Free Tool
AI Search ROI Calculator
Work out what your AI search work returns, with one formula:
(AI revenue − AI cost) ÷ AI cost × 100
Enter costs and revenue for the same period. The form opens with example figures so you can see how it works.
How the Calculation Works
You can't measure AI search ROI exactly. The aim is a defensible estimate you calculate the same way every quarter, in four steps.
- Add up AI costs. Pure AI costs count in full. Shared costs count by the share of time or spend that went on AI work.
- Estimate AI revenue. Tracked revenue is AI-referred conversions × average customer value. Self-reported revenue is the AI share of survey respondents' revenue, applied to all new-customer revenue.
- Work out the ROI. (AI revenue − AI cost) ÷ AI cost × 100. Anything above 0% means the work paid for itself.
- Add ad-equivalent value (optional). (Monthly AI impressions × mention rate ÷ 1,000) × CPM, scaled to your reporting period and reported next to the ROI.
Treat the result as a floor. AI tools often strip referrer data, so AI visits land in "direct" in your analytics, and many buyers who see your brand in an AI answer never click at all. Both mean tracked revenue undercounts, which is why the self-reported figure usually comes out higher.