ChatGPT UTM source on Google results

funnelhacker

ran a quick audit on my top organic positions today and spotted something bizarre. The first result in a Google SERP had utm_source=chatgpt.com appended to the URL. My first thought: are we getting referral traffic from AI-generated backlinks now? Then a colleague pointed out it's by design - ChatGPT adds UTM parameters to external links it cites. Honestly, this is a tracking goldmine if you're measuring AI-driven discovery. means you can isolate that traffic source and optimise for it. worth checking your own top queries - the data might already be there

emailwiz

Mind sharing the keyword and URL?

cpaoptimizer

yeah, I've seen this a bunch of times - and it's not exclusive to ChatGPT's UTMs either. what's usually happening is the site has a weak or messy link profile, and because internal link equity is all over the place, non-canonical pages sneak into the index. Don't stress though - Google will swap it out for the canonical URL after the next crawl cycle. it's temporary.

paperclick

Mind if I ask for a quick screenshot or the actual keyword/URL? Had a similar thing pop up in my analytics last month - turned out to be a referrer misattribution from someone testing ChatGPT in their browser. Would be curious to compare

cpaoptimizer

I wouldn't blame AI backlinks for this one. More often than not, that utm_source=chatgpt.com shows up when someone opens the site through ChatGPT's search or browsing feature, then shares or clicks a tracked link from there.

ppcnerd

Yes, they tag cited links with utm_source. deliberate design - a tiny lighthouse in the fog of referral traffic

funnelhacker

Ya sure. Here is the query
“GEO: Generative Engine Optimization Aggarwal”