AI Visitors Visit Fewer Pages and Bounce More Often Than Traditional Search Visitors

Posted on June 24, 2025
Source: Data & Studies – SEO Blog by Ahrefs by Louise Linehan. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Analyzing AI Traffic Quality and User Behavior Compared to Search Traffic

AI traffic visitors browse fewer pages per session but spend slightly longer time on site, indicating more focused intent. However, AI users exhibit a higher bounce rate compared to traditional search visitors, suggesting either quick satisfaction or possible dissatisfaction. Despite this, AI-driven traffic shows significantly higher conversion rates, highlighting its potential value for websites and creators.

Optimixed’s Overview: Understanding the Nuances of AI Traffic Versus Traditional Search Traffic

Insights into User Behavior from AI Versus Search Traffic

Recent analysis of nearly 82,000 websites between May and June 2025 reveals key differences in how visitors from AI platforms behave compared to those from traditional search engines. The study differentiated between:

  • Search traffic: Visits from search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, including AI-powered search features.
  • AI traffic: Visits originating from conversational AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, and Gemini.
  • Overall traffic: Aggregated data from all referral sources.

Key Behavioral Findings

  • Page Visits: AI visitors view on average 4 pages per session, fewer than search visitors who view about 5.2 pages.
  • Session Depth: AI users browse fewer pages per unit of time (2.27 pages/session duration ratio) compared to search users (2.79) and overall averages (2.99).
  • Time on Site: AI visitors spend slightly longer per session—approximately 8 seconds more—but their browsing is more concentrated on fewer pieces of content.
  • Bounce Rate: AI traffic has a 4.1% higher bounce rate than search traffic and 5.4% higher than overall averages, indicating more one-off visits.

Interpreting the Data

The behavior of AI visitors suggests a stronger, more precise intent: users come with specific goals, likely having conducted prior research through AI tools. This can mean:

  • Positive interpretation: Users find what they need quickly and convert at higher rates—data shows up to 23 times higher conversion rates for AI traffic than organic search in some cases.
  • Potential downside: Higher bounce rates could also signal dissatisfaction if content or site experience isn’t tailored to AI-driven visitors’ expectations.

Conclusions and Future Considerations

While AI traffic does not outperform search traffic across all user engagement metrics, its unique pattern of concentrated visits and elevated conversions makes it a valuable channel worth monitoring closely. The rise of AI as a traffic source is already impacting acquisition strategies, with companies reporting significant revenue boosts linked to AI-originated visitors. As tracking tools improve, deeper insights into AI-driven conversions will enable websites to optimize content and user experience specifically for this emerging audience.