A major concern among marketers is that the growth of these tools is reducing organic clicks, making it harder for organic content to remain visible. But maybe, we as marketers, are looking at this from the wrong angle—what if this “AI traffic” is actually more valuable for website performance? Early evidence suggests that might be the case. What’s becoming increasingly clear is that visitors who land on your website from AI-driven referrals are more engaged and have higher intent than traditional search audiences.
Why Engagement From AI Traffic Matters
Engagement isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a leading indicator of revenue potential. Recent research highlights just how widespread this reliance on AI search has become: roughly 68% of LLM users depend on platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for researching, gathering, and summarizing information. Similarly, about 80% of traditional search users rely on AI summaries at least 40% of the time. Visitors who stay longer, consume more content, and convert at higher rates represent the exact type of audience brands want to attract.
But there’s another reason this shift matters: traditional clicks are disappearing. Bain & Company reports that 60% of searches now end without a click, thanks to AI summaries that answer questions directly on the results page. That means the traffic you do get from AI search is precious, high-quality, and worth optimizing for.
AI Traffic Is Different—and More Valuable
Recent studies have confirmed what many marketers are starting to see in their analytics:
- Higher conversion rates: A research from Seer Interactive shows ChatGPT referrals convert at nearly 16%, compared to just under 2% for Google Organic.
- Longer session durations: A recent study found AI chatbot referrals average over 10 minutes per session, outpacing traditional search traffic by 28.4%.
- More pages per visit: AI-referred users explore more content, averaging 12+ pages per session in some studies.
This trend suggests that AI search users arrive better informed, more intentional, and more qualified. By the time they click through to your site, they’ve already engaged with AI-generated summaries, FAQs, or content recommendations. That pre-qualification leads to stronger performance across engagement and conversion metrics.
Adapting SEO for the AI Era
If AI-driven traffic is more valuable, then strategies must evolve to capture it. Traditional keyword rankings matter less on their own—what’s critical is making content AI-friendly and AI-visible through Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Structure content so it can be selected directly for AI-generated answers. For example, use FAQs, concise definitions, and bullet points that AI systems can easily extract and surface.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Ensure your content is well-structured and semantically rich so AI search engines can weave it into summaries. For instance, using schema markup, clear headings, and context-rich paragraphs helps AI tools generate authoritative responses.
By prioritizing AEO and GEO alongside traditional SEO, marketers can secure visibility in both AI summaries and referral traffic. The evolution of search is clear: optimize for AI, and you’ll attract far more valuable visitors. The evolution of search is here, and it’s powered by AI. While AI-generated summaries reduce overall click volumes, the clicks that do reach your site are proving far more valuable. These visitors are engaged, intentional, and ready to convert.
Ready to Capture AI Traffic?
At Helio, we help brands adapt their SEO and content strategies for the AI era—so you don’t just get found, you get found by the right audience.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you turn AI-driven traffic into your most valuable conversions.
