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SearchGPT or ChatGPT Search is Not Necc a Direct Competitor to Google

I have been gnashing my teeth at the main stream tech press since SearchGPT was bolted on to ChatGPT. The main problem is that they seem deeply invested in ginning something up with Google.

At first, I thought they didn’t understand what SearchGPT represented.  I figured they were just ignorant of the facts, and it would take a good SEO to straighten them out (Hi Mom!) It later dawned on me, that they might actually know what SearchGPT is but can’t be concerned with little things like facts. Like a roofer after a hail storm, it’s election season baby. It’s that time when readership sky rockets. It’s Christmas for reporters. Ye Haw!

They are so deep into headline trolling and the promise of clicks that any title with Google in it brings, that they simply don’t care about it.

Lets look at what the internet has had to say about SearchGPT:

  • I Tried ChatGPT Search and Realised Google is Too Good to Beat (mysmartprice)
  • ChatGPT Search vs. Google: Which One Produces the Most Useful Answers? PCMag
  • OpenAI Escalates War on Google With ‘ChatGPT Search’ PCMag
  • Bye, Google? 7 reasons I believe ChatGPT could be your go-to search engine Indianexpress
  • OpenAI adds search features to ChatGPT, challenging Google TechInAsia
  • ChatGPT has officially replaced Google Search for me – here’s why ZdNet
  • ChatGPT Search May Have A Shot At Google SEJournal
  • Is ChatGPT’s new search engine OpenAI’s Google ‘killer’? ThisWeek

In fact, looking down my feed reader, there are a staggering 160 stories in the last two weeks that include Google and ChatGPT Search in the headlines.

