LLM Traffic Rivals Organic Search for Conversions: New Study
▼ Summary
– LLM referral traffic converts at a rate of 4.87%, which is not significantly different from organic search’s 4.6% conversion rate.
– LLM traffic accounts for less than 1% of total website sessions, while organic search drives about 32% of sessions.
– Conversion performance from LLM traffic is inconsistent across websites, with no built-in quality advantage over organic search.
– The main challenge with LLM traffic is its limited scale rather than conversion quality, according to the study.
– Organic search remains dominant in both scale and reliability, and LLM traffic is not expected to replace it soon.
A new study examining website traffic patterns reveals that referrals from large language models (LLMs) do not convert significantly better than traditional organic search, challenging claims that AI-driven traffic inherently delivers more qualified visitors. The research, conducted by digital marketing agency Amsive, analyzed six months of GA4 session data across 54 websites with validated macro conversions such as form submissions or purchases.
The findings show that organic search traffic converted at a rate of 4.6%, while LLM referrals came in at 4.87%. Although this appears to be a slight advantage for LLMs, statistical testing confirmed the difference was not meaningful. Even on websites with higher volumes of LLM traffic, the conversion lift did not hold up under scrutiny.
One of the most telling insights from the study is the disparity in traffic volume. LLM-driven visits accounted for less than 1% of total sessions, whereas organic search made up approximately 32%. This highlights a critical gap between the potential quality of AI-referred users and their actual impact due to limited scale.
Performance across sites was inconsistent—some saw LLM traffic outperform organic, while others experienced the opposite. This variability suggests that conversion success depends more on how AI tools surface and present content than on any inherent superiority of LLM referrals.
These results align with earlier research, including a May study by SALT.agency, which found that organic traffic generally led in user engagement. AI-referred clicks showed a slight advantage only in specific niches like health and career-related content.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear: organic search remains the dominant force in both volume and reliability. While it’s wise to monitor LLM traffic as it evolves, businesses should not anticipate AI-driven referrals to supplant search as a primary conversion channel in the near future.
(Source: Search Engine Land)