AI visitors stay 68% longer on average — but the median lift is 27%

Across 101,574 sites, SE Ranking reported mean session duration for AI-referred visitors at 9 minutes 19 seconds against 5 minutes 33 seconds for organic search — a 67.7% gap. That is the figure most often repeated.

The same study also publishes the medians: 2 minutes 24 seconds for AI referrals against 1 minute 53 seconds for organic, a gap of roughly 27%. Both are true. The difference is distribution — the mean-to-median ratio is 3.9x for AI referrals versus 2.9x for organic, meaning a small number of very long sessions pull the average up.

Teams who need to justify AI traffic value to management or to clients.

Anyone with GA4 access who can check the numbers directly.

This changes how the argument is made. Build a case on 68% and the first person with a GA4 login can dismantle it.

Read the other way, a 27% median lift is a solid result: AI-referred visitors do arrive later and closer to a decision. It is just less flattering than 68%.