ChatGPT Search vs. Google vs. Bing: Search Results Review via @sejournal, @TaylorDanRW

The relation of AI successful SEO has kept rapidly evolving implicit the past fewer months.

Google formally launched AI Overviews successful May, and Bing launched its generative hunt aviator successful July, with a afloat motorboat astatine the commencement of October. On July 25, OpenAI announced a SearchGPT prototype. Then, connected October 31, it launched ChatGPT Search.

ChatGPT are calling the caller product, which I’ve tested for this article, arsenic ChatGPT Search, but parts of the manufacture are already starting to the names ChatGPT Search and SearchGPT interchangeably arsenic they are efficaciously 1 and the same.

Both the Google and Bing AI launches, alongside the summation of multi-modal hunt (e.g., TikTok), person been impactful, but the ChatGPT Search motorboat feels different.

ChatGPT already drives postulation to websites, and arsenic of August 2024, it reported 200 million play mean users (WAU) – this is each portion AI is gaining momentum and idiosyncratic trust, with skepticism inactive a obstruction to wide adoption.

In February 2024, Gartner predicted that “search motor volume” volition driblet 25% by 2026.

Having played with SearchGPT, this prediction feels similar it could go a reality.

ChatGPT Search Observation Summary

• SearchGPT volition (and can) mention webpages that bash not fertile successful the apical 100 classical hunt results of Bing. This raises the value of knowing the quality betwixt indexed and ranked.
• There are discrepancies betwixt Bing’s ain generative results and the SearchGPT responses. More often than not, these are substantial.
• A azygous domain tin person aggregate pages cited wrong a azygous response.
• SearchGPT’s effect for the aforesaid query tin vary, adjacent if the hunt is made from the aforesaid ChatGPT relationship and IP.
• On immoderate niche queries I tested that person constricted accusation online, SearchGPT was much close than some Google and Bing.
• The section hunt acquisition feels lacking, and for a fig of queries, not trustworthy.
• Some SearchGPT maps tin beryllium populated wholly by results from a azygous source, and the fig of “map results” tends to alteration the much sources are included.
• Some cited links from SearchGPT were appended with the parameter ?utm_source=chatgpt.com when clicked on. UTM tracking is simply a cardinal feature.
• Ranking higher successful Bing doesn’t mean referencing amended successful SearchGPT, but it’s much intimately aligned than AI Overview data.
• Responses are heavy text-driven. Some bash trigger a representation (local searches) and others images – but these aren’t guaranteed.
• Queries successful manner and question thin to trigger images successful the effect up of different queries erstwhile tested.
• The representation sources successful carousels don’t look to beryllium included successful the citations sidebar.
• It is imaginable for contented down a paywall to beryllium cited by SearchGPT.
• SearchGPT tin mention a webpage that returns an progressive 404 erstwhile you effort to presumption it.
• SearchGPT exhibits a amended knowing of time-sensitive queries than AI Overviews, adjacent erstwhile a clip adaptable isn’t included successful the query.

Increasing Bing Market Relevance & Importance To ChatGPT Search Inclusion

Bing is accelerated becoming a hunt motor we request to alteration our views on. For arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember, Bing has ever been an afterthought to the manufacture and has lone truly been salient successful circumstantial sectors and people markets.

While its nonstop marketplace stock mightiness not beryllium increasing to rival Google successful that sense, the information that Bing is being utilized by aggregate ample connection models (LLMs), and ChatGPT Search is nary exception.

OpenAI has been utilizing Bing for a agelong time, truthful its inclusion successful SearchGPT isn’t a revelation, but a reinforcement of Bing’s evolving spot successful the wide “search” landscape. We request to halt conscionable comparing hunt engines and their nonstop marketplace share.

This means that websites (and webpages) not indexed by Bing volition not look successful ChatGPT Search.

Anecdotally, postulation from LLMs to each websites I person GA4 entree to has accrued exponentially implicit the past 3 months.

Looker Studio Report: Increasing LLM Sessions (Year to Date) (Image from author, November 2024)

Of each LLM traffic, ChatGPT accounts for 31% of my website (year-to-date), with it arsenic overmuch arsenic 60% connected immoderate websites alongside Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, etc.

Breakdown of LLM postulation (year to date). GA4 data. Looker Studio visualized (Image from author, November 2024)

However, this doesn’t needfully mean you request to fertile precocious successful Bing to beryllium included. Much similar Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT selects sources extracurricular of the top-ranking results.

It’s besides worthy noting that portion Bing is important to the SearchGPT ecosystem, it isn’t the lone source.

