Marchex Announces New AI Search Attribution Capability, Enabling Businesses to Capture LLM-Driven Call Sources and Link Them to Outcomes

Key Terms

dynamic number insertion technical

Dynamic number insertion is a web technology that shows different phone numbers or numeric values to visitors in real time so companies can track which ad, search term, or page brought each caller or conversion. For investors, it matters because it reveals how well marketing and sales channels actually perform, helping estimate customer acquisition costs and the reliability of reported revenue drivers—think of it as assigning a colored tag to each lead so you can see which path produced it.

ai-powered conversation intelligence technical

AI-powered conversation intelligence is software that listens to and analyzes spoken or written customer interactions—calls, chats and meetings—to summarize key points, spot trends, and flag risks. Like a smart assistant that reads every customer interaction and highlights what matters, it helps businesses improve sales, service and compliance by turning conversations into measurable actions. Investors care because it can boost revenue efficiency, reduce costs and create data-driven competitive advantages.

answer engine optimization technical

Answer engine optimization is the practice of writing and structuring content so search engines and voice assistants can pull a short, direct answer and show it at the top of results. For investors, it matters because press releases or filings that are surfaced as instant answers reach more readers quickly, shape the first impression of news, and can influence market attention and trading activity much like a prominent headline on a news ticker.

ga4 technical

GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is the current version of a web and app analytics tool that tracks how visitors interact with a website or mobile app, collecting data on actions like page views, clicks, and purchases. For investors, GA4 matters because it shapes how companies measure online customer behavior and advertising effectiveness—like swapping from an old map to a new GPS—and changes in tracking can affect reported digital revenue, marketing spend efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

llm technical

A large language model (LLM) is an advanced computer system trained on vast amounts of written text to understand and generate human-like language, similar to a very fast, well-read assistant that can summarize documents, draft messages, or answer questions. Investors care because LLMs can speed up research, automate customer support, and reduce costs, while also creating new product opportunities and risks around accuracy, bias, and regulatory oversight that can affect a company’s performance.

zero-click search technical

A zero-click search is when a search engine shows the answer directly on the results page so the user gets what they need without clicking through to a website. For investors, this matters because fewer clicks can reduce traffic, ad revenue and measurable engagement for companies that publish news or filings—like a store getting fewer customers because window displays answer shoppers’ questions before they step inside.

Closing the visibility gap as AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity drive more customer calls.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Marchex® (NASDAQ: MCHX), which harnesses the power of AI and conversation intelligence to provide actionable insights derived from prescriptive vertical-market data analytics, today announced a new key enhancement within its Engage Platform: the ability for businesses to accurately attribute and analyze LLM-driven phone calls resulting from consumers receiving brand information directly in an LLM search result, even when those customers never visit the company’s website.

As AI search assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot increasingly influence how consumers research solutions to problems and search for and evaluate businesses, marketers face a growing visibility gap at the very start of the customer journey. Marchex’s new capability enables businesses to identify when AI-search discovery directly leads to customer engagement, conversations, and revenue.

Uniting DNI, AI-Powered Conversation Intelligence, AEO, and GA4

Marchex’s new capability brings together four essential components of modern attribution:

• DNI — When Marchex Dynamic Number Insertion is enabled for LLMs, trackable phone numbers are shown to consumers, allowing businesses to see when a consumer query in an AI search engine results in a phone call.
• AI-Powered Conversation Intelligence — Marchex AI helps businesses understand every detail of each conversation (including those driven by LLM consumer searches), such as customer intent and conversation result, product or service of interest, the value of each lead, consumer sentiment, agent performance, and revenue outcomes.
• AEO — Answer Engine Optimization increases visibility in AI-generated search results and recommendations.
• GA4 Integration — unifies online digital and offline call activity into a single analytics view.

Together, these components form a comprehensive attribution framework designed for the AI-first era of customer engagement.

New Attribution Capability for AI-based Zero-Click Search

When AI search engines show phone numbers, customers can call right away—without visiting a landing page. This removes predominantly all traditional attribution signals.

With this enhancement, Marchex enables organizations to:

• Attribute AI-driven, DNI-enabled phone calls—even when customers never visit a website
• Identify which AI search engine (LLM) surfaced the business’s phone number
• Use AI conversation intelligence to measure call intent, call quality, and revenue outcomes
• Push call events directly into GA4 for unified analytics

“AI search is transforming how customers begin their journey,” said Troy Hartless, President and CRO at Marchex. “Our new capability helps businesses maintain visibility as discovery shifts toward AI-driven answers, giving them the clarity to understand how customer conversations begin and how they impact revenue.”

Connecting Calls to GA4 for Unified Attribution

As enterprises use Google Analytics 4 (GA4), tracking both online activities and offline call interactions becomes increasingly essential. Marchex’s enhanced AI search attribution makes this even more valuable.

With DNI-powered call attribution inside GA4, organizations can:

• See AI-driven phone calls logged as GA4 events
• Tie calls to campaigns, channel groupings, or AI search (AEO) strategies
• Track multiple call milestones (e.g., call start, qualified lead, appointment booked)
• Compare AI search performance alongside traditional digital channels
• Boost ROI by linking AI-powered discovery to engagement and results

“By expanding our DNI capability to capture AI search activity, we provide organizations with a trusted way to measure performance, validate significantly increasing AEO efforts, and make better informed decisions as AI discovery continues to evolve,” added Hartless.

Defining the Next Chapter of Attribution

As AI search grows into a dominant channel for consumer discovery, Marchex is helping businesses adapt with:

• Visibility into AI-driven call sources
• Accurate attribution without requiring website clicks
• Unified analytics through GA4
• Outcome-centric insights tied directly to revenue
• An attribution architecture built for evolving AI search behaviors

Marchex’s new AI search attribution capability marks a key step in how companies understand and improve customer journeys—beginning where AI-driven discovery starts.

About Marchex

Marchex harnesses the power of AI and conversation intelligence to provide actionable insights derived from prescriptive vertical-market data analytics. The Company enables organizations across business functions to optimize customer acquisitions and experiences, transforming conversations into valuable business outcomes. Marchex provides AI-powered conversation intelligence solutions for market-leading companies in leading B2B2C vertical markets, including many of the world’s most innovative and successful brands.

Please visit http://www.marchex.com/, www.marchex.com/blog or @marchex on X (formerly Twitter) (x.com/Marchex), where Marchex discloses material information from time to time about the company and its business.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251210528656/en/

Public Relations

Scott Rupp

srupp@marchex.com

Source: Marchex