--- title: SEO for ChatGPT, and What Changes From Google description: "SEO for ChatGPT starts with Google-style basics, since ChatGPT search runs live web searches. What changes: direct answers and outside mentions count for more." image: https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/SEO%20for%20ChatGPT%2c%20and%20What%20Changes%20From%20Google.jpg --- [![AI Marketing Labs](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/ai-labs/pages/assets/brand/logo-lockup.svg)](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/) - Systems [AIO System](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-search-engine-optimization) [Voice Assistant](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/the-ai-assistant-for-business-that-runs-on-your-voice) [Buyer's Table](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-market-research) [RAG System](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-knowledge-management) [Custom AI Automations](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-automation-services) - [Consulting](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-consulting-services) - [About](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/about) - [Free tools](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/free-ai-marketing-resources) - [Blog](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments) [The Lab](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/the-lab) [Book your audit](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-audit) [AIO System](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-search-engine-optimization) [Voice Assistant](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/the-ai-assistant-for-business-that-runs-on-your-voice) [Buyer's Table](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-market-research) [RAG System](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-knowledge-management) [Custom AI Automations](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-automation-services) [Consulting](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-consulting-services) [About](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/about) [Free tools](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/free-ai-marketing-resources) [Blog](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments) [The Lab](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/the-lab) [Book your audit →](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-audit) [The Lab Notes](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments) › SEO # SEO for ChatGPT, and What Changes From Google ![Kelly Kranz](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/1c8a298050a84a029fa51a6945685d90.png) Kelly Kranz Nov 6, 2026 [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/seo-for-chatgpt-and-what-changes-from-google&text=SEO%20for%20ChatGPT,%20and%20What%20Changes%20From%20Google) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/seo-for-chatgpt-and-what-changes-from-google) ![SEO for ChatGPT, and What Changes From Google](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/SEO%20for%20ChatGPT%2c%20and%20What%20Changes%20From%20Google.jpg) SEO for ChatGPT builds on the SEO you already know. When ChatGPT searches, it runs live web searches and cites the pages it uses, so your pages still have to be crawlable, indexed and well structured to be considered. What changes is what gets picked: ChatGPT quotes direct answers and names its sources, so a clear answer near the top of the page and mentions of you on other sites count for more than ranking alone. **TL;DR** - ChatGPT search runs live web searches, so SEO basics still apply. - Ranking gets you considered; it doesn't guarantee a citation. - Direct answers and mentions on other sites matter more than on Google. ## How does ChatGPT find pages to cite? When a question needs current information, ChatGPT searches the web and shows where its answer came from. OpenAI's help page says ["ChatGPT searches based on your prompts and may share disassociated search queries with third-party search providers such as Bing,"](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9237897-chatgpt-search) and that answers using search contain inline citations plus a Sources list. So the first step is the same as with Google: a page has to be findable before it can be chosen. That includes letting OpenAI's search crawler in. OpenAI's crawler documentation says ["sites that are opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers."](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots) GPTBot, the crawler used for training models, is a separate setting, so you can block training and still appear in search answers. ## What carries over from Google SEO? - **Crawlability and indexing.** Pages that can't be fetched or indexed don't get considered. - **Clear structure.** Descriptive headings, short sections and plain HTML make it easier for any system to pull the right passage. - **Relevance to the question.** A page about exactly what someone asked beats a general page that mentions it in passing. - **Bing matters more than most teams assume.** OpenAI names Bing as a search provider, so check how your key pages do there, not only on Google. Bing Webmaster Tools is free. The research supports "rankings get you in the room," with caveats. Seer Interactive found that ["more than 87% of ChatGPT search citations matched Bing's top 20 organic results"](https://seerinteractive.com/insights/87-percent-of-searchgpt-citations-match-bings-top-results), compared with 56% for Google. That was about 500 citations from roughly 100 questions, and the authors call it directional. ## What changes when ChatGPT picks the answer? Ranking stops being enough. Ahrefs looked at 15,000 long-tail prompts and found ["just 12% of citations in AI assistants also rank in Google's top 10, on average."](https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-search-overlap/) For ChatGPT, the overlap with the top 10 of both Google and Bing was lower still. That sits awkwardly next to Seer's 87%, and the gap comes from scope: top 20 versus top 10, a hundred questions versus fifteen thousand. Both point to the same practical answer: rankings help a page get considered, and something else decides whether it's quoted. Three things count for more than they do on Google: 1. **A direct answer near the top.** ChatGPT quotes passages. A page that answers in its first sentence gives it something clean to lift. 2. **Mentions on other sites.** A 2025 study of AI search engines found a ["systematic and overwhelming bias towards Earned media (third-party, authoritative sources) over Brand-owned and Social content."](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.08919) It's a preprint and covers several AI engines, not only ChatGPT, but it matches what citation lists show: reviews, directories, industry articles and forum threads get cited a lot. 3. **Specifics.