The Role of AI in SEO: A Shift in the Landscape
The role of AI in SEO has kept rapidly evolving over the past few months. Google formally launched AI Overviews in May, and Bing launched its generative search pilot in July, with a full launch at the start of October. On July 25, OpenAI announced a SearchGPT prototype. Then, on October 31, it launched ChatGPT Search.
ChatGPT Search Observation Summary
- SearchGPT will (and can) cite webpages that do not rank in the top 100 classic search results of Bing. This raises the importance of understanding the difference between indexed and ranked.
- There are discrepancies between Bing’s own generative results and the SearchGPT responses. More often than not, these are substantial.
- A single domain can have multiple pages cited within a single response.
- SearchGPT’s response for the same query can vary, even if the search is made from the same ChatGPT account and IP.
- On some niche queries I tested that have limited information online, SearchGPT was more accurate than both Google and Bing.
- The local search experience feels lacking, and for a number of queries, not trustworthy.
- Some SearchGPT maps can be populated wholly by results from a single source, and the number of “map results” tends to decrease the more sources are included.
- Data-stringify-indent=”0″ data-stringify-border=”0″>Some cited links from SearchGPT were appended with the parameter?utm_source=chatgpt.com when clicked on. UTM tracking is a key feature.
- Ranking higher in Bing doesn’t mean referencing better in SearchGPT, but it’s more closely aligned than AI Overview data.
- Responses are heavily text-driven. Some do trigger a map (local searches) and others images – but these aren’t guaranteed.
- Queries in fashion and travel tend to trigger images in the response ahead of other queries when tested.
- The image sources in carousels don’t appear to be included in the citations sidebar.
- It is possible for content behind a paywall to be cited by SearchGPT.
- SearchGPT can cite a webpage that returns an active 404 when you try to view it.
- SearchGPT exhibits a better understanding of time-sensitive queries than AI Overviews, even when a time variable isn’t included in the query.
Increasing Bing Market Relevance & Importance To ChatGPT Search Inclusion
Bing is fast becoming a search engine we need to change our views on. For as long as I can remember, Bing has always been an afterthought to the industry and has only really been prominent in specific sectors and target markets.
While its direct market share might not be growing to rival Google in that sense, the fact that Bing is being utilized by multiple large language models (LLMs), and ChatGPT Search is no exception.
This means that websites (and webpages) not indexed by Bing will not appear in ChatGPT Search.
Comparing SearchGPT, Google, And Bing Search Results
To see how the search results in ChatGPT compare to both Bing and Google, I’ve looked at a number of queries across Local, Your Money or Your Life (YMYL), ecommerce, and some informational/time-sensitive searches that I’ve personally performed over the weekend.
I’ve tried to live with ChatGPT search for 48 hours rather than subjecting it to a barrage of random queries.
“Cheese Not Sticking To Pizza”
This was a prominent query that Google’s AI Overviews fell down on earlier this year, drawing scrutiny from the mass media.
Do I Think This Will Disrupt Google?
Google has been facing disruption since the mass market’s relationship with mobile devices changed.
Moving away from desktop and utilizing apps and browsers to research, shop, and be entertained opened the doors for new platforms to compete for screen time and attention.
AI platforms, such as SearchGPT, will disrupt Google as adoption increases and the “early majority” of consumers start to use LLM platforms daily for tasks they otherwise would have engaged the wider Google ecosystem with.
Which Search Is Best?
In testing SearchGPT felt as though it had a better understanding around time sensitive queries and used more recent sources.
Removing visual experience from the equation, SearchGPT is better as objectively you want recent content when you’re searching for information around holidays, gifts, products for “now,” and not viewpoints from over a year ago.
For local search, ChatGPT Search still has a long way to go and falls short of were Google and Bing are.
Closing Thoughts
Brett Tabke has referred to SearchGPT as the “final” search engine, and I agree with this.
While SearchGPT currently offers certain advantages over Google and traditional search models, it is still a work in progress.
However, its potential trajectory is one of the key insights to take away from SearchGPT.
This development indicates that user interaction with the internet is evolving once again, and as SEO pros, we must adapt as an industry.
Conclusion
The rise of platforms like TikTok highlights the shift toward multi-modal search, urging us to move beyond a narrow focus on the “engine” aspect of our work.
The core principles of SEO, particularly technical SEO, will always remain relevant, as AI crawlers must crawl, identify, and access content similarly to traditional search engine crawlers.
I believe it’s time for us to adjust our SEO terminology, shifting the conversation from ranking to referencing, and realigning what the overall success of an SEO campaign is.
FAQs
Q: What is ChatGPT Search?
A: ChatGPT Search is a search engine developed by OpenAI that uses artificial intelligence to generate search results.
Q: How does ChatGPT Search differ from traditional search engines?
A: ChatGPT Search uses a different algorithm that prioritizes relevance and accuracy over traditional ranking factors, and it also incorporates large language models (LLMs) to generate search results.
Q: Will ChatGPT Search disrupt Google?
A: Yes, ChatGPT Search has the potential to disrupt Google as adoption increases and more users start to use LLM platforms for their daily search needs.
Q: How do I optimize for ChatGPT Search?
A: The best way to optimize for ChatGPT Search is to focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that is easily accessible and crawlable by AI crawlers.