70 Headlines SearchGPT vs Google
As ChatGPT’s new search feature intensifies rivalry, here’s how Google is holding its ground Invezz
Bye, bye Google – how to make ChatGPT Search your default search engine in Chrome Tom’s Guide
Bye, Google? 7 reasons I believe ChatGPT could be your go-to search engine Indian Express
ChatGPT adds search function in challenge to Google CyberNews
ChatGPT and Google Gemini Predict XRP Price if Bitcoin Hits $500,000, as Predicted by Bloomberg The Crypto Basic
ChatGPT Debuts Powerful New Search Features To Rival Google All Work
ChatGPT has officially replaced Google Search for me – here’s why ZDNet
ChatGPT on the web moves closer to replacing Google Search Android Authority
ChatGPT Plus vs Google Gemini Advanced: Battle of the Premium AI Chatbots video CNET
ChatGPT releases a search engine, an opening salvo in a brewing war with Google for dominance of the AI-powered internet Fortune
ChatGPT rolls out a Google competitor with a skewed view of the news Poynter Online
ChatGPT search goes live as OpenAI aims to challenge Google Pocket Lint
ChatGPT Search is here to battle both Google and Perplexity Digital Trends
ChatGPT Search is here to take on Google GSMArena.com
ChatGPT Search is not OpenAI’s ‘Google killer’ yet TechCrunch
ChatGPT search is now live – and it could be the Google replacement you’ve been looking for TechRadar
ChatGPT Search is officially here to challenge Google’s throne 9to5Google
ChatGPT Search May Have A Shot At Google Search Engine Journal
ChatGPT Search vs Google Search: Which Is Better? Forbes
ChatGPT Search vs. Google vs. Bing: Search Results Review Search Engine Journal
ChatGPT Search vs. Google: Which One Produces the Most Useful Answers? PC Magazine
ChatGPT takes on Google Search directly by launching rival search engine Android Authority
ChatGPT takes on Google, Meta’s spending spree, and Microsoft’s data center problem: AI news roundup Quartz
ChatGPT wants to take on Google, and Microsoft with new launch Cryptopolitan
ChatGPT’s answer to Google Search is now available Android Police
ChatGPT, Google Gemini Predict Shiba Inu Price as BTC Makes New ATH on Expected Trump victory The Crypto Basic
ChatGPT: How to seamlessly integrate the app with Google Drive Android Police
ChatGPT’s Search Leap: Challenging Google’s Reign Wall Street Pit
Competition for Google? Open AI launches search version of ChatGPT. Details Hindustan Times
Goodbye Google? How to use ChatGPT’s new web search. Popular Science
Goodbye, Google – I spent the weekend with ChatGPT Search and I’m not going back Tom’s Guide
Google just gave its AI access to Search, hours before OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search VentureBeat
Hello Google, ChatGPT Just Became a Travel Search Engine Skift
How to replace Google with ChatGPT Search as your default search engine Mashable
How To Replace Google With ChatGPT Search In Your Browser Forbes
I just tested Google vs ChatGPT search – and I’m shocked by the results Tom’s Guide
I tried ChatGPT Search and now I might never Google again TechRadar
I Tried ChatGPT Search and Realised Google is Too Good to Beat MySmartPrice
Is ChatGPT about to upend Google’s long-reigning search dominance? CTech
Is ChatGPT’s new search engine OpenAI’s Google ‘killer’? The Week (US)
OpenAI adds search features to ChatGPT, challenging Google Tech in Asia
OpenAI adds search functionality to ChatGPT to compete with Google, Microsoft Nairametrics
OpenAI adds search to ChatGPT, challenging Google The Washington Post
OpenAI Brings Search Features to ChatGPT in Challenge to Google BNN Bloomberg
OpenAI challenges Google with ChatGPT search feature: How to use NewsBytes
OpenAI challenges Google with ChatGPT Search Mobile World Live
OpenAI challenges Google’s dominance with new ChatGPT search engine The News International
OpenAI Escalates War on Google With ‘ChatGPT Search’ PC Magazine
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT With Web Search, Taking Aim at Google’s Territory PYMNTS.com
OpenAI Finally Brings SearchGPT to ChatGPT, Challenges Google Search, and Marks the End of Perplexity AI Analytics India Magazine
OpenAI finally launches ChatGPT Search – but can it take on Google? The Independent
OpenAI Introduces ChatGPT Search, Sparking New Battle with Google Outlook Business
OpenAI just upgraded ChatGPT with a search engine to rival Google ZDNet
OpenAI launches ChatGPT search engine, challenging Google’s… Graphic Online
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search Engine, To Rival Google With No Plans For Ads News.ng
OpenAI launches ChatGPT search in direct challenge to Google’s search empire Yahoo! UK & Ireland
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search, Competing With Google, Microsoft TechRepublic
OpenAI launches ChatGPT with Search, taking Google head-on Ars Technica
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine, Entering Competition with Google Jakarta Globe
OpenAI launches its Google challenger, ChatGPT Search Yahoo! US
OpenAI lays down a major challenge to Google’s web dominance, as it adds a ‘search’ function to ChatGPT The Irish Independent
OpenAI releases ChatGPT search engine, taking on Google YEN
OpenAI Search Engine: Google, Microsoft Investors Worried; Alphabet Shares Down 2% Following ChatGPT Latest Feature News18.com
OpenAI takes on Google Search with the new ChatGPT search experience Neowin.net
OpenAI takes on Google with ChatGPT’s new search feature: Here’s how to try it out Mint
OpenAI takes on Google, releases ChatGPT search engine YourStory
OpenAI takes on Google: ChatGPT now searches the web for answers The Business Standard
OpenAI takes the fight to Google as ChatGPT Search rolls out Android Central
OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a search engine, aims directly at Google VentureBeat
OpenAI Unleashes Web Search in ChatGPT, Taking Direct Aim at Google Decrypt
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search Now Available as Google Alternative MacRumors
OpenAI’s new ‘Google killer’ feature is Sam Altman’s favorite since ChatGPT shipped: “It has probably doubled my usage over the past few weeks”
Review: ChatGPT Search is not OpenAI’s ‘Google killer’ yet Yahoo! US
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Update Coming Soon, Downgrading Content, AI Overviews Expands, ChatGPT Search, Volatility Continues & Unauthorized Ad Rep Changes
Upgrade alert! OpenAI integrates new search functions into ChatGPT in challenge to Google, Bing The Financial Express
Watch Out Google: ChatGPT Search Is Here to Bring Results for Your Every Query MakeUseOf

Why Should an SEO Care?

First, you can not approach these two beasts as an SEO as if they are equivalent. The difference is subtle: ChatGPT is a Conversational AI with supplemental search engine results and Google as a Search Engine with supplemental results from conversational AI. ChatGPT is meant to be prompted, and Google is meant to be queried.

Google is about keywords and long tail phrases, and ChatGPT is about questions, context, and discussion. This is why so many people are flamming on Google AI because it disrupts the way they traditionally have used a search engine.

Second, know that SearchGPT is not about being a real search engine just yet. It is about shutting the leaky backdoor. The #1 exit from ChatGPT is to Google according to SemRush data (h/t Michael King):

SemRush data showing ChatGPT’s #1 exit point is to Google

If OpenAI can shut the door a bit, it will increase engagement and time-on-site. I believe this is exactly what ChatGPT web search is intended to do – fullstop.