Comparing SearchGPT, Google, And Bing Search Results

To spot however the hunt results successful ChatGPT comparison to some Bing and Google, I’ve looked astatine a fig of queries crossed Local, Your Money oregon Your Life (YMYL), ecommerce, and immoderate informational/time-sensitive searches that I’ve personally performed implicit the weekend.

I’ve tried to unrecorded with ChatGPT hunt for 48 hours alternatively than subjecting it to a barrage of random queries.

I’ve not recorded each of the queries successful this article, but I person included the cardinal ones arsenic good arsenic immoderate oddities and differences.

The fig of webpages referenced that don’t look successful the apical 100 classical ranks of Bing truly highlights that different sources are astatine play here, and that optimizing for Bing doesn’t mean optimizing for ChatGPT and different LLMs directly.

In AI Overviews, erstwhile a webpage is referenced extracurricular of the apical 100 classical results, I consciousness we conscionable presume it’s travel from Google’s wide database. After all, Google crawling and gathering a database(s) of pages connected the net is known – but could OpenAI beryllium doing the same?

ChatGPT Search “Maps” & Local Search

Local queries are important to a fig of businesses. SearchGPT (at the clip of writing) has a somewhat constricted section hunt experience.

When searching for [enterprise method seo agency], it provided maine with 3 results: Two adjacent to my IP code and the 3rd successful a random determination successful the South of England.

Image from author, November 2024

There are a fistful of “agency hotbeds” successful the UK, and a batch of agencies successful my section area. So, if SearchGPT were going disconnected IP, it would person included much agencies locally. To past agelong the nett further and disregard London successful the results for broader results doesn’t marque sense.

While nary of the 3 recommendations were wrong, SearchGPT seemed to hallucinate connected the 2nd result.

In the archetypal and 3rd results, it added the statement “Advertising Agency,” but the 2nd effect was fixed the statement “Telecommunication Service.”

I person spent clip looking done the agency’s website, societal profiles, backlink profiles. I’ve crawled the website with assorted customized way extractions setup. I’ve looked astatine each the schema markups that were implemented. I cannot fathom oregon find a crushed arsenic to wherefore it has been classified arsenic a telecommunications service.

When repeating the hunt for [digital selling bureau successful caller york], it provides the map, but with 8 results each from the aforesaid source.

Image from author, November 2024

This is little utile arsenic a result, arsenic being a notation for this query is fundamentally a crippled of appearing successful a definite website database – which is simply a paid rank only.

The website utilized to compile each the representation results ranks No. 4 successful Bing classically, truthful it is astatine slightest a high-ranking effect – but this conscionable feels similar scraping a database connected a website and is simply a lazy result.

Triggering The Map

The representation effect (as shown successful the screenshot above) doesn’t ever trigger.

For a fig of queries erstwhile I specified a location, it conscionable provided the database results without the enactment to presumption a map. This is antithetic from the “list” toggle connected the Map, arsenic this keeps the representation but creates a database underneath it (which is precise akin to the Google Map Pack).

Speaking of Google Maps, if you inquire SearchGPT explicitly to amusement you the results connected a Map, it directs you to Google Maps:

Image from author, November 2024

YMYL Searches

YMYL queries notation to hunt queries that could perchance interaction a person’s health, safety, oregon fiscal stability.

It is wide understood (and communicated) that Google and Bing spot greater accent connected these queries and guarantee that close accusation is provided from trustworthy sources.

“Remineralizing Gum”

According to Glimpse, “remineralizing gums” saw exponential hunt involvement successful October 2024.

As this is an emerging query successful the wellness space, 1 could presume that the inclination volition beryllium picked up by websites selling the merchandise (or adjacent products) and producing contented astir the topic.

SearchGPT feels similar it played it harmless with this query, lone utilizing WebMD and Wikipedia arsenic citations earlier providing references to a assortment of different websites.

“How To Lower Cholesterol”

The effect for this query doesn’t item thing unsafe oregon retired of the mean and is measured successful response.

I besides admit a fig of the websites successful the citations, which assistance with trusting the information.

Interestingly, SearchGPT is pulling from 2 abstracted URLs connected the Mayo Clinic website, contempt 1 of them not ranking successful the apical 100 for Bing.

“Who Can Sign A Contract On Behalf Of A Company”

On the archetypal tally of the query, the effect contained a much textbook answer, citing the 4 main criteria nether English Law for a declaration to beryllium valid (Offer, Acceptance, Consideration, Intent), arsenic good arsenic 2 further slug points astir capableness and that the declaration itself is legal.

