Your Customers Are Asking AI About You. Will Your Name Come Up?

AI traffic studies

New studies show AI sends very little traffic. But showing up still builds the kind of name recognition that brings customers in later.

If you've been told that ChatGPT and other AI tools are about to flood your website with new customers, some new research says slow down.

A few studies came out this fall that looked at real website data. The short version: AI tools send very little traffic compared to Google. In one study, ChatGPT sent about 0.62% as many visitors as Google search did. Add in every other AI tool, and it only climbed to 0.73%.

That's less than one visitor from AI for every 100 from Google.

So should you ignore AI? I don't think so. Here's what the studies found, and why I still think it's worth a little of your time.

What the studies found

Four groups looked at this from different angles. Here's each one in plain terms.

Who did the study	What they looked at	What they found
Marie Haynes	12 months of data from 100 websites (over 145 million visits)	Google brought in about 27 times more sales and sign-ups than all AI tools combined. People who came from ChatGPT did buy at a higher rate, but there just weren't many of them.
SEO Works	A full year of data from 95 websites	Google search sent 39 times more visitors than AI tools. AI visitors bought about 18% more often overall, but they did worse than Google visitors on 23 of the 63 sites checked.
Ahrefs	How often brands show up in Google's AI answers	Being mentioned around the web lined up with AI visibility more closely than how often people searched for the brand by name.
Kevin Indig	12 websites, checking if AI quietly sends people who type the address in directly	He couldn't find a clear link. Much of the extra "direct" traffic turned out to be bots.

One finding stuck with me. SEO Works figured that getting just 5% better at Google search would bring in more sales than doubling your AI traffic.

In other words, Google is still the main event. If your basic website and Google presence aren't in good shape, fix that first.

So why bother with AI at all?

Because clicks aren't the only thing that matters.

Think about how people actually find a business. Someone asks ChatGPT, "What should I look for in a tax preparer?" or "Who does good roof repair near me?" Your name shows up in the answer. They don't click. But a week later a friend mentions you, and they think, "I've heard of them."

That moment counts. It just doesn't show up in any report.

The researchers say this too. They aren't saying AI doesn't matter. They're saying we can't measure it well yet, so don't judge it by clicks alone.

A few other things worth knowing:

• The work overlaps. SEO Works noticed that sites gaining AI traffic were usually the same sites gaining Google traffic. The things that help you with one tend to help with the other.
• The visitors who do come are often ready to act. ChatGPT visitors bought at more than four and a half times the rate of Google visitors in one study.
• It doesn't cost much. Most of what helps AI tools understand you is basic website cleanup you should probably do anyway.

Simple ways to help AI tools understand your business

You don't need a big budget for this. Start with these:

1. Answer common questions clearly on your site. Write a short FAQ page using the questions customers really ask you. Put the answer in the first sentence or two, then explain. AI tools like to pull short, direct answers.
2. Add snippets of code that describe your business. This is called schema markup. It's a small bit of code that tells search engines and AI tools your business name, address, hours, services, and FAQs in a format they read easily. Many website builders and plugins can add it for you.
3. Keep your business info the same everywhere. Your name, address, and phone number should match on your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and anywhere else you're listed.
4. Get your name mentioned around the web. Reviews, local news, a guest spot on a podcast, a listing in your chamber of commerce. The Ahrefs study found that being talked about online lined up closely with showing up in AI answers.
5. Keep your Google Business Profile up to date. Add photos, post updates, and respond to reviews. This helps with Google and gives AI tools fresh, trusted info about you.

How to tell if it's working

Don't just count clicks from AI. Look at the bigger picture instead:

• Are you showing up? Every so often, ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google's AI the questions your customers would ask. See if your business is mentioned.
• Are people noticing? Watch for more people searching your business by name, more reviews, and more calls.
• Is the business growing? In the end, this is what counts. New customers, booked appointments, and revenue.

It also helps to ask new customers how they heard about you. Just know people don't always remember exactly.

The bottom line

AI tools aren't going to replace Google for sending people to your website. Not yet, anyway. Keep Google first.

But showing up in AI answers is still a chance to get your name in front of people. Even if they don't click today, they may remember you tomorrow. And most of the work to get there is simple cleanup that helps your website anyway.

See where your business stands

Curious whether AI tools mention your business today? Run our free AI Search report. It shows how visible your business is in AI answers and what to work on first.

Want to dig deeper? Our Competitor Compass report takes about two minutes. It compares your business with three local competitors using live Google data and gives you a 30, 60, and 90 day plan to pull ahead.

Sources

Study findings as reported in SparkToro's Audience Research Newsletter, October 2026: Marie Haynes (Google Analytics data across 100 websites), SEO Works (95 websites over a year), Ahrefs (brand signals and Google AI Overviews), and Kevin Indig (AI and direct traffic across 12 websites).