Baidu Now Measures AI Citations with Click-Through Rate Based on Citations Rather Than Impressions

Baidu introduced a new AI Traffic Analysis report that changes how click-through rates are calculated for AI-generated content. Instead of the standard formula dividing clicks by impressions, Baidu's AI CTR divides clicks by citations—a meaningful shift in how the search engine quantifies user engagement with AI-powered results. The distinction affects how SEOs interpret traffic data from Baidu's AI features and requires careful interpretation of what the metric actually reveals about content performance.