The role of AI in SEO has kept rapidly evolving over the past few months.
Google formally launched AI Overviews in May, and Bing launched its generative search pilot in July, with a full launch at the start of October. On July 25, OpenAI announced a SearchGPT prototype. Then, on October 31, it launched ChatGPT Search.
OpenAI are calling the new product, which I’ve tested for this article, ChatGPT Search, but parts of the industry are already starting to use the names ChatGPT Search and SearchGPT interchangeably, as they are effectively one and the same.
Both the Google and Bing AI launches, alongside the increase of multi-modal search (e.g., TikTok), have been impactful, but the ChatGPT Search launch feels different.
ChatGPT already drives traffic to websites, and as of August 2024, it reported 200 million weekly average users (WAU) – this is all while AI is gaining momentum and user trust, with skepticism still a barrier to mass adoption.
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