AI search is training us to be conversational – but Google can’t track it

Here’s the irony that’s about to break SEO traffic tracking as we know it: AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are training millions of people to ask detailed, conversational questions. Yet Google Search Console – the tool we all rely on to understand the search phrases behind our search traffic – is completely blind to these exact types of queries.

A new study by Thomasz Rudzki of ZipTie Dev has just proven what many of us suspected: the more conversational search becomes, the less visibility we have into what’s actually driving our traffic.

The AI effect on how people search

We’re living through a massive shift in search behaviour, and AI tools are the driving force. When people get brilliant results from asking ChatGPT “What’s the best project management software for a 15-person creative agency that works remotely?” they start applying that same conversational approach to Google.

The problem? Google’s become excellent at answering these detailed questions – the study found AI summaries appeared on 80% of conversational queries tested – but Search Console still can’t track them properly.

It’s like having a shop assistant who’s brilliant at helping customers but completely forgets to log what they asked for.

The conversational search explosion

Multiple factors are creating this perfect storm:

Voice Search adoption: Around 20% of the global population uses voice search regularly. When people speak to their devices, they naturally use complete sentences and conversational language.

AI tool training: Millions of people now interact with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools daily. These tools reward detailed, specific questions – and that behaviour carries over to traditional search.

Natural evolution: Even before AI went mainstream, search was becoming more conversational. Back in 2010, 55% of searches were already longer than three words.

The result? Instead of typing “copywriter Northampton,” people now ask “Which copywriter in Northampton specialises in technical B2B content and understands SaaS companies?”

Google’s not tracking AI conversations

Here’s where it gets frustrating. The study proves that Google Search Console is completely missing this conversational traffic. Researchers ran experiments asking Google detailed questions repeatedly, then checked if those queries appeared in Search Console.

The results were stark: absolutely nothing showed up. Zero conversational queries were tracked, despite them driving real traffic to websites.

Even worse, Google only starts tracking queries once they reach a certain popularity threshold. Since each conversational variation might only get searched a few times individually, they never cross that threshold – even though collectively they represent massive traffic volumes.

The data desert we’re walking into

This creates a massive blind spot that’s getting worse by the day. As I’ve written before about GSC hiding your click data and average position being meaningless, these tools were never perfect. But now they’re becoming actively misleading.

Consider this scenario: Someone searches “What’s the difference between a limited company and sole trader for freelance graphic designers?” – finds your accountancy website, and converts into a £3,000 annual client. That conversion-driving search? Completely invisible in your reports.

Meanwhile, your Search Console might show you ranking well for “limited company” – a broad term that brings browsers, not buyers.

Why this matters for your business

This isn’t just a technical problem – it has real commercial implications:

You’re optimising for yesterday’s search behaviour: While you’re focusing on short keywords that show up in reports, your actual customers are asking detailed questions that remain invisible.

Content gaps go unnoticed: You might never know that people are searching for “step-by-step guide to changing from sole trader to limited company” because each specific variation stays below Google’s reporting threshold.

Conversion quality is misunderstood: Conversational searches often indicate higher intent. Someone asking “best WordPress developer for e-commerce sites under £5k budget” is much closer to buying than someone searching “WordPress developer.”

So what can you do?

Since Google’s tracking can’t keep up with modern search behaviour, you need to adapt your approach:

Think like your customers think NOW: Use AI tools yourself to understand how people naturally phrase questions about your services. Ask ChatGPT what questions people might have about your industry – it’s surprisingly good at this.

Focus on complete answers: Instead of targeting individual keywords, create content that answers the full, detailed questions people are actually asking. Think comprehensive guides rather than keyword-targeted snippets.

Monitor your Pages, not your Queries: The Pages report in the Performance section of Google Search Console is far more reliable. If your “startup accounting guide” page is getting steady organic traffic but related keywords show minimal data, you know there’s invisible conversational traffic happening.

Use multiple data sources: Customer enquiries, sales conversations, and support tickets often reveal the exact language people use when they have genuine intent to buy.

Please read the original study

The original study includes fascinating experimental methodology and technical details about query thresholds. Read the full technical breakdown here if you want to understand exactly how they proved these tracking failures.

Be sure to thank Thomas and ZipTie on Twitter, without people doing research like this, we’re all in the dark about AI search and the future of SEO.

Sorry, but it’s only going to get worse

As AI tools become more prevalent, this problem will accelerate. More people will learn to ask detailed, specific questions – exactly the type that Google struggles to track.

We’re entering an era where the most valuable search traffic might be completely invisible to our standard reporting tools. The businesses that recognise this early and adapt their strategies accordingly will have a significant advantage.

Making sense of your invisible traffic

If you’re looking at your Search Console data and wondering what’s really driving your website traffic, you’re asking the right questions. The gap between what’s happening and what’s being reported is widening every day.

Want to understand what’s actually going on with your search performance beyond the limitations of standard reporting? Book a 1:1 Google Search Console consultation and I’ll help you piece together the full picture of your search traffic – including strategies for capturing insights from the invisible conversational queries that standard tools can’t track.

Because in a world where the most valuable searches are becoming invisible, understanding what you can’t see might be more important than understanding what you can.