ChatGPT fixes bug causing website traffic reporting errors

Emily Jones

A tracking issue affecting ChatGPT has been fixed following reports of a sharp decline in referral traffic.

The problem emerged around 8th-9th October, shortly after the rollout of GPT-6. Websites began reporting significant drops in traffic attributed to ChatGPT, despite evidence suggesting that visitors were still arriving.

The issue was traced to changes in how ChatGPT handled outbound links. Links were no longer consistently including the utm_source=chatgpt.com tracking parameter, while referral information was also being suppressed.

Without either of these signals, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and other analytics platforms were classifying visits as Direct traffic rather than attributing them to ChatGPT.

What happened to ChatGPT referral traffic?

Adobe engineer Cedric Huesler investigated the issue across approximately 500 web pages, identifying around 31,000 fewer daily visits attributed to ChatGPT alongside an increase of approximately 26,000 Direct visits.

The findings suggested that much of the apparent decline was caused by incorrect attribution rather than visitors disappearing.

According to Huesler, OpenAI confirmed the bug on 14th October, with a fix beginning to roll out on 15th October.

What does this mean for SEO reporting?

For businesses and SEO agencies, the incident highlights the importance of interpreting AI referral data carefully.

Reports covering 8th – 15th October may underestimate ChatGPT-driven visits while overstating Direct traffic, meaning at first glance, ChatGPT traffic may look to have dropped, when in actuality it’s instead been incorrectly categorised. Although tracking has substantially recovered, historical attribution data is unlikely to be corrected automatically.

Businesses should review their GA4 acquisition reports, compare Direct traffic with previous ChatGPT referral trends and flag the affected dates.

With the rise of GEO (generative engine optimisation), and ChatGPT becoming a more important source of website traffic among other AI tools, this incident highlights the importance of clear, accurate reporting.

If you need help making sense of your website traffic, speak to our team at Engage Web.

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Emily Jones

Digital Marketing Manager at Engage Web

Emily is no stranger to the world of online content. By the age of just 14, a novel she wrote on the story-writing website Wattpad had amassed more than a million views!

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