Google Gemini Strips UTM Tags From Cited Links, Blurring AI Traffic Attribution
· 2h ago · Originally reported by PPC Land
A consultant's logs show Gemini-referred visits carrying UTM tags peaked at 83 per day before dropping to 3, with tagged links apparently losing their tracking parameters. Visits arriving without a referrer are being bucketed as Direct traffic, and Google has not commented on the change.
Why it matters
If AI assistants drop tracking tags, marketers lose the ability to see which traffic came from tools like Gemini, making it harder to measure AI-driven visits and optimize campaigns.
Explain it like I’m new here
It's like a friend handing out flyers with your coupon code scratched off — customers still show up, but you can't tell which friend sent them.
Terms in this story
Tracking pixel
A tracking pixel is a tiny piece of code, historically an invisible 1x1 image, that loads when a page or ad is viewed and reports that event to a server.
Attribution
Attribution is the process of assigning credit for a conversion, such as a sale, sign-up or install, to the ads, channels or touchpoints that a customer encountered beforehand.
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