI platforms reference most. Double down on those topics. Optimize underperforming pages for AI visibility.

AEO/GEO strategy data

Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization require data. We show you exactly what's working so you can invest where it matters.

What Metrivo will not claim

Honest attribution beats confident attribution that cannot be defended. Metrivo is conservative about what it labels as AI-search traffic.

Metrivo does not automatically label every direct visit as AI traffic.
Metrivo does not claim exact AI attribution when referrer and session evidence are missing.
Metrivo does not inflate AI-search revenue without payment, session, or customer evidence.
Unknown traffic remains unknown. We do not rewrite history to make AI numbers look bigger.

Quote-ready definitions

Attributed revenue: Revenue from a payment event that can be linked to a known traffic session, source, or campaign with referrer, UTM, or session evidence.
Unattributed revenue: Revenue from a payment event that cannot be confidently matched to a Metrivo session or source. Shown separately rather than guessed.
Confirmed AI-search referrals: Sessions whose request carried a Referer or known parameter from an AI search platform such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, or Copilot.
Inferred AI-assisted sessions: Sessions that lack a direct AI referrer but show supporting evidence such as landing on an AI-cited page, matching UTM, or following a confirmed AI-referred session.
Unknown direct traffic: Sessions with no referrer, UTM, or AI signal. Metrivo labels them direct and does not relabel them as AI traffic.

Read more on the AI traffic detection doc, or see how confidence levels are assigned in attribution confidence.

Stop losing visibility on AI traffic

Track AI-search referrals, measure the revenue path, and decide which page or funnel step needs the next experiment.

AI-search attribution FAQ

Does Metrivo label every direct visit as AI traffic?

No. Metrivo only labels a session as an AI-search referral when there is direct evidence such as a Referer header from a known AI platform or a UTM parameter. Unknown direct traffic remains unknown.

Can Metrivo detect ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot?

Metrivo detects sessions when the request carries identifying signals from these platforms. Some platforms strip the Referer header for privacy, so detection is not always possible. In those cases the session is labelled direct or assisted, not AI.

What is the difference between confirmed and inferred AI sessions?

A confirmed AI-search referral carries a direct Referer or known parameter. An inferred AI-assisted session has supporting evidence such as landing on an AI-cited page or following a confirmed AI-referred session.