Hybrid Setup - Maximum Bot Detection

Catch every bot, including fast crawlers like OpenAI that leave before external scripts load. Combines immediate inline tracking with enhanced bot detection signals.

Why Use Hybrid Setup?

The Problem

Some AI crawlers (notably OpenAI's crawlers) execute JavaScript but leave pages before external scripts finish loading. The standard async script approach misses these fast bots entirely, leading to underreported AI traffic.

The Solution

Hybrid setup uses a critical inline pixel that fires immediately (catches fast bots), plus the full external script that adds enhanced bot detection signals. Deduplication ensures you don't double-count visits.

How It Works

Critical Pixel Fires Immediately

Inline script executes synchronously. Tracks URL, referrer, screen size, and viewport. Uses sendBeacon for reliability.

External Script Adds Enhanced Data

Full tracking script loads asynchronously, doesn't block page. Adds connection type, session management, SPA tracking, and other advanced features.

Backend Deduplicates Automatically

Server-side deduplication using session ID and timestamp (10-second window). Only one pageview recorded, even though both pixels fire.

Installation

Add the following code to your HTML, just before the closing </body> tag:

HTMLRecommended for Maximum Coverage

<!-- AI Search Index Tracking (Hybrid Setup) -->
<!-- Critical pixel fires immediately to catch fast bots -->
<script>
;(function(){try{var key='_asi_sid';var sid;try{sid=sessionStorage.getItem(key);if(!sid){sid=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,15);try{sessionStorage.setItem(key,sid);}catch(_){}}}catch(_){sid=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,15);}var p=new URLSearchParams();p.set('tid','YOUR_TRACKING_ID');p.set('url',location.href);p.set('ts',Date.now());p.set('sid',sid);if(document.referrer)p.set('ref',document.referrer);if(screen){p.set('sw',screen.width);p.set('sh',screen.height);}p.set('vw',innerWidth);p.set('vh',innerHeight);var url='https://www.aisearchindex.com/api/pixel?'+p;if(navigator.sendBeacon){navigator.sendBeacon(url);}else{var img=new Image(1,1);img.src=url;img.style.cssText='position:absolute;left:-9999px;visibility:hidden';img.alt='';if(document.body){document.body.appendChild(img);}}window.__asi_critical_fired=true;}catch(_){}})();
</script>

<!-- Full tracking script adds enhanced bot detection (loads async) -->
<script 
  src="https://www.aisearchindex.com/pixel.js" 
  data-tid="YOUR_TRACKING_ID"
  async
></script>

<!-- Fallback for browsers with JavaScript disabled -->
<noscript><img src="https://www.aisearchindex.com/api/pixel?tid=YOUR_TRACKING_ID" width="1" height="1" style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;visibility:hidden" alt="" /></noscript>

Important: Replace YOUR_TRACKING_ID with your actual tracking ID from the dashboard.

Performance Impact

Critical Pixel

~600 bytes minified. Executes in <1ms. Zero blocking.

Impact: Negligible

External Script

~2KB gzipped. Loads async. CDN cached.

Impact: Minimal

Single Page Apps (SPA)

For React, Vue, Next.js, and other SPAs, add the data-spa="true" attribute to the external script:

<!-- Critical pixel (same as above) -->
<script>
;(function(){...})();
</script>

<!-- Full script with SPA support -->
<script 
  src="https://www.aisearchindex.com/pixel.js" 
  data-tid="YOUR_TRACKING_ID"
  data-spa="true"
  async
></script>

The critical pixel only tracks the initial page load. The external script handles all client-side navigations.

Setup Comparison

Feature	Standard	Hybrid
Catches fast bots (OpenAI)	❌	✅
Catches slow bots	✅	✅
Enhanced bot detection signals	✅	✅
SPA support	✅	✅
Session tracking	✅	✅
Setup complexity	Simple	Moderate
Code size (total)	~2KB	~2.6KB
Bot detection coverage	~85%	~98%

When to Use Hybrid Setup

✅ Use Hybrid If:

You need to track OpenAI and other fast crawlers
You want maximum bot detection coverage
You're seeing suspicious gaps in your AI traffic data
Your content is being used in AI responses but not showing in analytics

Standard Setup Is Fine If:

You only need to track slower bots (Google crawlers, Perplexity, etc.)
You prefer simpler setup
You don't mind missing some fast bots

Next Steps

Get your tracking ID from the dashboard Configure advanced options See other installation methods