You’ve probably heard the fuss about SearchGPT, OpenAI’s recently announced search engine that has the entire marketing world on its toes. 

If you’ve already passed it off as ‘just another search engine’, you might want to think again. 

The last time a new search engine was hyped up to the level of ‘Google-killer’ was in 2009 prior to the launch of Bing. This was Microsoft’s attempt to beat Google at their own game. 

Now, Microsoft has invested over $10 billion into OpenAI, resulting in a deep integration of SearchGPT into Bing – which could finally result in Bing becoming a serious Google competitor. 

With SearchGPT, OpenAI (and Microsoft) are aiming to rewrite the rules of search entirely. 

But what exactly is SearchGPT, and why should marketers start preparing for its arrival now? 

In the next few minutes, expect to learn:

• What SearchGPT is, how it works, and why it’s a big deal
• What performance marketers think about SearchGPT
• How to optimize marketing strategies for AI search, and what marketers should be doing today
• How SearchGPT is likely to impact paid media, and the marketing industry as a whole

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What is SearchGPT?

Put this question into ChatGPT, and it will characteristically tell you that “SearchGPT is like the friendly librarian of the internet, but on turbo mode and with an uncanny knack for understanding exactly what you're looking for”. 

…Luckily, AI is shaping up to be far more effective as a search engine than as a creative writer.

In more technical terms, SearchGPT is OpenAI’s conversational search model that aims to combine the precision of traditional search engines with the contextual intelligence of generative AI. 

It’s a tool that aims to not only retrieve answers, but also contextualize them, refine them based on follow-up questions, and create a personalized experience tailored to the user’s intent.

Instead of a search query leading to a list of links, SearchGPT delivers nuanced, conversational responses, often pulling from multiple sources and synthesizing the information into something immediately actionable. 

This means that, unlike traditional search engines, SearchGPT doesn’t just fetch — it aims to interpret, curate, and deliver hyper-relevant results instantaneously.

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How does SearchGPT work?

Heads up: We’re about to get slightly technical. If you’re only here for actionable strategy tips, scroll on. Yet, marketers with a deeper understanding of how SearchGPT works will likely have an edge in the years to come. 

While OpenAI hasn’t disclosed the specific mechanics behind SearchGPT, it likely employs a method similar to retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), a technique currently being used by Google in their AI overviews.

RAG helps minimize inaccuracies (often referred to as hallucinations) by combining information from a database with the language model’s responses, improving accuracy. It does this by converting search queries into numerical embeddings that capture their meaning and then searching a vector database filled with trusted information sources. For SearchGPT, this database is more than likely powered by Bing, given OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft.

By extracting the most relevant content, SearchGPT generates accurate answers while linking back to the original web sources, with the aim of maintaining transparency and credibility. These retrieved sources provide valuable context for the language model to respond to user queries effectively.

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Why is SearchGPT a big deal?

SearchGPT represents a fundamental shift in how audiences access information. Marketers will need to adapt paid and organic strategies alike in order to remain effective in a SearchGPT landscape. Here’s why:

• Fewer clicks, more answers -- Traditional search engines rely on delivering links to websites. SearchGPT will bypass this step by giving users the answer directly in the interface. While great for user experience, it ultimately means fewer clicks on your paid ads or organic results.
• Intent over keywords -- SearchGPT is designed to understand intent at a deeper level. It’s less about matching exact keywords and more about fulfilling the user’s actual needs. Marketers will need to rethink their keyword strategies in light of this paradigm shift.
• AI-Synthesized responses -- Your content might not appear verbatim but could be referenced in AI-generated summaries. Ensuring your brand's voice and key messaging shine through is essential — even when you’re not the direct click destination.
• Search, without Google -- Citations and conversation search gives SearchGPT a unique edge over Google, even with Google’s recent addition of AI overviews. If users value this enough, it could be the first true competitor to Google as we know it, completely shifting the search landscape. We could even see a mass migration akin to the shift from Yahoo to Google back in the stone age of the internet. 

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What marketers are saying about SearchGPT

Before we get into key optimization tips for SeachGPT, let’s take a look at what performance marketers are saying about the highly-anticipated new search engine, and their thoughts on just how dominant (or not) SearchGPT is likely to be.

This poll from Google Ads Specialist Adriaan Dekker showed that most marketers believe SearchGPT will take traffic away from Google Ads:

Google Ads Consultant Morten Kofod followed up by stating “the only answer is yes. The real question is, how much” - an opinion most marketers seemed to agree with. 

Brian Stewart, CMO at BubbleUp, commented with the point that SearchGPT will force marketers to adapt and change their strategies for the better -- like we have always done in the face of big platform or product changes in the past.

