OpenAI attributes ChatGPT traffic drop to tracking bug, fix rolling out

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

WASHINGTON — OpenAI identified a significant drop in ChatGPT-attributed website traffic reported by analytics platforms as a tracking bug, not a decline in user engagement, with a fix now being implemented.

The issue, which began around Oct. 9, caused a substantial portion of traffic originating from ChatGPT to appear as ‘Direct’ in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) instead of being correctly attributed.

Graphite, a digital analytics firm, reported that ChatGPT-attributed sessions in GA4 for sites it tracks fell by 22 percent to 57 percent starting Oct. 9, representing an approximate 45 percent decrease from previous baseline levels. Separately, LLM Pulse observed a 46 percent reduction in ChatGPT sessions between Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 across monitored sites, while total website traffic remained stable.

The problem stemmed from ChatGPT opening links without the expected ‘utm_source=chatgpt.com’ tag or a referrer, according to analysts. This change led to visits being categorized as ‘Direct’ traffic within GA4.

Cedric Huesler of Adobe noted a daily decrease of about 31,000 ChatGPT visits and a corresponding rise of approximately 26,000 Direct visits across 500 pages between Oct. 9 and Oct. 13.

OpenAI confirmed on Oct. 14 that the discrepancy was due to a bug. The company stated that a fix began rolling out on Oct. 15, with subsequent data indicating that tagged ChatGPT clicks were returning to 95-100 percent of their previous levels.

The alteration in link behavior was linked to the rollout of GPT-6. During this period, inline links within ChatGPT responses ceased to carry the necessary tracking tags, while links found in the Sources panel and shopping links continued to retain them.

Tomek Rudzki at Peec AI found that ChatGPT began displaying direct URLs in 42 percent of its responses, a significant increase from an earlier range of 8-10 percent. Rudzki reported that 54 percent of these direct URLs pointed to home pages and also lacked proper tags or referrers.

Digital marketing experts like Glenn Gabe had initially raised concerns about the sudden drop, prompting investigations into the cause. The confirmation from OpenAI clarified that the observed changes were technical in nature rather than indicative of user disinterest.

Source: Search Engine Journal