ChatGPT simply can’t be ignored in your SEO strategies anymore. 

With over 180 million active monthly users on ChatGPT, and tools like SearchGPT and Perplexity AI quickly gaining traction, it has become essential to adapt.

This is the new frontier of Search, and it presents so many opportunities for your business.

Let’s get started by breaking down ChatGPT and similar platforms, how they differ from traditional search engines like Google, what it means to rank, and how your business can start getting mentioned more in AI chats.

In this article, we’ll refer to specific facts about ChatGPT and SearchGPT, but the general principles apply to any conversational AI model.

ChatGPT vs. Traditional Search Engines

Traditional search engines like Google rely on crawling, indexing, and ranking pages based on their algorithms, which take into account hundreds of factors like keywords, links, and user experience. These results are presented as a list of links that users can choose from.

ChatGPT and similar AI models, however, don't serve search results in the same way. Instead, they generate responses based on information that is processed, understood, and synthesized from vast amounts of data. 

The AI can use its training data (up to a certain point) to answer questions and make recommendations, even without crawling the web in real-time.

However, the Pro version of ChatGPT, along with SearchGPT (currently in beta), can and do crawl in real-time. This makes them behave like a search engine but in a conversational format, emphasizing natural language processing (NLP). The same is true for Perplexity AI and Google’s Gemini.

Same Results, Different Format?

The most important difference between traditional search engines and AI models isn’t really the way the information is presented but the way it’s found and processed in the first place.

We don’t have direct information about SearchGPT the same way we have information about Google, but SearchEngineLand surmises “The web index is most likely provided by Bing based on OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft.”

So, ChatGPT is pulling from pretty much the same pool of information as the traditional guys, but its qualification and presentation of that information is different.

We already understand what Google looks for when it crawls and indexes a website: Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust. Now, we need to figure out what these other platforms want from us.

What Does It Mean To “Rank” on ChatGPT?

Ranking on traditional search engines means having your website appear higher in search results. It’s easy to understand, since it can easily be broken down into numbers: what position you’re in on the SERP, how many keywords your website appears for, and so on.

On ChatGPT however, “ranking” refers to your content or brand being referenced within the AI’s generated responses. It’s not a direct ranking system, so it’s harder to quantify.

Nonetheless, let’s define “ranking” on ChatGPT or SearchGPT, in essence: Your business being mentioned and/or recommended by the AI in a relevant conversation.

How to Rank on ChatGPT

Understanding ChatGPT Ranking Factors

There is much less information out there about ChatGPT rankings and indexing, compared to Google and other traditional search engines. But, with a bit of research and experimentation, we can pick out some of the top ranking factors on ChatGPT.

I like to consider them the ChatGPT counterpart to Google’s E-E-A-T. Let’s break them down:

1. Brand Mentions

In a study by NP Digital, they found that brand mentions were the most common ranking factor. 

“How many times was the brand, or product mentioned around the web? The more often it was mentioned we found the more likely ChatGPT recommended it.”

How this compares to traditional SEO: Acquiring brand mentions can be challenging, especially for small brands. This is more of a PR endeavour, so it’s something that traditional SEO doesn’t address perfectly.

2. Content Relevance

If you ask ChatGPT directly “How do you choose what results to give me?” The first thing it mentions is Relevance:

Keeping in mind that what it tells us about ranking factors is not necessarily true, this one does stand up under scrutiny.

This ranking factor denotes the importance of knowing who your audience is and making sure your website and online presence is catered to them, their potential queries, and the words they may use.

How this compares to traditional SEO: This is just a new spin on doing your keyword research.

3. Authority and Trust

Sound familiar? Authority and trust are classic ranking factors on Google, so it makes sense that AI tools rely on them, too. There are a lot of signals that go into authority and trust online. 

In NP Digital’s study, they also named age and customer reviews as ranking factors. Older companies were more likely to be recommended than younger companies, and companies with lots of recommendations and customer reviews were also likely to be mentioned.

I’m lumping both of those factors in here, since they are basically signals influencing the overall Authority and Trustworthiness of a brand.

