Free Tools to Track LLM Traffic, AI Overviews, and AI Citations in 2025

AI-first search has changed how visibility is measured. Google AI Overviews now reach hundreds of millions of users, while platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok serve citations directly in their answers. Marketers cannot rely on click data alone. Tracking AI citations, impressions, and assisted outcomes is now essential.

For deeper background on these shifts, see our AI SEO, LLM SEO and GEO guide.

The Click Decline: What Research Shows

Independent studies confirm what marketers are seeing in analytics: when AI summaries appear, clicks drop sharply.

• Pew Research (July 2025) found that traditional results were clicked only 8% of the time with an AI summary vs 15% without. Just 1% clicked a link inside the summary itself (source: Pew Research on AI summaries).
• Earlier reports indicated 58 – 60% of searches end without any click and another reason why AI citations and visibility matter more than traffic counts.

SEO Insight: In this new environment, measuring clicks alone is misleading. Your KPIs must evolve.

What Exactly Should You Measure?

Q: If clicks are falling, what’s the new success metric?
A: Think in three layers:

• AI Citations: Does your content appear as a source in Perplexity, AI Overviews, Copilot, or Gemini?
• Zero-Click Impressions: Rising impressions in Google Search Console without corresponding clicks indicate AI/summary exposure.
• Assisted Outcomes: Leads, demos, or signups where users mention “found you via AI/overview.”

Free Tools to Track AI Visibility

1. Perplexity (Free Citation Checks)

• Shows numbered citations for each answer.
• Run target queries weekly (e.g., “What is GEO?”, “FAQ schema for AI answers”).
• Export and log which URLs are cited and in what position.
• Pro tip: Use concise Q&A blocks and tables formats Perplexity cites most.

2. Google Search Console (Impressions-First View)

• Still the core SEO performance tool.
• AI Overviews traffic is blended into impressions.
• Practitioners noticed that AI Mode impressions are beginning to surface separately in GSC. Save views of top informational pages and track impressions vs clicks.

Use our Schema Markup Services to structure FAQPage, QAPage, and Dataset schema for improved eligibility.

3. Manual Checks in ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Grok

• Maintain a weekly prompt list (20 – 30 priority queries).
• Screenshot and log results when your brand is cited.
• Why it matters: Independent testing showed that Google’s AI Mode is the most accurate, followed by ChatGPT, while others lag (source: Washington Post on AI accuracy).

4. Wix AI Visibility Overview

• For Wix users, this feature (launched mid-2025) tracks citations across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude (source: TechRadar on Wix AI Visibility).
• Useful for CMS users but platform-specific.

Which Content Formats Get Cited More Often?

• Q&A Blocks & Table Summaries – highly extractable by LLMs.
• FAQPage / QAPage Schema – improves eligibility for rich results.
• Speakable Schema – boosts Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and voice-readiness.
• Dataset Schema – ideal for statistics and structured data.
• CreativeWorkSeries – clusters your pillar and related blogs for topical authority.

Learn how Semantic SEO Services and entity-first optimization help your site get cited and selected.

How Do AI-Era Metrics Change Reporting?

Q: My board only cares about traffic, what should I show?
A: Add a second scoreboard: AI Presence.

• AI Citations: Appear in Google AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini.
• Zero-Click Impressions: Impressions up, clicks flat/down = AI exposure.
• Assisted Outcomes: Leads mentioning AI discovery.
• Brand Lift: Increased branded queries and direct visits.

Use these KPIs to reset expectations and show leadership that visibility, not just traffic, matters.

Key Takeaways

• Track citations, not just clicks. Tools like Perplexity and GSC give early signals.
• Structure content for reuse. Schema types (FAQPage, Dataset, Speakable, CreativeWorkSeries) make your site more AI-citable.
• Invest in conversion. As clicks decline, each visit carries higher intent—optimize with CRO Services.
• Plan for the future. AI-first search will only grow. Prepare now with LLM SEO & AI Visibility Services.

About the Author (Subhash Jain)
Subhash Jain is the Founder of Samyak Online and a long-time practitioner of Semantic SEO, schema-driven content, and GEO. He helps brands grow AI citations and convert zero-click exposure into pipeline.

Need a tracking-first AI SEO plan? Explore Semantic SEO Services, Schema Services, and CRO Optimization to turn AI visibility into measurable outcomes.