Admiral Media says ChatGPT visitors convert 4.6x better than average

Admiral Media published a case study on answer engine optimization after testing the approach on its own website from March to September 2026. The agency says visitors from ChatGPT were 4.6 times more likely to send a contact form, as AI-driven discovery becomes a bigger share of buyer behavior.

Why it matters: - Admiral Media’s test suggests AI answer engines are becoming a meaningful new discovery channel for agencies and brands. - The agency says ChatGPT visitors converted at 4.6x the site average, pointing to a potential shift in how buyers shortlist vendors. - The company is now offering the same program to app clients.

What happened: - Admiral Media published a case study on answer engine optimization, or AEO, after testing the approach on its own website. - The test ran from March through September 2026. - Visitors who arrived from ChatGPT were 4.6 times more likely to send a contact form than the site’s average visitor. - The work was led by Kevin Dosanjh, Admiral Media’s AI Infrastructure Lead.

The details: - The team made one page specifically for AI tools to clearly explain who Admiral Media is. - Admiral Media changed site rendering so case studies were readable as soon as a page loaded, including for AI tools that skip scripts. - The agency fixed contradictory hidden labels, also known as structured data, across the site. - Pages were rewritten around the questions buyers actually ask. - The team tracked, every day, which agencies AI assistants recommended. - Across non-branded app marketing questions tracked on ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, AI assistants named Admiral Media in about 3 in 10 answers. - That share was the highest among the 15 agencies Admiral Media monitors, based on Peec AI data from 16 to 22 September 2026. - Admiral Media said Google search impressions fell 39% from the March peak over the same period. - Visits from AI assistants grew more than fourfold between March and August. - The 4.6x figure reflects behavior on Admiral Media’s own website, where a lead is a contact form. - The company has not yet proven the same effect for direct App Store visits and installs. - The full case study, including method and data sources, is available here.

Between the lines: - The results reflect a broader shift from search pages toward AI-generated answers as the first stop in the buying process. - Admiral Media is positioning AEO as one part of a wider acquisition stack, alongside paid social creative, app store optimization and Apple Ads. - The company’s data shows visibility inside AI answers can matter even when traditional Google search visibility weakens. - Andre Kempe, founder and CEO of Admiral Media, said buyers now find brands in three places: the feed, the store and the answer. - Kempe also said the real growth comes from making those three channels work together.

What’s next: - Admiral Media said it is now measuring whether the same lift appears in direct App Store visits and installs. - The company plans to keep tracking which agencies AI assistants recommend across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. - Admiral Media is continuing to market the AEO program to app clients.

The bottom line: - Admiral Media’s test makes a strong case that AI answer visibility can drive high-intent traffic, even as classic search performance softens.