Channels

Configure marketing channels to attribute AEO-driven traffic and track multi-channel performance.

Last updated August 31, 2026

Channels lets you define and monitor the traffic sources relevant to your brand - combining AI-referred traffic with traditional channels for a unified view of your marketing performance.

Default channels

AEO Goal pre-configures common traffic channels:

Channel Description
AI Engines Traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini referrals
Organic Search Traffic from Google and Bing organic results
Direct Direct URL entry or unknown referrer
Social Traffic from social media platforms
Email Traffic from email campaigns (requires UTM tagging)
Paid Search Traffic from paid search ads
Referral Traffic from other websites

Custom channels

To add a custom channel (e.g. for a specific referral partner):

  1. Go to Settings → Channels.
  2. Click Add Channel.
  3. Enter a channel name.
  4. Define URL patterns that match this channel (e.g. partner.com, *.partner.com).
  5. Click Save.

Sessions from matching referrers will be attributed to your custom channel.

Channels dashboard

The Channels view shows for each channel:

  • Sessions
  • Conversion rate
  • Conversions
  • Bounce rate
  • Pages per session

This lets you compare AI Engines against Organic Search - often revealing that AI-referred visitors have higher intent and convert better.

UTM tracking

For email and paid campaigns, use UTM parameters to ensure accurate channel attribution:

  • utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email for email campaigns
  • utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc for paid search

Sessions without UTM parameters from email or paid will fall into Direct or Referral.

AI engine channel detail

Click AI Engines in the channels list to drill into a per-platform breakdown:

  • Which AI engine sent the most traffic
  • Which AI engine’s traffic converts best
  • Which pages AI-referred visitors land on most

Frequently asked questions

What does the Channels feature do?

Channels lets you define and monitor the traffic sources relevant to your brand, combining AI-referred traffic with traditional channels for a unified view of your marketing performance.

How do I add a custom channel?

Go to Settings then Channels, click Add Channel, enter a channel name, define URL patterns that match this channel, and click Save. Sessions from matching referrers will be attributed to your custom channel.

Why should I use UTM parameters?

For email and paid campaigns, UTM parameters ensure accurate channel attribution. Sessions without UTM parameters from email or paid campaigns will fall into Direct or Referral instead.

What does the AI engine channel detail show?

Clicking AI Engines in the channels list drills into a per-platform breakdown showing which AI engine sent the most traffic, which engine's traffic converts best, and which pages AI-referred visitors land on most.