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AI traffic in GA4 and Search Console

How many visits do AI assistants send you?

Pick the assistants to count and copy a channel rule into GA4. Then see what GA4 and Search Console can and can’t show about AI traffic, from Google’s own help.

It runs in your browser: nothing you pick or type is sent anywhere. Free, no sign-up.

Assistants to count

Each host counts all its subdomains too: perplexity.ai covers www.perplexity.ai, and docs.perplexity.ai as well.

AI assistants

A hostname, or a whole address: only its hostname is kept.

Your rule

For a channel group

Channel name
AI assistants
Condition
Source matches regex
^([a-z0-9-]+\.)*(chatgpt\.com|chat\.openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|copilot\.com|copilot\.cloud\.microsoft|claude\.ai|chat\.deepseek\.com|grok\.com|meta\.ai|chat\.mistral\.ai|poe\.com)$

For a report filter

Dimension
Session source
Match type
matches regex
^([a-z0-9-]+\.)*(chatgpt\.com|chat\.openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|copilot\.com|copilot\.cloud\.microsoft|claude\.ai|chat\.deepseek\.com|grok\.com|meta\.ai|chat\.mistral\.ai|poe\.com)$

224 characters. A report filter takes up to 250.

Now see whether an engine names you.

Trovance reads Search Console and GA4 with read-only access when you connect them.

In GA4

Add the rule to GA4

The steps as Google’s help gives them. You need the Editor role or above on the property.

As a channel

  1. In Admin, under Data display, click Channel groups.

  2. Click Create new channel group. It starts as a copy of GA4’s default group.

  3. Name the group, for example Channels with AI assistants.

  4. Click Add new channel and name it AI assistants.

  5. Click Add condition group, choose Source and matches regex, and paste the rule.

  6. Click Save channel.

  7. Click Reorder, drag AI assistants above Organic Search, and click Apply.

  8. Click Save group. Then, in Reports, open Acquisition → Traffic acquisition and pick the group as the primary dimension.

Trovance’s advice

Google’s help says above Referral, and that it can sit higher, such as above Organic Search. We suggest the higher spot: GA4’s own AI Assistant channel is listed just above Referral and would otherwise take these visits first.

As a filter on one report

  1. In Reports, open Acquisition → Traffic acquisition.

  2. Click Add filter, choose Session source, set the match type to matches regex, and paste the filter.

  3. Click Apply.

Sources: Analytics Help, Custom channel groups · read October 9, 2026; Analytics Help, Traffic acquisition report · read October 9, 2026; Analytics Help, Apply filters to detail reports · read October 9, 2026

GA4

What GA4 counts as AI traffic

GA4 has an AI channel of its own. Here’s what it holds, what it leaves out, and how a rule of your own reads your data.

  • GA4’s own AI Assistant channel

    GA4’s default channel group has an AI Assistant channel, for visits from sources like ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Copilot or Grok. GA4 sets their medium to ai-assistant when the referrer is on its list of AI assistants, and Google’s help gives examples rather than the whole list. The default group can’t be edited, so a rule of your own goes in a custom channel group.

    Source: Analytics Help, Default channel group · read October 9, 2026

  • AI Overviews and AI Mode count as Organic Search

    The AI Assistant channel leaves out Google’s own AI Overviews and AI Mode. GA4 counts their clicks as Organic Search, with the rest of google / organic, so the rule here doesn’t count them either. Search Console counts them in its Performance report, under the Web search type.

    Sources: Analytics Help, Default channel group · read October 9, 2026; Analytics Help, Traffic acquisition report · read October 9, 2026; Google Search Central, AI Features and Your Website · read October 9, 2026

  • A custom channel group reads past data too

    Google says custom channel groups can be applied to your reports retroactively, so the rule also sorts visits from before you added it. A standard property has room for two custom groups beside the default one, each with up to 50 channels.

    Source: Analytics Help, Custom channel groups · read October 9, 2026

  • “Matches regex” means the whole source

    GA4 matches a regex against the whole value unless wildcards such as .* widen it, and its regex help points to RE2’s syntax. Google’s own example pattern for AI assistants leans on wildcards like .*gpt.*, which also take in look-alike sources. The rule here lists whole hosts between ^ and $, so notchatgpt.com and chatgpt.com.evil.com stay out, whichever match type you pick. Channel conditions ignore case; report filters don’t, and take up to 250 characters.

    Sources: Analytics Help, About regular expressions (regex) · read October 9, 2026; Analytics Help, Custom channel groups · read October 9, 2026; Analytics Help, Apply filters to detail reports · read October 9, 2026; Google Analytics Admin API, properties.channelGroups · read October 9, 2026

  • A visit with no clear source can’t be counted

    GA4 files a visit without a clear referral source as (direct) / (none): a link typed or pasted into the browser, one opened from a PDF or a Word document, or one whose origin an ad blocker hides. No source rule can reach those, so the rule counts the AI visits GA4 can trace.

    Source: Analytics Help, Understand (direct) / (none) traffic · read October 9, 2026

Search Console

What Search Console shows

For AI Overviews and AI Mode, Search Console has a report of its own, and a setting that decides whether your site can appear in them at all.

Hosts

Where each host comes from

Each host is confirmed on its maker’s own page, or by the host’s own redirect or canonical address, read on the day shown. A host you add is yours to vouch for.

  • ChatGPT

    • chatgpt.com

      OpenAI’s help says you can search the web with ChatGPT on chatgpt.com. OpenAI Help Center · read October 9, 2026

    • chat.openai.com

      A host on OpenAI’s own domain that redirects permanently to chatgpt.com, so it appears only in older data, which custom channel groups sort retroactively. chat.openai.com · read October 9, 2026

  • Perplexity

    • perplexity.ai

      Perplexity’s help center links its answers on www.perplexity.ai, and perplexity.ai redirects there. Perplexity Help Center · read October 9, 2026

  • Gemini

    • gemini.google.com

      Google’s Gemini Apps Help calls gemini.google.com the Gemini web app. Gemini Apps Help · read October 9, 2026

  • Microsoft Copilot

    • copilot.microsoft.com

      Microsoft Learn says to type copilot.microsoft.com into the address bar to open Copilot. Microsoft Learn · read October 9, 2026

    • copilot.com

      copilot.microsoft.com names copilot.com as its canonical address, and Microsoft Copilot answers there too. copilot.microsoft.com · read October 9, 2026

    • copilot.cloud.microsoft

      Microsoft’s Copilot page opens Copilot at copilot.cloud.microsoft. Microsoft Copilot · read October 9, 2026

  • Claude

    • claude.ai

      Anthropic’s Claude page sends “Try Claude” to claude.ai. Claude by Anthropic · read October 9, 2026

  • DeepSeek

    • chat.deepseek.com

      DeepSeek’s site links DeepSeek Web at chat.deepseek.com. DeepSeek · read October 9, 2026

  • Grok

    • grok.com

      The Grok page on x.ai links Grok on the web at grok.com. x.ai · read October 9, 2026

  • Meta AI

    • meta.ai

      Meta’s newsroom says the Meta AI app is connected to meta.ai. Meta Newsroom · read October 9, 2026

  • Mistral Vibeformerly Le Chat

    • chat.mistral.ai

      Mistral says Le Chat is now Vibe, and links it at chat.mistral.ai. Mistral AI · read October 9, 2026

  • Poe

    • poe.com

      Poe’s help center sends “Back to Poe” to poe.com. Poe Help Center · read October 9, 2026

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