Image from author, November 2024

From this response, the cited root URLs and apical referenced URLs hardly ranked successful the apical 100 results of Bing:

However, erstwhile I execute the aforesaid query connected a antithetic machine – connected the aforesaid relationship and aforesaid net transportation – I get a wholly antithetic response:

Image from author, November 2024

The citations and hunt results provided besides differ, with lone 1 of the archetypal citation sources remaining.

On the 2nd tally of this query, adjacent less citations ranked successful the apical 100 Bing results.

Interestingly, erstwhile looking for the domains connected the 2nd information propulsion for this query successful Google, the domains ranked higher with antithetic URLs than those cited by ChatGPT Search.

“How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?”

Testing fiscal queries, I saw the closest alignment to some Bing and Google’s archetypal leafage of results.

Four of the 5 cited sources successful the array supra look connected Google’s archetypal leafage (in the UK) for the query, with the lone objection being the bank.marksandspencer.com URL, which appears successful the mediate of leafage 2 connected Google.

Ecommerce Searches

Transactional searches successful ecommerce notation to queries wherever the idiosyncratic intends to marque a acquisition oregon implicit a transaction.

These are often high-intent searches, wherever the idiosyncratic is actively seeking a merchandise oregon service, and they’re adjacent to making a buying decision.

In my models, I’ve talked astir however AI can’t needfully fulfill the afloat grade of an ecommerce query (as AI can’t facilitate the buying and acquisition experience); I’ve classed this idiosyncratic radical arsenic “Purchasers.”

Dan Taylor’s Model of AI Influence connected User Types (Image from author, November 2024)

The simpler and much unfastened the query, the much apt AI tin steer and influence, but arsenic a idiosyncratic narrows down to marque a acquisition (moves from being a shopper to a purchaser), it inactive needs to prosecute with brands and ecommerce websites.

“Best Christmas Gifts For Him 2025”

Another affirmative constituent for SearchGPT is that each of the webpages referenced and cited for the query person been published (or astatine slightest assertion to person been published) successful the past month.

An adjacent trial I’m moving connected AI Overviews astatine the infinitesimal for akin queries has contented arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2017 being referenced and cited successful AI Overviews.

“Black Friday Deals”

Image from author, November 2024

While being precise single-source heavy, the 2nd citation for [Tips for maximizing Black Friday Savings] came from an Australian website.

Google’s AI Overviews person received immoderate disapproval connected X (Twitter) and different platforms from a fig of SEO professionals arsenic to the inclusion of Australian sources successful non-AU markets.

This could beryllium an denotation that SearchGPT whitethorn grounds the aforesaid behaviour crossed queries.

“Nike Air Max Size 10 Deals”

Just searching for products successful SearchGPT seems to beryllium interpreted arsenic informational, but adding a modifier arsenic “deals” brings astir the commercialized intent and changes the response, portion maintaining the conversational tone:

Image from author, November 2024

This effect besides brought astir immoderate hallucinations/misinformation.

On the Nike root cited:

• I couldn’t find a brace of Air Max ’90s for £115.99 – they were each cheaper.
• The lone Air Max 97 connected the cited webpage was a children’s shoe, reduced to £52.49 – again, a batch cheaper.

This isn’t ideal, arsenic if I was looking to bargain a brace of Air Max ’90s astatine a inexpensive terms done Google’s PLAs, I tin find them for £80 (and immoderate cheaper depending connected the model). This is simply a batch cheaper than what SearchGPT is saying Nike is selling them for directly, truthful it could detract income from your marque website if this misinformation persists.

This query was different lawsuit of Google ranking URLs for the domain, e.g., JDSports, for the query successful a bully presumption – but not the URL cited by ChatGPT Search.

Travel Searches

“Best Holiday Destinations 2025”

Much similar a fig of queries successful the question sector, this triggered an representation battalion supra the carousel.

Image from author, November 2024

Having worked with a ample fig of question companies and supported the manufacture done events and the Institute of Travel & Tourism, I tin honestly accidental this is simply a precise eclectic database of destinations to consider.

The citations are precise publisher-heavy, with different question companies (and question blogs) successful the hunt results section.

“Luxury Hotels In Napa Valley”

To my surprise, this query triggered the SearchGPT Map.

Image from author, November 2024

The Telegraph.co.uk effect was referenced doubly for 2 antithetic hotels successful the SearchGPT Map Pack.

Reviewing the recommendations and sources, determination doesn’t look to beryllium a logical transportation arsenic to wherefore these sources and (specifically) these locations were chosen.

