Unlike search, where users click to research, AI platforms create a "dark funnel" where the entire research process occurs pre-click. By the time a user clicks through to a brand's site, they have already completed their evaluation and are ready to transact, resulting in higher-quality leads.
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Users arriving from AI platforms have already been filtered and nurtured through the consideration phase. They land on your site with high intent, leading to conversion rate increases of 2-5x for B2C and as high as 20x for B2B, far surpassing the performance of typical paid or organic search traffic.
Search Atlas data reveals users arriving from ChatGPT are significantly more likely to convert. These users have already conducted deep, conversational research within the LLM, answering many of their own questions before landing on a website. This pre-qualification means they arrive with much higher purchase intent compared to traditional search users.
With buyers completing nearly 80% of their research using tools like Generative AI before vendor contact, the linear funnel is dead. Traditional metrics like MQLs and SQLs are meaningless. Go-to-market strategies must be rewritten to influence buyers during their independent, non-linear discovery phase.
Traffic from ChatGPT to e-commerce sites converts at an exceptionally high rate (12% for one brand, compared to a typical 1-2%). This demonstrates that users turning to AI for product research have extremely high purchase intent by the time they click a link, making AI chat a powerful and potentially lucrative channel for advertisers.
The speaker's firm saw a 50% traffic drop after Google's AI Overview launch, yet leads from tools like ChatGPT grew 500%. This suggests that while AI-driven search reduces overall traffic volume, the visitors it does send have higher purchase intent and are better qualified.
Despite the rise of AI, Google still handles over 94% of searches. However, marketers must focus on LLM visibility, as customers sourced from AI search engines convert at a 4.4 times higher rate. This makes it a critical, complementary channel, not a replacement for traditional SEO.
Visitors arriving from AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT are highly qualified, having used detailed prompts to find a specific solution. This pre-qualification leads to significantly higher engagement and conversion rates鈥攔eportedly 7-8x higher than typical ads or organic search鈥攎aking AI optimization a high-leverage activity.
Unlike Google, which primarily handles discovery, AI models engage users in a Q&A process that guides them through consideration. This means when a user clicks through from an AI search, they are highly qualified and ready to convert, explaining the significantly higher conversion rates seen from this traffic source.
Traffic driven by answer engines is significantly more qualified. Webflow observed a 600% higher conversion rate from LLM referrals compared to traditional search. This is likely because users have higher intent after a detailed conversational query process, making AEO a highly valuable channel.
A user arriving from ChatGPT has likely already used the AI to research, compare options, and make a decision. This pre-qualification process means the traffic is extremely high-intent, leading to conversion rates (12% for one brand) that are an order of magnitude higher than typical benchmarks.