In a comment, Derek Merrill, Founder at Blox, made the point that SearchGPT will require consumers to change their search behavior in order to be really disruptive. Jordan Baldwin followed, stating that when users become adept at using an ‘agent’ for search, marketers will need to completely rethink their approach: 

Mazen Laham, CTO and Co-Founder at BoxMind.ai, was amongst the first to test the SearchGPT prototype, claiming it to be a ‘more intuitive and efficient information retrieval experience’ in a LinkedIn post: 

Eric M. Hoover, SEO director at Jellyfish, doesn’t think SearchGPT is necessarily a ‘Google Killer’, yet it does provide a new challenge to the search engine giant. Echoing our own sentiment, Eric mentioned in his LinkedIn post that this is an opportunity to understand how the large language model (LLM) is serving relevant results to users.

Widespread SearchGPT adoption may not stem from how good it is, but rather how poor Google is. 

It’s no secret that users are becoming increasingly frustrated with the quality of Google results in recent years, with one Reddit user echoing the sentiment: 

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How to optimize marketing strategies for SearchGPT

So, how can marketers prepare for the potential upheaval of search marketing?

First of all, a disclaimer: anyone claiming to know exactly how to rank on SearchGPT probably also stocks an exciting new range of snake oil to sell you. 

Nobody knows what the exact ranking factors will be for either organic or paid strategies on SearchGPT, and we likely won’t know until marketers get their hands on the full public release. 

Yet we can take notes from top performance marketers and AI experts to adapt both on-site content and paid media strategies to perform in AI search models that already exist (CoPilot, ChatGPT search, etc.), as AI-driven conversational search isn’t exactly a new thing. 

Here are some practical steps to give you an idea of what to focus on going forward:

1. Focus on contextual relevance

Content needs to be more than just keyword optimized; it should address specific queries comprehensively. SearchGPT will thrive on context and depth, so make sure your resources (blogs, videos, product information, key information, etc) are robust and detailed. 

Keep in mind that SearchGPT can reference various types of content beyond just text, so don’t limit your efforts to just text. 

How to: Audit your existing content. Does it provide in-depth answers to the most common questions your audience asks? If not, now’s a good time for a refresh.

2. Double down on structured data

SearchGPT uses structured data to understand content better. Ensuring your website uses schema markup can help AI understand and surface your content accurately.

How to: Prioritize structured data formats like FAQs, How-Tos, and Product Schema for higher visibility in conversational AI responses.

3. Rethink ad copy

With fewer users clicking through to websites, paid search strategies must adapt. Experiment with ad copy designed to integrate seamlessly into conversational AI experiences. For example, highlight unique value propositions directly in your ad text to ensure it resonates, even if users only see a summary.

How to: Test campaigns with concise, conversational CTAs that align with the tone and functionality of AI-driven search interfaces.

4. Leverage First-Party data

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘first-party data’ extensively over the past few years. That’s because it has the power to optimize your PMax campaigns, give you better attribution and measurement, and future-proof your campaigns.

Yet as search behavior shifts, first-party data has become even more valuable. Use insights from your owned data sources to anticipate user needs and tailor messaging accordingly.

How to: Implement predictive analytics tools to uncover trends in user behavior, helping you stay one step ahead in optimizing for AI-driven searches.

5. Build an AI-Optimized content strategy

When it comes to conversational search, even the best paid media strategy in the world can’t save you if your content doesn’t hit the mark. 

Start crafting content specifically for AI interpretation. This includes creating concise summaries, answering common questions clearly, and incorporating multimedia elements like images and videos that can enhance AI responses.

How to: Include short, punchy takeaways at the beginning of your content. AI models like SearchGPT often prioritize easily digestible snippets.

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Speculation: What SearchGPT means for marketers

SearchGPT faces an uphill battle against Google’s dominance. It’ll need to maintain accuracy and reliability, scale to handle massive data, and – most importantly – convince enough casual users to switch from Google. 

If it does succeed, SearchGPT could herald the dawn of a post-click era. Here’s what that could mean:

• Content as a service - Brands will invest more in creating “referencable” content designed to be cited by AI rather than directly consumed by users.
• AI-Native advertising - Paid search ads are likely to evolve into conversational prompts integrated into AI workflows, offering solutions directly within the chat interface.
• A shift in performance metrics - Engagement metrics like impressions, mentions, or AI-assisted interactions are likely to take precedence over traditional click-through rates.

For paid media professionals, this evolution is both a challenge and an opportunity. On one hand, campaigns must adapt to reduced click volume. 

On the other, there’s a potentially prosperous opportunity to shape entirely new forms of brand engagement through conversational AI – and those who learn to master it quickly will have a significant advantage over the competition. 

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So what should marketers do today?

The best way to prepare for SearchGPT is to start experimenting now. Optimize your content, rethink your paid strategies, and stay informed about how AI-driven tools are evolving.

And don’t forget to keep a close eye on invalid traffic — tools like Lunio can help ensure your campaigns are optimized for real humans, even in an AI-driven world. (Why not get a free 14 day traffic audit to see exactly how much of your traffic is invalid?)

SearchGPT might be changing the rules of the game, but marketers have always thrived on adaptation (whether they like it or not!)

When thinking about strategies for 2025 and beyond, keep one thing in mind: the brands that master AI-driven search will almost certainly define the next era of marketing success.

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