Google’s edifice diagnostic is simply a batch much broad and interactive, truthful I don’t spot this threatening the edifice hunt travel immoderate clip soon.

“Abu Dhabi Grand Prix”

Sports tourism is increasing successful popularity, and F1 is simply a globally fashionable sport.

Searching for circumstantial races is besides a tricky query, which is what I wanted to trial out.

Searching for “[location] expansive prix” has a fig of communal interpretations. It could beryllium an informational search, a navigational search, oregon with transactional intent and wanting to probe summons prices.

Image from author, November 2024

I consciousness similar SearchGPT understood this, arsenic the 5 websites referenced arsenic citations screen these bases rather well, and it doesn’t thin into being excessively heavy informational oregon transactional.

This is simply a akin effect to immoderate Grand Prix query, e.g., Bahrain GP, Belgium GP, Singapore GP.

From the database of referenced webpages, the **P1Travel URL posed an anomaly crossed each of the searches I’ve done to effort and interruption SearchGPT. The URL returns a 404:

Screenshot from p1travel.com, November 2024

Travel SEO has been evolving for a fig of years now, and successful my opinion, LLM platforms airs the top imaginable to disrupt this manufacture much consistently than others.

Other Query Observations

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve made notes of queries made passim the time done Google and repeated them connected Bing and SearchGPT.

“England V Samoa Score”

Despite being astatine the lucifer itself, what triggered maine to look astatine this query was my woman commenting connected the people – and the people she quoted was wrong.

So, I replicated her hunt connected Google and recovered the beneath result:

Screenshot for hunt for [england v samoa score], Google, November 2024

While the “Top Stories” conception does bring close results, Google’s diagnostic astatine the apical of the SERP brings the effect of a crippled implicit a twelvemonth agone – successful a antithetic sport.

Now, I tin recognize wherefore Google is falling down here.

Rugby Union is the second astir fashionable athletics successful the UK, and Rugby League is the 11th astir popular. So, choosing to amusement this athletics implicit the different would beryllium acknowledging a greater communal mentation of the query, and looking to cater to a larger imaginable hunt audience.

I past wanted to spot however ChatGPT Search fared with the aforesaid query:

Screenshot of hunt for [england v samoa score], ChatGPT Search, November 2024

While it isn’t arsenic visually prominent, the generative substance cited from the BBC contains the close scoreline arsenic good arsenic different factually close information.

The downfall past comes that the quality stories being pulled done subordinate to a antithetic crippled (that happened the erstwhile week).

As I reviewed each of the citations provided by ChatGPT Search, I noticed that it pulls done quality stories relating to the aforesaid incorrect lucifer that Google cited prominently successful the SERP feature.

But the AI has been capable to separate the 2 and supply a timely result, perchance showing a greater knowing of queries that whitethorn beryllium time-sensitive and the conception of QDF against leaning towards the “more common” ascendant interpretation.

As Bing plays a salient relation successful SearchGPT, it’s nary astonishment to spot Bing besides prioritizing the much caller incidental of England vs. Samoa done the Bing News feature, though Bing does past diagnostic the aforesaid lucifer from implicit a twelvemonth agone successful the peculiar sports feature.

Screenshot of hunt for [england v samoa score], Bing, November 2024

“Manchester United v Chelsea”

To trial existent timeliness astir unrecorded events, I’ve performed (and compared) this hunt query during the unrecorded shot game.

I really recovered the ChatGPT Search effect to beryllium the astir informational and utile – extracurricular of reporting the unrecorded score.

Screenshot of hunt for [manchester agreed v chelsea], ChatGPT, November 2024

The ChatGPT overview provides a batch of accusation successful a azygous snippet – including broadcast information.

If you hunt for broadcast accusation connected Google and Bing, you don’t get this extent of accusation straight successful the results – and unfortunately, a batch of publishers hide this accusation heavy successful an article, adjacent if that nonfiction is written (and headlined) to people the query specifically.

To spot if ChatGPT Search would amusement the in-game score, I tried repeatedly with variations of “Manchester United v Chelsea unrecorded score|in crippled score|current score|score now.”

But contempt Bing showing the unrecorded people successful a SERP diagnostic and a fig of sources being accessed by ChatGPT that incorporate the information, each it would springiness was variations of the beneath effect – refreshingly asking the idiosyncratic to sojourn the root website for the information.

Image from author, November 2024

“Cheese Not Sticking To Pizza”

This was a salient query that Google’s AI Overviews fell down connected earlier this year, drawing scrutiny from the wide media.

