DOES AI DRIVE MORE DIRECT TRAFFIC?

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

An analysis of 12 GA4 properties found no reliable evidence that AI-driven visits are hiding in Direct traffic. Total Direct sessions rose 141% from January to September, but engaged sessions stayed nearly flat due to bot traffic. Across 632 tests, AI visibility also showed no consistent link to subsequent branded search or Direct traffic. To measure AI's impact, track brand mentions across consistent prompts and platforms. Ask leads how they discovered you, then connect their responses to qualified leads, purchases, and revenue.