SearchGPT: ChatGPT's New Search Engine Aims to Deliver a New Way to Search

OpenAI is testing its latest innovation, SearchGPT, currently in beta release. Using their advanced capabilities and combining behavioral context to related follow-up searches, SearchGPT’s mission is to make search easier, faster, contextual, and conversational. 

(Example of SearchGPT)

Quick Glance at SearchGPT 
•    Focusing on providing enhanced local and e-commerce search experiences 
•    Launching without ads, but the presence of ads may shift in the future
•    Prioritizing high-quality content 
•    Partnering with publishers and creators for attribution, potentially driving more traffic (The Atlantic and News Corp are cited as publishing partners – Perplexity, a competitive AI-led search engine, has also announced they will be partnering with publishers).
•    The challenge will be user adoption when competing with other AI search platforms and releases — Perplexity, Meta AI, Bing Chat, Amazon’s Rufus, and those using TikTok for search
•    To rank higher in AI results, brands will need to think about their digital brand mention strategy — ensuring your brand is frequently cited as "the answer" across websites, articles, platforms, and channels
SearchGPT is currently released in beta, users who’d like to try it out will have to join the waitlist.

Current friction within the search journey

Google: Users are frustrated by low-quality results, number of ads, poor execution of AI Overviews, and the need to append “reddit” to queries to get authentic answers they seek.

ChatGPT: Users are frustrated by the reliability of responses, the AI's ability to maintain context, the lack of sources, the limited knowledge base (only goes as far back as 2021), and repetitive responses

SearchGPT seeks to blend search with the contextual intelligence of AI chat

Looking to alleviate friction within the search journey, SearchGPT is hoping to provide an easier and faster way to get a full picture of your needs when a user is searching, rather than providing a one-to-one query to answer which usually requires a user to conduct additional follow-up searches.

As users provide additional context to a search, SearchGPT will use those inputs to anticipate surrounding details a user may also want to know. The foundational AI powering the conversational components of SearchGPT will also allow follow-up searches to lean in on conversation components (like referencing pronouns) without the relying on the user to reiterate the previously defined reference point. 

Example Search experience:

• Query: Best LED Face Mask
  Search Result: Based on many results, here are the top LED face masks referenced.

• Query: Which one is the cheapest?
  Search Result: This LED face mask is cheapest.

   

Google will be hard to dethrone as a top search destination, but ChatGPT usage remains high

Google is still the predominant location for search (91% of market share); unseating it will demand an extraordinary effort, especially as AI-based tools continue to launch. ChatGPT usage still currently trails behind Google (source: SimilarWeb). However, Google is experiencing a strained relationship with publishers and affiliates due to the launch of AI Overviews and the March Core algorithm update, which drastically reduced publisher rankings in the SERPs in favor of brand sites.

(SimilarWeb Traffic Estimates - ChatGPT)

Allying with publishers is a strategic focus of both ChatGPT & Perplexity as Google’s relationship with publishers weakens

Perplexity has also introduced its desire to work closer with publishers with the Perplexity Publishers Program. This program offers revenue sharing and free access to its tools for participating publishers, including Time, Der Spiegel, and Fortune, to address concerns about content usage. This initiative promises a better revenue split than Google and aims to align incentives for all parties involved.

How can brands increase chances of showing in ChatGPT/SearchGPT?

Increase Brand Mentions: Frequency of brand or product mentions on the web; more mentions increase likelihood.

Earn More Positive Reviews: Quantity and quality of reviews matter; positive reviews across platforms like Trust Pilot, Amazon, and BBB boost recommendations.

Create Relevant Content: Strong correlation between keywords in the query and those on web pages mentioning the product/service.

Grow Affiliate Connections: Products/companies often recommended on affiliate marketing sites influence ChatGPT’s suggestions.

Improve Overall Authority: Higher social following, domain authority, and mentions on authoritative sites lead to more frequent recommendations.

Should I exclude my content from training the SearchGPT model?

As SearchGPT prepares for its launch, many organizations might be curious about the implications of having their content included in the training models. Understanding why and when to exclude your content can help in making informed decisions.

• Why Consider Exclusion? If your content includes sensitive or proprietary information, excluding it from training can help protect your intellectual property.
• Why Should I Allow My Site’s Content to Be Included in SearchGPT/ChatGPT? Blocking SearchGPT overall could be risky. While there is no data yet showing referral traffic from SearchGPT, it’s essential to monitor early performance metrics. If data eventually proves that referral traffic engagement is high, websites and brands may want to reconsider blocking SearchGPT to take advantage of potential benefits.

Next steps:

• To rank higher in AI results, ensure your brand is frequently cited as "the answer" across platforms and channels — digital brand strategy is a must for GEO (Generative Engine optimization)
• Create highly relevant, contextual, and semantically appropriate content across channels and across many articles and placements across the web

Reach out to melissa.harden@digitas.com to learn more about how you can help your clients succeed within AI search platforms like SearchGPT.