Is SearchGPT the 'Grim Reaper' for Google rankings?

Lorenzo Luiso, Founder and Consultant at Brick Digital looks at the potential shake-up OpenAI's upcoming search engine will have on current strategies of SEO and its impact on Google’s dominance. 

It’s been almost two years since the public launch of ChatGPT, and in that short time, AI has become a hotly-debated topic on all fronts. While the average member of the general public may use ChatGPT to write emails, cook up recipes and perform light fact-finding queries, AI tools are rapidly transforming how many companies operate. In terms of the adoption rate, ExplodingTopics recently revealed data showing that over 82% of companies are either using or exploring the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.

There are some lofty promises around the future of AI, but there’s one area of business and marketing that is almost certain to be shaken up in the next year or two; Search Engines.

For over 20 years, SEO has been a key marketing channel for businesses both large and small. Predominantly, the primary target for optimisation has been the Google search engine, which processes approximately 8.5 billion searches per day, has a 92% market share of search and has undoubtedly earned the title of “most popular search engine”.

But with the announcement of SearchGPT and the arriving dawn of AI search, optimisation efforts - and more specifically, how and where they should be directed - has become a sizzling topic that business owners, marketing managers, and most importantly SEO agencies should be discussing and ultimately building strategies for.

At Brick Digital, we’ve been testing AI Search Engines to uncover how they work and how they’re going to change the world of SEO for business marketing - if indeed, they are at all.

What is SearchGPT?

While there are a number of AI Search Engines emerging at present, such as Perplexity, You.com and Neeva, SearchGPT (developed by Open AI, the same company behind ChatGPT) shows the most potential to be a strong competitor of Google.

At the time of writing, SearchGPT is in testing, but is expected to launch to the public by the end of 2024, either within ChatGPT or in other search experiences such as Bing. Even so, SearchGPT already shows promise in changing how we search, thanks to its contextual understanding of natural language and ability to interrogate complex information as though it were having a normal conversation.

You might assume that this shift to AI Search is a long way off, but in reality, it might be closer than we think. In early 2024, Apple announced that they would be integrating ChatGPT with Siri in the new iPhone 16, bringing the capability of AI into the hands of the general population who, until now, may not have encountered any AI tools.

At the very least, the major players in the tech industry seem keen to roll out AI tools for everyday use by the general public, and recent data indicates that 180.5 million users are currently registered on ChatGPT, with a slightly lesser 100 million active users. This number is only likely to grow in the coming years.

How does SearchGPT differ from Google search?

While there will undoubtedly be many surface-level differences between SearchGPT and Google, there will be even more going on behind the scenes. While it’s tough to know exactly what these will be, there are three main differences businesses should know about.

Conversational search

One of the most significant contrasts will be the shift toward conversational search. As we’ve seen in countless articles and screenshots of CharGPT’s use, people tend to interact in a more conversational tone with AI, asking questions and receiving more contextual answers.

Unlike traditional search engines where you present a string of keywords (for instance, “plumbers near me”, “private number plates” or “Cornwall hotels”), sift through a list of results and refine your query manually, SearchGPT allows for a more dynamic interaction. Following a conversational query, such as “I’m looking for suggestions of four-star hotels in Cornwall”,  users can continue with follow-up questions -  “which of these have indoor pools?” or “do any of these have a concierge?” - that dig deeper into the topic, allowing for a more fluid - and potentially more accurate - approach to search.

This shift in search query format may result in a need to adjust how businesses approach their optimisation strategies. We’ll look at some speculative examples of adjustments in a moment.

Search results presentation

Another key difference between SearchGPT and Google is how search results are shown. While Google has begun testing AI-generated answers, SearchGPT goes a step further by offering more comprehensive, context-rich responses directly within the search. Contrary to the traditional list of links we’re accustomed to seeing, SearchGPT will generate answers and cite its sources with links to original content. This means users will get a more complete and rounded answer upfront, but can still click through to see the full content for further reading if they choose.

Where and how you rank

The third key difference is perhaps the most important from an SEO perspective, and it pertains to the shift in how content and results are prioritised and presented. While Google’s ranking system of "number one, two, and three" is a familiar staple, SearchGPT and similar AI tools don’t necessarily follow this model. Instead, AI prioritises content that closely matches the user's intent, the query's context, and the content's quality.

Rankings aren’t likely to disappear, but there will be a stronger focus on authority, clarity, and depth. Businesses might need to think beyond just getting to "number one", instead considering how to present content in a way that AI finds authoritative and useful for answering specific questions.

Adapting search marketing strategies for AI search

This ‘different’ approach offered by SearchGPT will mean that search marketing strategies must also change in the future.

Regular ChatGPT users know that AI understands web content on a deep level. This allows it to consider many factors when choosing what content or websites to display to users.

Although it’s not been confirmed yet, it’s speculated publicly and by ChatGPT itself that SearchGPT will use things such as testimonials, reviews, mentions of the brand and other information from across the internet to decide which websites and content to display in its results. However, thanks to its deep understanding of natural language, it’s been emphasised that the context and relevance of content to the search query will be one of the key factors in deciding which content and websites to display.

The potential impact of AI search on businesses

In short, the future of search marketing is going to be about more than keyword optimisations, great content, authority, and backlinks.

AI’s ability to process large amounts of data and understand context means that it’s time for businesses to rethink their content and online marketing strategies. This is likely to spur on the adoption (or strengthening) of a number of strategies, with a focus on positioning the brand as a thought leader and expert in the industry by featuring not only on other websites and gaining backlinks, but by sharing user-centric content, gathering user-generated content such as reviews and feedback, and more.

Aside from just optimising for AI search engines to gain exposure in SearchGPT, businesses may also need to consider what impact it might have on their lead generation funnel if they see less traffic due to not receiving the website clicks that come from traditional search results.

AI will reshape how people search and how search engines rank websites

Depending on where you get your AI news from, it might seem like SearchGPT is either another mythical ‘Google Killer’, or is here to take over the search engine throne. Either way, you may be worried about the future of your search marketing strategy and how much work and investment this new AI world will require.

As the Director of an SEO Agency, I’m confident that AI will reshape how people search and how search engines rank websites. However, optimising for SearchGPT won’t require overhauling your strategy — just adjusting your priorities to meet the new requirements.

This article was first published in Campaign's sister-publication Performance Marketing World. 

Lorenzo Luiso is founder and consultant at Brick Digital