You might have heard by now– SearchGPT is all the rage. Some might even say it’s bound to become internet users’ brand-new favourite search engine.
Now, it’s important to note that while many are saying SearchGPT is bound to replace traditional search engines like Google and Bing for instance, there’s a slight inaccuracy in that statement. According to Sam Althman, CEO of Open AI, SearchGPT is a “faster/easier way to get the information you’re (I’m) looking for” and this is especially relevant for queries that “require more complex research”.
This means that just like ChatGPT’s present functionality, SearchGPT is a more nuanced and sophisticated way to get the answers you’re looking for. But, it’s not a search engine. It’s a generative AI platform with search.
This poses a very interesting and important question: does the advent of SearchGPT mark the beginning of the end of internet searching… and search-engine optimisation?
SEO Needs to Step Up
It’s not enough to just be search-engine optimised anymore. This doesn’t mean that traditional search engines are facing their detriment, they just need to become better.
According to the 2024 Search Engine Optimisation Services Global Market Report 2024, the market size for SEO has grown from a staggering $75.13 billion in 2023 to $88.91 billion in 2024, and is expected to grow by a CAGR of 17.6%, reaching a market size of USD 170 billion by 2028.
These numbers sound impressive, don’t they? However, the only pitfall to these statistics is that they didn’t take into account the advent of a generative AI search engine. What makes SearchGPT so appealing is its ability to analyse and present responses to complex queries in a direct and succinct manner, often in a way that’s highly personalised to the specific user’s search intent.
To illustrate, content could rank highly on Google’s SERPs, due to being effectively keyword optimised and incorporating highly technical on and off-page SEO strategies; but that doesn’t mean it’s relevant to a user’s search query.
Alternatively, on SearchGPT, a user’s query is answered almost immediately, prioritising both content quality and site ranking by utilising Bing as its predominant search engine service, among other smaller ones.
You might consider Google’s AI Overviews as equally capable of the same functionalities, but on overviews, there are two limitations: First, you can’t ask follow up questions, and second, while you’re shown a list of sites the response referenced, it does not directly pinpoint which parts of which pages made up the response.
In the long run, this could render traditional SEO obsolete if users choose to bypass search engines and get their information from SearchGPT instead. For businesses reliant on top-notch SEO to rank on search engines, gain visibility, and ultimately profitability, users could lose interest in browsing your site and reading your content if it can be answered with a simple search on SearchGPT.
What Will SEO for SearchGPT Look Like?
Well, according to Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer at Open AI, “there’s a lot to figure out still”. However, unlike AI Overviews, SearchGPT, lets publishers know that it’s directing traffic to their website by referencing the sources it’s using. This is a good thing for publishers but it also means relearning and understanding the factors that trigger SearchGPT to rank something because it’s certainly not in the same manner that Google does it.
Though we don’t have exact answers just yet, some helpful tips that could help you rank on SearchGPT include:
- Crafting high-quality, accurate, and highly specific content that directly responds to specific user queries. No more fluff, prioritise being straightforward.
- Focus on making your content more conversational. Write your content in a way you would ask a search engine for an answer. Simple and succinct.
- Reference everything. You want your content to be reliable to build trust among your audience and in the eyes of SearchGPT.
- Always stay up to date with the latest industry trends. SearchGPT will only showcase content that’s relevant and new, so keep on updating your pages to appear within the platform’s search responses.
What Does this Mean for Marketers?
As a marketer, SEO is your bread and butter. And if it’s a core service you provide, you don’t necessarily need to make any drastic changes at the moment, but you should definitely be aware of how your targeted audience is searching for what you have to offer or what you do for others.
Consider learning about how generative AI works and integrate it within your work. Keep on testing how specific AI tools impact your processes to update your overall strategy. This way you can stay ahead of the ever evolving search landscape and capitalise on it.