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What conversion rate difference did you find between LLM-driven traffic and traditional search traffic?

MeasurementE-commerceAI Product

Drawn from Lutz Finger's Forbes column, LinkedIn writing, and Cornell teaching. Sources are cited inline so you can read the originals.

LLM traffic converts nearly nine times better than traditional search.

In A/B tests I conducted with Cornell Master’s students, we compared regular keyword search with an AI-guided, conversational search experience inside the site search of several e-commerce stores. The difference was stunning: LLM-generated traffic converted at almost 9x higher rates than traditional search. This isn’t just about volume, it’s about value. LLM-driven traffic behaves more like a personal recommendation than a keyword query, which explains why users convert at dramatically higher rates when they follow those links or act on suggestions.

Study Shows LLM Conversion Rate Is 9x Better — AEO Is Coming · Forbes


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