Google Search Ad Visits Generated More Revenue Than ChatGPT

Advertisers generated substantially less revenue per visit from ChatGPT ads than from paid search traffic in the United States, according to data reported by Search Engine Journal. The findings also showed that most advertisers received no sales from their ChatGPT ad visits.

The comparison focuses on revenue per visit: the amount of sales revenue associated with traffic from each advertising source, measured against the number of visits. On that basis, ChatGPT ad visits produced only a fraction of the revenue attributed to Google Search ad visits. The finding about advertisers with no sales is a separate measure, describing how widely sales were recorded across the advertisers examined.

The summary of the report does not specify the size of the revenue gap, the number of advertisers included or the period covered by the data. It also does not provide a breakdown by industry or campaign. Those details matter when assessing how closely the comparison matches an individual advertiser’s market and account.

Revenue per visit is useful for comparing traffic sources, but it is not the same as profit or return on advertising spend. A campaign’s costs and the value of the sales it generates are separate considerations. Nor does the finding that most advertisers recorded no sales from ChatGPT ad visits establish how much revenue the remaining advertisers generated.

The results provide a reason to examine the two channels separately rather than treating all ad-driven visits as equivalent. Marketers reviewing the full report should check how visits and sales were measured, which advertisers were included and whether the figures relate to their own business objectives. The comparison reported here is limited to U.S. traffic.

What this means for marketers

Compare revenue per visit alongside advertising costs when evaluating campaigns, and review sales attribution for each traffic source. Before applying the reported results to a budget decision, check the full study’s scope and methodology against the markets and campaigns being assessed.