If OpenAI can limit the flow of external distractions by narrowing the options for users to leave the platform, engagement and dwell time will naturally rise. When users are nudged to rely on ChatGPT’s in-house answers rather than veering off to other sites, it reinforces a self-contained ecosystem where people can explore and interact without the disruption of leaving to search elsewhere. This creates a more immersive environment, enhancing the stickiness of the experience.

The web search capability, therefore, serves a dual purpose. On one hand, it expands the AI’s ability to provide up-to-date information and more exacting responses. On the other, it effectively contains the search within ChatGPT’s own interface, allowing OpenAI to retain users longer. This setup cultivates a space where users can satisfy their curiosity and find answers with minimal friction, making ChatGPT not just an assistant but a one-stop information resource.

But the thing that’s exciting to me is not that we can go build a better copy of Google search, but that maybe there’s just some much better way to help people find and act on and synthesize information. Actually, I think ChatGPT is that for some use cases, and hopefully we’ll make it be like that for a lot more use cases.

-Sam Altman – Lex Friedman interview.

Real World Optimization Differences

SearchGPT Google
Content That Reads Smoothly And Naturally Structured, Hierarchical Content
Answers Questions Directly And Succinctly Transactional, Or Navigational Intent
Prompt Optimization Query Optimization
Information Density Faq’s Long Form Content To Increase Dwell Time
Engagement Time Serp Click Rates
Optimization For Consensus With Llm Training Sites Site Optimization For Eeat
Semantic Clarity Schema Markup
Information Generation Information Retrieval
Where Google is Headed Where Google desperately wants to be

It’s a crucial step in positioning ChatGPT as more than a chatbot, nudging it closer to the realm of an all-in-one information ecosystem.

Here’s why this matters and how it likely ties into OpenAI’s overarching goals:

  • User Retention and Stickiness: The primary goal behind closing the backdoor isn’t merely to prevent users from switching to Google; it’s about cultivating a habit. When users grow accustomed to obtaining relevant and on-point information with ChatGPT, their reliance on external se’s will wane. The habit reinforces ChatGPT’s utility as a go-to solution for questions from simple queries to complex research.
  • Enhanced UX : A key driver of Google exits has to have been ChatGPT’s limitations in accessing real-time data,navigational requests, or more specific informational requests. By reducing the need to exit for “second-opinion” searches, OpenAI can craft a more seamless, frustration-free experience.
  • Data Collection and Feedback Loop: With more users staying on-site, OpenAI has a greater opportunity to gather valuable feedback and interaction data, which can be used to refine ChatGPT’s answers, improve conversational flow, and adjust the types of information prioritized in responses. This feedback loop helps AI’s ability to meet user needs, making it increasingly competitive as an information source.
    ChatGPT begins to promote Search GPT usage with a popup
  • Competitive Positioning Against Google: Even though it is not ready to take on Google directly, it does put a stake in the ground that Google can’t ignore. If ChatGPT can handle common informational tasks well, Google becomes less necessary. This adds pressure on Google to innovate in response, potentially paving the way for OpenAI to capture a share of the search market over time.
  • Revenue and Monetization Potential: Keeping users engaged longer on ChatGPT has obvious monetization implications. Higher engagement means more opportunities for upselling advanced features, premium subscriptions, or even introducing ad models. Increased engagement metrics can also enhance OpenAI’s bargaining power with potential partners, investors, or advertisers by showcasing a captive audience.

  • Fish Slap: The lawsuits against OpenAI over its use of web content for training data are somewhat unfair, especially considering that Google has been doing something similar for nearly 20 years. Google’s AI generates titles and descriptions based on crawled data much like OpenAI’s models, with one significant difference: Google offsets this by driving traffic back to websites. OpenAI, without a search engine to reciprocate with clicks, lacks that cushion. Perhaps if OpenAI introduced a search engine of its own, it could balance the dynamic a bit by sending some traffic back to sources, evening out the competitive field.

    In short, while ChatGPT isn’t a direct search engine competitor yet, the implementation of web search capabilities serves as a strategic containment measure, keeping users within the ChatGPT ecosystem longer. If successful, this move not only boosts ChatGPT’s immediate utility but may signal the beginning of a subtle shift in how people interact with online information, slowly shifting reliance away from traditional search engines.

    We are going to come back to the “all-in-one information ecosystem” quite a bit in the coming years. I strongly believe we are headed towards a OpenAI email system, a browser, and a document system online. I believe Altman has major stars in his eyes and he wants it all.

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