- ✓Name the actor and denominator in every metric definition.
- ✓Show counts beside rates and coverage beside attribution.
- ✓Never include crawler requests in human visitor or conversion totals.
Human acquisition metrics
These measures begin with an observable browser visit.
Use visitors for deduplicated people only when identity and privacy rules support it. Use visits or sessions for bounded interactions. Report the provider, landing page, source share, and changes in collection coverage.
AI share of traffic divides observed AI referrals by the chosen measurable acquisition denominator. It is not the share of all journeys influenced by AI.
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| AI-referred visitors | Distinct measured visitors with observed AI source |
| AI-referred visits | Measured visits beginning with observed AI source |
| AI traffic share | Observed AI visits ÷ selected measurable visits |
| Landing-page share | AI visits beginning on a page ÷ AI visits |
| Engaged-action rate | AI visits with defined action ÷ AI visits |
Outcome and value metrics
A conversion rate needs both its numerator and denominator.
Define trial starts, qualified leads, purchases, retained accounts, or other outcomes in the event dictionary. Report conversion count, visit conversion rate, value, and value per visit with the attribution window.
For B2B journeys, distinguish created pipeline, qualified pipeline, and closed revenue. A source can influence an account without receiving last-click credit; label that influence separately.
- Conversion count
- Conversion rate
- Qualified pipeline
- Revenue
- Value per visit
- Return or retention outcome
AI value per visit = value attributed under the stated rule ÷ observed AI-referred visitsAdjacent metrics that must remain separate
Visibility and machines provide context, not additional visitors.
Mention rate, citation rate, cited pages, factual issues, crawler requests, unique crawlers, agent tasks, and task completion are important. Each needs its own sampling frame or request denominator.
Place them near human traffic only when the labels remain unambiguous. A combined activity total has no stable actor and should not guide investment.
| Metric | Actor / sample | Do not call it |
|---|---|---|
| Mention rate | Sampled answers | Traffic share |
| Citation rate | Sampled answers | Click-through rate |
| Crawler requests | Automated HTTP requests | Visitors |
| Agent completion | Authorized machine tasks | Human conversion |
Methodology and verification.
Last verified August 17, 2026. The page is updated when the underlying analytics or provider documentation changes materially.
- 01
Reviewed the linked primary documentation and separated provider claims from observations a website can verify.
- 02
Kept human referrals, sampled answer visibility, machine requests, and modeled influence in separate evidence classes.
- 03
Marked limitations wherever the available source or request data cannot support a provider-level conclusion.
Verify the evidence.
Provider behavior and analytics definitions change. These are the primary references reviewed for this page.
Questions teams ask.
What is the most important AI traffic metric?+
Start with observed visits and the meaningful outcomes they create, then add landing-page, value, and coverage context.
Should mention rate be reported with traffic?+
It can appear in the same decision view, but it must retain its answer-sample denominator and should not be blended into a traffic total.
How should unknown traffic be shown?+
Keep unknown or Direct traffic visible as its own coverage category rather than assigning it to AI without evidence.