E1 · The key event
40 minPick the action that matters, fire the event with the source page, and mark it as a key event.
Done when: you clicked the button and the event showed up in the Realtime report, with the source page.
Lesson 7 · 18 min
Conversion goal and AI-sourced traffic in GA4
Search Console shows who arrived from search. It doesn't say what the person did afterward, or who came from an AI assistant. That's what analytics is for: a conversion goal with the source page and a channel of its own for visits coming from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot and the like. Some of them land in "Direct"; the lesson shows why.
Start the lesson
In this lesson you will
- 1Why a visit is not a result
- 2A conversion goal with the source page
- 3An "AI Assistants" channel in GA4
- 4Why some AI traffic shows up as Direct
Goal: create a conversion goal with the source page and a channel of its own for visits coming from AI assistants in GA4.
01From visit to conversion, by source
Click each block.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
The AI number in GA4 is a floor: what has a marked source. The rest is hidden in Direct.
02Goal and channel in four steps
Menu names change over time; look for the name of the function. Click each step.
1. The goal
Pick an action that shows real interest: joining the community, asking for a quote, downloading the material.
One well-chosen goal is worth more than ten events nobody looks at.
At INEMA
The method includes the "Join the community" event with the source page. In INEMA's analytics (Plausible), this goal was still listed as pending in October 2026. The goal is the part that most often gets pushed back; put it on your calendar.
2. The key event
Fire an event when the action happens, and mark that event as a key event in the GA4 admin.
Check in the Realtime report that it shows up when you click it yourself.
3. The AI channel
In the admin, look for Channel groups and create a custom group based on the default.
Add the "AI Assistants" channel with the source rule from the regex below, and place it above Referral; the order decides which rule catches the visit.
4. The reading
Cross channel and landing page with the key event. Ask: which page brings people who convert?
Don't compare your number with studies: ChatGPT's share of AI traffic ranges from 63% to 92% depending on the sample.
03The channel rule and the event
Templates to copy. Swap what is between < > for your own.
Source regex for the "AI Assistants" channel
chatgpt\.com|perplexity|copilot|gemini\.google|claude\.ai
Conversion event with the source page (gtag, template)
document.querySelector('<seletor do botão>').addEventListener('click', function () {
gtag('event', '<entrar_comunidade>', { pagina_origem: location.pathname });
});Monthly log (template)
| month | channel | visits | conversions | top converting page | |---|---|---|---|---| | <mm/aaaa> | Organic Search | <n> | <n> | </pagina/> | | <mm/aaaa> | AI Assistants | <n> | <n> | </pagina/> | | <mm/aaaa> | Direct | <n> | <n> | </pagina/> |
Simulation: illustrative example
| channel | visits | conversions |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Search | 420 | 9 |
| AI Assistants | 35 | 3 |
| Direct | 310 | 4 |
Made-up numbers to teach the reading. Few AI visits, but a high conversion ratio: it's worth looking at which pages they opened.
- Floor, not total: a visit with no source lands in Direct.
- Perplexity: according to a blog report, GA4 doesn't recognize it on its own; that's why it's in the regex.
- Studies disagree: ChatGPT's share ranges from 63% to 92% depending on the sample; don't use it as a goal.
04Practice: goal and channel connected
No GA4? The same applies to Plausible or another analytics tool: goal + source.
E2 · The AI channel
30 minCreate the custom channel group with the "AI Assistants" channel above Referral.
Done when: the group shows up in the acquisition reports; if there was already a visit from chatgpt.com or perplexity.ai, it is in the new channel, not in Referral.
05Test what you learned
The explanation appears after your answer.
Question 1 of 4
GA4 shows 35 visits from AI assistants in the month. Is that the total that came from AI?skill
Correct
Apps and browsers don't always send the source. The real number is higher, and there is no reliable measure of how much.Not this one
Apps and browsers don't always send the source. The real number is higher, and there is no reliable measure of how much.Review: From visit to conversion, by sourceQuestion 2 of 4
Why does the AI channel need to sit above Referral?
Correct
The first rule that matches gets the visit. The specific channel comes before the generic one.Not this one
The first rule that matches gets the visit. The specific channel comes before the generic one.Review: Goal and channel in four stepsQuestion 3 of 4
One study says ChatGPT is 92% of AI traffic; another says 63%. Which one should you use as a target?
Correct
Shares from different studies can't be compared. Your own month-by-month history is the yardstick.Not this one
Shares from different studies can't be compared. Your own month-by-month history is the yardstick.Review: Goal and channel in four stepsQuestion 4 of 4
Why does the goal need the source page?
Correct
It's the link between SEO (which brings the visit) and the result (the action). Without it, the page with the most visits looks like the best one.Not this one
It's the link between SEO (which brings the visit) and the result (the action). Without it, the page with the most visits looks like the best one.Review: From visit to conversion, by sourceQuiz complete
You got {a} of {n} right. Get them all right and the lesson is marked as complete.Pick an answer. The explanation shows up after you try.
06Take with you
A goalThe action that matters, with the source page.
Its own channelAI Assistants separated from Referral, above it in the order.
2026 yardstickThe AI number in analytics is a floor. Official citation dashboards (Search Console for generative AI, Bing AI Performance) are covered in course 4.