AI Search ROI Is Messy. Here's How to Measure It Anyway
Ahrefs has published a method for estimating the return on investment of AI search visibility work, arguing that perfect attribution is impossible because AI answers often end a journey without a click and referrer data is frequently stripped.
The approach splits costs into those that exist only because of AI search, such as tracking tools or agency retainers, and shared costs like content team salaries and SEO platforms. Teams estimate the shared share by asking what proportion of time went on AI work, then apply the same proportion to tool spend. A worked example puts a quarter's AI search costs at $27,000.
Revenue is estimated either from conversions directly attributable to AI referrals, multiplied by average customer value, or from customer survey data. Ahrefs notes that tracked revenue will undersell the real figure because AI is usually one touchpoint in a longer journey.
The article cites Forrester finding that 94% of business buyers now use AI search when buying, and NielsenIQ putting consumer product research via AI at 42%. Searches for AI attribution and ROI keywords have grown 212% over 18 months, according to Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer data.
Reported by Ahrefs Blog ↗
Topics: Measurement, ChatGPT, Citations