Think of it like this: You need to build authority and trust, and you can choose your fighters to build them. 

Age, customer reviews, social media following, and backlinks are just a few examples, but there are so many areas where you can showcase your authority and trust.

How this compares to traditional SEO: Authority and trust are quintessential SEO words, so you shouldn’t have to change your strategy here much

It’s important to remember that these are the large themes at play when it comes to AI responses–the actual factors that go into any one response are, of course, specific to the query.

To get mentioned in AI responses, I recommend starting with these big areas in your strategy, but not stopping there. Your AI strategy will need to get much more specific and targeted compared to a traditional SEO strategy.

We’ll touch later on customer intent, which goes hand-in-hand with this. In a nutshell: you essentially need to figure out the specific ranking factors for the specific queries you want to show up in. 

Staying Up-To-Date with AI Trends

Understanding how AI tools work and evolve is crucial. For example, OpenAI’s releases, plugins, and integrations with browsing capabilities (like Bing integration) significantly influence how content is retrieved and referenced. Subscribing to updates from OpenAI and similar platforms keeps you informed of changes that can impact how your content is surfaced.

The landscape is quickly changing, so this can certainly give you an edge and help you adjust as needed.

Ask the AI Directly

Use AI tools as part of your strategy by asking them questions related to your niche. 

Find out if and how your brand or similar brands are mentioned, and find out how the tools (such as Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT, etc.) differ in their responses. 

These inquiries can give you insight into gaps you can fill in the content ecosystem, playing a great role for research, planning, and understanding what’s working. But, it’s also a tracking tool. Since you can’t track rankings in a straightforward way (yet, at least), you may want to manually check in with different AI tools, have conversations, and see when and where your brand pops up.

Understanding Customer Intent

Okay, this one is the pièce de résistance for me. In my opinion, this is the biggest shift that any business or marketer will need to make when it comes to ranking on traditional search engines vs. ChatGPT. The ranking factors are similar enough, the overall emphasis on quality remains the same, but your understanding of customer intent and behavior must be dialed in if you want to rank on ChatGPT.

Customer intent on ChatGPT is much more specific and important than it is on Google. Consider these examples:

Google Searches:

• Best hiking trails Toronto

• Hiking trail close to downtown Toronto

ChatGPT Queries: 

• What are some great hiking trails around Toronto for beginners?

• Where should I go hiking today in Toronto, less than a 20 minute drive from downtown?

The top Google Results are likely to have almost all the same hiking trails listed. The ChatGPT response is going to be way more specific to that person’s intent.

Optimizing for intent means structuring your content to answer conversational queries and anticipating follow-up questions. AI platforms like ChatGPT aim to offer natural, helpful responses, so aligning your content with this goal increases the likelihood of inclusion.

Not to mention, queries will likely get even more specific and conversational, as more consumers adopt AI models and even start asking their questions out loud using audio tools.

Establish Patterns

My final tip for ranking on ChatGPT is to establish patterns. AI tools identify patterns in queries and responses. This means that your messaging and content matters a lot. Pay attention to what’s being repeated. Structure your content with comprehensive, easy to extract and summarize answers.

The TL:DR —What Should You Actually Do Right Now To Rank on ChatGPT?

OK so let’s get down to business: What can you actually DO for ChatGPT SEO, or to get mentioned on any of these AI tools?

First of all, you need to ask yourself this question: Is my traditional SEO strategy running smoothly and getting consistent results?

If the answer is no to this question, only come back here once it’s a yes. That’s basically half the battle.

If the answer is a yes, here are 3 things you can do right now to get this ball rolling:

1. Add AI conversations into your workflow: Start today, and then come back weekly or monthly to chat with various AI tools as part of your strategy and research. Keep a record of the questions you ask and the responses.

2. Create a separate process for AI query research: You’re already doing keyword research for your SEO strategy, but it's time to add a dedicated process for AI queries. You’ll need to consider the differences in how people communicate with AI chat tools compared to traditional search engines, and add new key phrases to your pages to optimize for it.