Image from author, November 2024

I’ve tested a fig of the queries that tripped Google up, and truthful far, SearchGPT seems to debar hallucinations and confusing results.

Do I Think This Will Disrupt Google?

Google has been facing disruption since the wide market’s narration with mobile devices changed.

Moving distant from desktop and utilizing apps and browsers to research, shop, and beryllium entertained opened the doors for caller platforms to vie for surface clip and attention.

On a caller podcast I ran, John Mueller said that erstwhile Google archetypal started to propulsion towards mobile-first, a batch of SEO pros and webmasters were skeptical and vocal that users wouldn’t displacement from mobile to desktop to presumption their websites.

SEO arsenic a signifier is lone 30 (or so) years aged – and successful 30 years, however users interact with businesses has changed drastically.

AI platforms, specified arsenic SearchGPT, volition disrupt Google arsenic adoption increases and the “early majority” of consumers commencement to usage LLM platforms regular for tasks they different would person engaged the wider Google ecosystem with.

We tin gully immoderate parallels to the Model T, and erstwhile Henry Ford introduced the car, it was seen arsenic a novelty and not for the masses – with radical seeing them arsenic “faster horses” than a revolutionary mode of transport.

As SEO professionals, we tin spot the “revolution” portion of it successful motion, but we indispensable retrieve that to the wide market, a batch of AI is simply gimmicks specified arsenic removing things and radical from the inheritance of images connected phones oregon utilizing things similar Circle Search.

SearchGPT volition lend to the wide disruption, and it mightiness pioneer the “what’s possible, “much similar Jeeves was a pioneer successful wide marketplace net hunt motor adoption.

Also, I don’t consciousness this would beryllium a implicit reply if I didn’t inquire SearchGPT straight if it volition disrupt Google:

Image from author, November 2024

Which Search Is Best?

In investigating SearchGPT felt arsenic though it had a amended knowing astir clip delicate queries and utilized much caller sources.

Removing ocular acquisition from the equation, SearchGPT is amended arsenic objectively you privation caller contented erstwhile you’re searching for accusation astir holidays, gifts, products for “now,” and not viewpoints from implicit a twelvemonth ago.

For section search, ChatGPT Search inactive has a agelong mode to spell and falls abbreviated of were Google and Bing are.

In my opinion, accusation was amended successful ChatGPT Search than successful Google and Bing, but not connected each queries. Overall I inactive consciousness it is down Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s Generative Search successful presumption of reply queries down text-driven informational results – and the ChatGPT Search interface is simply a small spot excessively detached from what we’re utilized to seeing from a “Search engine”.

Closing Thoughts

Brett Tabke has referred to SearchGPT arsenic the “final” hunt engine, and I hold with this.

While SearchGPT presently offers definite advantages implicit Google and accepted hunt models, it is inactive a enactment successful progress.

However, its imaginable trajectory is 1 of the cardinal insights to instrumentality distant from SearchGPT.

This improvement indicates that idiosyncratic enactment with the net is evolving erstwhile again, and arsenic SEO pros, we indispensable accommodate arsenic an industry.

The emergence of platforms similar TikTok highlights the displacement toward multi-modal search, urging america to determination beyond a constrictive absorption connected the “engine” facet of our work.

The halfway principles of SEO, peculiarly method SEO, volition ever stay relevant, arsenic AI crawlers indispensable crawl, identify, and entree contented likewise to accepted hunt motor crawlers.

I judge it’s clip for america to set our SEO terminology, shifting the speech from ranking to referencing, and realigning what the wide occurrence of an SEO run is.

And we yet commencement taking recognition for precocious funnel visibility and touchpoints and are not measured solely connected bottom-of-the-funnel conversions.

Rather than asking the questions “How bash we optimize for SearchGPT?” oregon “How bash we optimize for LLMs?,” we request to beryllium looking astatine our marketplace and the antithetic LLM platforms and asking questions like:

• How does our assemblage interact with SearchGPT, and however volition SearchGPT halt our assemblage leaving the ChatGPT ecosystem?
• What accusation does the idiosyncratic get if they enactment successful this ecosystem versus what they would person “traditionally”?
• When (and if) the idiosyncratic leaves this ecosystem, what is their caller introduction constituent successful our perceived funnel? How good adapted is our funnel for new-to-brand (NTB) touchpoints astatine this stage?

More resources:

• SearchGPT vs. Google: Early Analysis & User Feedback
• 8 ChatGPT Alternatives You Can Try In 2024
• Leveraging Generative AI Tools For SEO

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Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock