The advent of Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence has revolutionised every industry, and the digital publishing industry is no exception. The use of ChatGPT, an autonomous artificial intelligence machine, has been mushrooming rapidly. However, it’s not without a few essential details for publishers to gauge.
From what we’ve gleaned from our market observations, there is a notable aspect related to the use of ChatGPT, especially concerning the referral traffic to publishers. Although these AI chatbots seem to be everywhere you look, the amount of direct traffic they are referring to digital publishers can be classified as minimal at best.
This may seem counter-intuitive given the rapid expansion of automated systems in content generation and distribution. Yet, this phenomenon is not wholly unsurprising if we delve deeper into the workings of digital publishing and the inherent limitations of these AI-powered chatbots.
Chatbots like ChatGPT, on the face of it, appear to be the cutting-edge tool that could streamline operations for publishers, given their ease of implementation and usability. However, when considering how these AI chatbots refer traffic to web publishers, it becomes clear why referral traffic remains limited.
It boils down to the way referral traffic works. Although AI chatbots can potentially reach a vast array of readers, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a direct increase in referral traffic. This is primarily because these chatbots don’t inherently have the capacity to follow through with readers and actively engage with them in a way that encourages clicking links and exploring more content.
Additionally, as chatbots are typically programmed to offer the most accurate and direct response to user queries, this often means that providing additional, potentially superflely, diverting site links may not be part of their primary function. Thus, referral traffic from chatbot interactions may remain low regardless of the volume of user engagements.
However, it’s important to note that this current state of affairs does not spell the end for chatbots in digital publishing. The ‘minimal referral traffic’ might initially discourage publishers. Still, it’s worth considering the other perks of employing chatbots, such as providing instant reader engagement, answering queries, and boosting customer service.
Furthermore, it’s an industry that is still in its development stage, and as AI technology continues to evolve rapidly, today’s limitations might not apply tomorrow. It’s plausible that future iterations of these AI chatbots will integrate more capabilities to boost referral traffic, ultimately assisting publishers to foster reader engagement and potentially increase their page views.
The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and who knows what future implications AI may have for the publishing industry. But for today, it’s a mixed bag of perks and quirks, minimal referral traffic and all.