** Prices, ranges, timelines and named conditions are easier to quote than general claims. ## What does a ChatGPT-ready opening look like? Compare two openings for a page on payroll services for small restaurants. The first: "At our firm, we've been helping businesses with their payroll needs for over 20 years, and we pride ourselves on service." The second: "Payroll services for small restaurants usually cost a monthly base fee plus a per-employee charge, and the main differences are tip reporting, multi-location support and how fast they handle new hires." The first is about the company. The second answers the question someone typed, names the variables, and can be quoted as it stands. ChatGPT is far more likely to use the second, and so is a reader who landed on the page from Google. That's the overlap: writing the second kind of opening helps both, which is why SEO for ChatGPT doesn't need a separate content plan, just better first paragraphs on the pages you already have. ## How do you check whether ChatGPT is citing you? Ask it the questions your buyers ask, with search on, several times each, and open the Sources list. Note which pages it cites and whether any are yours or mention you. Answers change from run to run, so one check is a snapshot, not a ranking. [How to get cited by ChatGPT when you're a small brand](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt-when-youre-a-small-brand) covers what to do if you're missing. ## What should you do this month? | Task | Why it matters for ChatGPT | | --- | --- | | Check robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot | Blocked sites aren't shown in ChatGPT search answers | | Check your key pages in Bing Webmaster Tools | Bing is the search provider OpenAI names | | Rewrite the opening of your top 5 pages to answer the question directly | Gives ChatGPT a clean passage to quote | | Add specifics: prices, ranges, timelines, who it's for | Specific claims get cited; vague ones don't | | List the outside sites ChatGPT cites for your topic, and get mentioned on one | Third-party mentions weigh more in AI search | For the trust side, [why Reddit, Quora and third-party sites matter in AI search](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/reddit-quora-and-third-party-sites-the-new-kings-of-ai-search) and [how AI decides which brands to trust](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-does-ai-decide-which-brands-to-trust-in-its-search-results) go deeper. ## Do you still need Google SEO? Yes. Your buyers still search Google, Google's own AI features draw on its index, and the basics overlap. Treat ChatGPT as a second audience for the same pages, not a separate project. If writing answer-ready pages every month is the bottleneck, AI Marketing Labs builds the AIO System for that: a content engine on your own knowledge base that produces posts built to be quoted, owned by you after handoff. ## Related articles - [How Does AI Decide Which Brands to Trust in Search Results?](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-does-ai-decide-which-brands-to-trust-in-its-search-results) - [How to Get Cited by ChatGPT When You're a Small Brand](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt-when-youre-a-small-brand) - [Reddit, Quora, and Third-Party Sites: The New Kings of AI Search](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/reddit-quora-and-third-party-sites-the-new-kings-of-ai-search) - [How to Rank in AI Overviews When You're Not on Page One Yet](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-to-rank-in-ai-overviews-when-youre-not-on-page-one-yet) ## Frequently asked questions Does ChatGPT use Google or Bing? OpenAI's help page names Bing as one of the third-party search providers ChatGPT search may use. Rankings on either engine don't guarantee a citation, so check both and focus on clear answers. Should I block GPTBot? That's a separate choice from search. GPTBot is used for model training; OAI-SearchBot is used for ChatGPT search. Blocking GPTBot doesn't remove you from ChatGPT search answers, but blocking OAI-SearchBot does. How long does a robots.txt change take to reach ChatGPT search? OpenAI says it can take about 24 hours for its systems to adjust after a robots.txt update.   Want pages ChatGPT can quote? Build your own *answer engine* The AIO System turns your expertise into answer-ready posts from your own knowledge base, in your accounts. Fixed price, no retainer, and you run it after handoff. [See how the AIO System works](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/ai-search-engine-optimization) ![Kelly Kranz](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/1c8a298050a84a029fa51a6945685d90.png) Written by Kelly Kranz With over 15 years of marketing experience, Kelly is an AI Marketing Strategist and Fractional CMO focused on results. She is renowned for building data-driven marketing systems that simplify workloads and drive growth. Her award-winning expertise in marketing automation once generated $2.1 million in additional revenue for a client in under a year. Kelly writes to help businesses work smarter and build for a sustainable future. More on this topic [All posts →](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments) [![Do You Need an Answer Engine Optimization Tool or a Better Page?](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/Do%20You%20Need%20an%20Answer%20Engine%20Optimization%20Tool%20or%20a%20Better%20Page.jpg) AI Search Do You Need an Answer Engine Optimization Tool or a Better Page? An answer engine optimization tool shows you where you're missing from AI answers. It doesn't fix anything. If you already know the questions your buyers ask, ... Nov 6, 2026](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/do-you-need-an-answer-engine-optimization-tool-or-a-better-page) [![How to Choose an AEO Agency, and What to Ask Before You Sign](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/How%20to%20Choose%20an%20AEO%20Agency%2c%20and%20What%20to%20Ask%20Before%20You%20Sign.jpg) AI Search How to Choose an AEO Agency, and What to Ask Before You Sign Choose an AEO agency on proof you can check, not on promises. Ask how they measure whether AI tools mention you, make them name the work they'll do each month, ... Nov 6, 2026](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-to-choose-an-aeo-agency) [![What to Do When AI Brand Visibility Tools Show Wrong Facts About You](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/what-to-do-when-ai-brand-visibility-tools-show-wrong-facts-about-you-2.jpg) AI Search What to Do When AI Brand Visibility Tools Show Wrong Facts About You When AI brand visibility tools show wrong facts about you, find the source the AI is repeating before you do anything else. In many cases it's an old page, an ... Oct 26, 2026](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/what-to-do-when-ai-brand-visibility-tools-show-wrong-facts-about-you) [![AI Marketing Labs](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/ai-labs/pages/assets/brand/logo-lockup-white.svg)](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/) We build AI systems for manufacturers, agencies, educators, and field service businesses. Fixed price. Fixed timeline. You own it when we're done. 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