Ahrefs Tool Tracks Google vs ChatGPT Traffic
In a significant move for digital marketers and SEO professionals, Ahrefs has launched a new public dashboard designed to track and compare the volume of referral traffic websites get from Google Search versus ChatGPT. The dashboard, which will be updated monthly, provides a new lens through which to view the evolving search landscape.
The initial dataset is comprehensive, covering three full months of data from a cohort of 44,421 websites that are connected to Ahrefs' free Web Analytics tool.
Early Data Insights Google vs ChatGPT
The first report, covering data for July, shows Google as the dominant force, accounting for 41.9% of total web traffic across the monitored sites. In stark contrast, ChatGPT contributed a much smaller but notable 0.19%.
However, the growth metrics tell a more dynamic story. In July, ChatGPT's referral traffic grew by 5.3% month-over-month, while Google's traffic saw a 1.4% increase. This is a reversal from the previous month, where Google grew by 6.8% and ChatGPT by 1.6%, indicating that growth rates can be volatile.
The dashboard highlights this trend, stating:
“ChatGPT is growing 3.8x faster than Google.”
It further emphasizes the rapid evolution of AI-powered search and notes that ChatGPT represents a new, measurable traffic channel that was nonexistent just two years ago.
Understanding The Methodology
To ensure the data remains consistent and comparable over time, Ahrefs' tracker only includes websites that have data present for all months in the analysis. This approach is designed to provide statistically significant and reliable growth metrics.
The dashboard also clearly indicates when the data was last updated and confirms its monthly refresh cycle.
Key Limitations To Consider
While the data is insightful, it comes with important caveats. The dashboard measures traffic based on referrer data, which can be an incomplete picture. Some AI systems and in-app browsers are known to strip referrer information, leading to a potential undercounting of visits originating from AI sources.
Ahrefs has previously documented this analytics blind spot and the broader challenges generative engines pose to traditional web analytics. It's a critical limitation to remember when comparing AI search activity with traditional search.
Furthermore, the scope of the data is confined to websites using Ahrefs Web Analytics. However, previous Ahrefs research on AI traffic across different samples found similar figures, with AI referrals at about 0.17% of a site's traffic, which aligns with the 0.19% reported in this new dashboard.
What This Means For Your Strategy
For now, Google remains the undisputed leader in referral traffic, and this reality should continue to guide your core SEO and marketing priorities.
At the same time, the consistent growth of ChatGPT as a referral source signals the rise of an emerging channel. This new tracker from Ahrefs provides the real data needed to monitor this trend, allowing you to watch how both sources evolve and adjust your strategies and testing accordingly.
