SearchGPT vs. Google: Which Should You Optimize For?

SearchGPT is making its way to public use. While Google still owns 91.6%of the search market, Answer Engines, like SearchGPT, are slowly making their way into the public’s use and could change the way users interact with the internet. Forever.

In this article, we will look at SearchGPT vs. Google Search, compare traditional and AI-powered search engines, and discuss how they will affect your online presence.

What is SearchGPT?

SearchGPT is OpenAI’s solution for users who want to retrieve information from the web within a conversational context. They have used their ChatGPT Language Models and combined them with their AI technology to create an Answer Engine that scans the web and gives users answers to their queries.

Answer and traditional search engines

Answer search engines are usually back-powered by AI technology. Instead of providing links that have been resourced through algorithms and keyword references like traditional search engines, Answer engines give the user an answer in a concise, conversational manner. The user can choose to find out more information by following through on a citation link, but ideally, they shouldn’t have to.

SearchGPT vs. Google AI — How do they differ?

The biggest difference between the two search engines is how the search results are presented. While Google gives a list of ranked pages, which results in an explorative experience, SearchGPT provides detailed, direct answers.

But it doesn’t end there.

There is also the personalization element. AI-powered engines have the capacity to maintain a conversation. They can give results based on context and prior queries, enabling a user to ask follow-up questions. While Google can personalize results based on past searches and location, it cannot do it within a conversational context.

Google has incorporated AI into its technology, with Google Snippets and Google AI Overview, but these technologies still pull results/text from the original website. It does not attempt to rewrite in a conversational manner.

How do different search engines affect the way users interact with you?

The biggest takeaway between these two searches that you should know about is the way the user interacts with you. With traditional search engines, such as Google, you compete with other sites to get into the top ranks of search results pages (SERPs). You can do that through organic optimization techniques, such as SEO, or you can do it through paid advertising, like pay-per-click (PPC). The goals are to get users to click through to your website and gain traffic. Once the users are on your site, you can drive conversions with high-quality content and easy-to-use calls to action (CTAs) to buy your products or use your service. It’s a straightforward user journey.

But with SearchGPT and other answer search engines, the likelihood of a user clicking through to your site is lower. The answer search engine will provide the user with an answer that they have scanned the web for.

SearchGPT vs. Google AI: General differences

Key Takeaways

• Search results: Google offers search results as a list of ranked websites for the user to explore, while you will see a detailed, conversational, direct answer with SearchGPT.
• Personalization: Google gives results based on past searches and locations, but Search GPT will give you responses within the content of your prior queries.
• Content type: You can see links to existing content across with the web with Google. You can also use Google’s specific media search, such as Image Search, to focus solely on a specific type. With Search GPT it generates content from trained data.

There will be citations that allow the user to click through your page, but often, the user won’t need to. The answer will be given to them in a conversational, concise manner.

Answer search engines like SearchGPT don’t act like the middle man, like Google and other traditional search engines do. They give the end result. This will directly impact how businesses and websites currently optimize and create content for their website. You will have to update your Online strategies for this emerging technology.

SearchGPT vs. Google Search: Key differences that affect your online presence

Let’s dive deeper into the differences between these two types of search engines.

Bonus read! Find out how to optimize for AEO

What does the future hold for Google and SearchGPT?

Google has already started implementing AI-driven search options and integrating them into its current results. They started this a while ago with their Snippets, which are improving and providing more versatility with their AI Overview. It will essentially give users an AI-powered response to direct queries but still offer website rankings underneath.

This will change Google from a traditional search engine, into a hybrid, giving users the best of both worlds. At the time of this article, this is still being tested in certain parts of the world and has yet to be rolled out as a standard feature.

SearchGPT and other answer search engines will be creating a new way for users to access information on the web that promises to be cleaner and more conversational, personalized.

Not to mention, advertising on these AI search engines will become possible, allowing users to receive more relevant ads in a more conversational format that could make paid advertising more effective.

Business and content creators will have to learn, adapt, and modify the way they create content to interact with users on this new platform. Time will tell what techniques and optimization methods work best.

Overall, it does mean that Google might potentially lose its dominance in the search engine market and have to share its space with this new, emerging technology. More search engines will mean more opportunities for businesses to optimize and strategize for, as there will be more top spots now to compete over.

Start optimizing for AEO today!

Get your online presence optimized for AI technology today to answer search engines and stay ahead of the curve. The innovative team at WebFX can implement modifications to your website and content strategy to cater to this new potential market share.

Call us now at 888-601-5359 to talk to a strategist immediately and begin the process. Stay ahead of the technology search curve with WebFX and get a further understanding of how emerging trends affect your business.