Gemini Stopped Adding UTM Tags to Cited Links After Three Weeks, Shifting Visits to Direct in Logs
TLDR
Gemini appears to have stopped tagging cited links with UTM parameters after about three weeks, and visits without a referrer now register as Direct, with Google not commenting.
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
In one consultant's logs, tagged Gemini visits peaked at 83 a day before falling to 3. Visits arriving with no referrer are being counted as Direct, and Google has not addressed the change, as PPC Land reports.
How we got here: earlier coverage
- Oct 30Gemini Appears to Have Stopped Adding UTM Parameters to Cited URLs
Google appears to have stopped appending UTM parameters to the cited URLs in Gemini's AI responses, after it began adding them in early September.
- Oct 3Google Adds Fact-Checking to AI Content Guidance as Gemini Links Display UTM Tags
Google is adding fact-checking expectations to its AI content guidance, Gemini links are exposing UTM parameters in search results, and desktop click-through rates declined in Q2.
- Oct 1Google Gemini adds UTM parameters for clearer traffic attribution
Google Gemini now attaches UTM parameters to referral links, enabling site owners to track traffic from the AI platform in their analytics systems.
- Sep 3Early testing shows Gemini 3.8 Flash in Google AI Mode less likely to cite and link to sources
Early users report that Google's new Gemini 3.8 Flash model in AI Mode cites and links to sources less frequently than previous versions.