In short. Filter Session source for chatgpt.com in Traffic acquisition, then examine the recorded medium and campaign values.
Definition: ChatGPT referral visits in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) are recorded sessions attributed to ChatGPT as their traffic source. The Traffic acquisition report supports finding sessions labeled
chatgpt.comand examining their source, medium and campaign values.
Key facts
- As of 17 October 2026, Google's Traffic acquisition documentation describes a report covering both new and returning users.
- Google's report filter documentation supports exact matching on dimension values, allowing a source label to be isolated.
- Google's campaign URL documentation explains that URL campaign parameters reach Analytics when someone clicks a referral link.
- Google's traffic-source processing documentation states that a new campaign source encountered during an existing session does not start a new session.
Where is the report, and which dimension matters?
Google's Traffic acquisition report gives this navigation path:
Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition
A session is a period of interaction with a website or app. A dimension is an attribute used to group report data. Session source identifies the publisher or source associated with a session; Session medium describes the acquisition method. Session source / medium displays their combination.
The report initially groups traffic by the default channel grouping, a rule-based classification of traffic sources. For source-level inspection, the table's dimension picker allows switching to Session source or Session source / medium, as explained in Google's dimension instructions.
Traffic acquisition includes returning visitors. User acquisition describes where new users originate, so Traffic acquisition fits the question of visits during a reporting period.
How does the ChatGPT source filter work?
Google's filter instructions describe selecting + Add filter, a dimension, a match type and a dimension value, then choosing Apply. Applied to the source label in this entry, the configuration is:
Dimension: Session source
Match Type: Exactly matches
Value: chatgpt.com
The filter targets that exact source value. Adding it updates both the chart and the table. The filtered Sessions metric counts sessions attributed to that source.
Google's acquisition documentation also supports searching for a traffic source in the search bar above the table. After selecting Session source, a search for chatgpt.com provides a way to inspect matching rows before applying an exact filter.
Session source / medium then shows the medium recorded alongside the source. Filtering on source alone leaves those recorded medium values available for inspection.
What do campaign labels tell a website owner?
UTM parameters are labels added to a destination URL for campaign measurement. Google's campaign URL guide defines utm_source as the referrer label, utm_medium as the marketing medium and utm_campaign as the campaign label. For a URL carrying this source parameter:
utm_source=chatgpt.com
the value to investigate is chatgpt.com. Source, medium and campaign occupy separate reporting fields. A source label alone supplies no campaign name; Google explains that missing UTM parameters can produce (not set) values.
Session campaign can be added as a secondary dimension using Google's dimension picker instructions. This breaks the filtered source down by the campaign values available in the property.
The campaign guide also explains that UTM parameters are omitted from Landing page + query string and Page path + query string. Page location holds that URL information, making it the relevant dimension when investigating collected campaign parameters.
Related terms
FAQ
Why is Traffic acquisition missing from my navigation?
Google's report documentation says the report may have been removed or may be absent from the default view. An Editor or someone with a higher role can add it back.
Why does my ChatGPT source have no campaign name?
Check whether the arrival URL contains utm_campaign. Google's campaign guide explains that missing campaign parameters produce (not set) values in reporting.
Does every tagged click become a separate session?
Google's processing documentation assigns one campaign or traffic source to each session. If a new source arrives during an existing session, the new values apply to the collected events without changing that session's source.
Sources
- Google, "[GA4] Traffic acquisition report", accessed 17 October 2026
- Google, "[GA4] Apply filters to detail reports", accessed 17 October 2026
- Google, "URL builders: Collect campaign data with custom URLs", accessed 17 October 2026
- Google, "Campaigns and traffic sources", accessed 17 October 2026
- Google, "[GA4] Change dimensions in detail reports", accessed 17 October 2026
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