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Introducing SearchGPT! OpenAI's New Search Engine
ChatGPT is an AI model developed by OpenAI, designed to enable natural and interactive communication with users, all while understanding context and conversational style. Since its launch, ChatGPT has sparked a massive revolution, becoming an essential tool across a wide range of fields, including education, customer service, technical support, and marketing content creation. Beyond answering general questions, ChatGPT can maintain the conversation’s context, allow follow-up questions, and offer personalised responses for each user.
With ongoing advancements in the field and increasing competition, OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Search—an AI-powered search engine. This new tool represents the next generation of internet search, combining ChatGPT’s conversational abilities with up-to-date information from the web, enabling users to get accurate, fast answers with the click of a button.
As specialists with nearly 20 years of experience in SEO and search engine optimisation, especially with Google, we see this as nothing less than a revolution! We’ve decided to share our impressions and provide a guide on using this innovative feature, which has the potential to completely change everything we know about online search, organic SEO, and paid advertising.
How to Use ChatGPT Search and What Sets It Apart
To use ChatGPT Search, you currently need a paid subscription—at least at the time of writing. However, this service is expected to become available to everyone in the coming weeks. Once you’re logged into your account, you’ll notice a new globe icon within the usual query box. Clicking this icon switches the conversation mode from the standard chat to an internet search. Unlike the regular chat, which relies on the model’s internal knowledge base, this search feature provides real-time answers with updated information from the web, along with sources so you can verify the reliability of each response.
What makes SearchGPT unique is its interactivity. Instead of a single question-and-answer process, ChatGPT enables an ongoing conversation, where you can ask for clarifications, add details, or shift the focus of the search. Additionally, the answers include a range of online information—such as news, market data, and weather forecasts—offering a broader and more reliable view on the topic.
Comparison Between ChatGPT Search and Google
The first question you’re likely asking is how this new tool compares to Google search, which is precisely why we decided to delve into ChatGPT Search and give you insight into this question.
Accuracy and Speed
In terms of accuracy and speed, ChatGPT Search provides focused, filtered answers based on credible sources, aiming to deliver high-quality responses in a short time. Once an answer is displayed, there’s a "Sources" button that, when clicked, opens a sidebar showing all the articles and pages reviewed by the system to generate the answer. This interactive search enables users to deepen their inquiries as needed and continue the conversation to refine answers. Google, on the other hand, presents a broad list of links with numerous sources, allowing users to explore a wide range of perspectives and insights but often requiring more time to pinpoint the most accurate information. It’s worth noting that Google has recently introduced an AI-generated answer that appears in the "zero result" position, though it doesn’t differ significantly from what’s provided by SearchGPT.
User Experience
The most significant difference between ChatGPT Search and Google lies in the user experience. While Google offers a traditional results page with links, ChatGPT Search provides a conversational search experience—users can ask follow-up questions, dive deeper into the topic, receive synthesised answers, and be guided through the search process. This ability to “chat” with the search engine resembles communication with an expert, offering greater convenience and flexibility. Additionally, the option in SearchGPT to switch between search mode and regular content creation or chat mode is a major advantage. Currently, we rely on Google solely for search, but the goal of SearchGPT is to integrate search within our usual workflow, allowing us to stay focused without leaving the working window.
Quality of Results
We also had to examine the quality of the results, and here we encountered some mixed news. While ChatGPT’s search engine indeed provides a more seamless experience, it doesn’t always have the latest information. For example, we tested it on a recent security incident that occurred overnight, but the responses didn’t mention it, even though the event had been widely reported in major news outlets.
Sponsored Results
One of the most significant differences is the lack of ads in the SearchGPT interface, which leads to a cleaner search experience but raises questions about OpenAI’s future business model. Google, by contrast, heavily relies on ads as a central revenue component, providing it with a financial advantage but sometimes distracting users or affecting the perceived reliability of results. At the time of writing, it remains uncertain how sponsored content might look in the future, and it’s challenging to assess the impact of AI on organic SEO.
Tips for Optimal Use of SearchGPT:
- Ask Clear and Focused Questions: To receive the most accurate answer, it’s best to phrase questions in a direct and straightforward manner.
- Use Follow-up Questions: Take advantage of the ability to carry on a conversation. If the answer isn’t clear, ask follow-up questions or request clarification.
- Check Source Links: Make use of the option to view the source links displayed in the chat to verify and authenticate the information provided.
- Deep Exploration: Don’t hesitate to ask further questions, dive deeper, and use ChatGPT Search as an interactive learning tool that supplies additional answers as needed.
- Subscription Availability: Remember, the service is currently available for Plus and Team subscribers, but OpenAI plans to expand access in the future, so it’s worth keeping an eye on updates.
The launch of SearchGPT marks a significant step in the search field, presenting a direct challenge to Google and traditional search engines. The ability to conduct conversational searches and receive focused, filtered answers creates an interactive and immersive user experience that hasn’t previously existed in search engines.
However, the future success of ChatGPT Search will depend on OpenAI's ability to maintain a sustainable business model while ensuring high accuracy and reliability.
Whether you use SearchGPT for routine searches or in-depth exploration, it offers a unique and refreshing experience, providing rich and diverse information. This tool is designed for an era where users expect precise, quick, and genuinely valuable information in an intuitive and simple format.
Asaf Shimoni
Founder of Alt Digital Marketing, with nearly 20 years of experience in digital marketing. An expert in SEO and paid campaigns, helping tech companies, eCommerce, and B2B businesses achieve steady growth through tailored marketing strategies.
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