The growing popularity of AI models such as ChatGPT is changing how people find information and conduct research. For some questions, an AI model can produce an answer in seconds, without requiring the user to review a page of search results. Google continues to improve the speed and accuracy of its results, but it is clearly competing with a new way of accessing information.
In this article, we'll compare ChatGPT and Google and consider what the differences mean for SEO:
What is ChatGPT?
We asked ChatGPT to describe itself and received the following answer. I think it provides enough context.
"ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI. It is a GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) based artificial intelligence model and has a broad understanding of language. Using natural language processing capabilities, ChatGPT can chat with people, provide answers to questions, and help with various issues. As a pre-trained language model, it is pre-trained on a large text dataset and then fine-tuned for various tasks. ChatGPT attempts to understand users' questions and tries to generate meaningful and appropriate responses to them. However, as it is not guaranteed to provide accurate and reliable information, it should be used with caution and validated with other sources when necessary."
ChatGPT vs. Google
As ChatGPT became more popular, the SEO industry began debating how GPT might affect Google. Questions about Google's response to AI-generated content were a major part of that discussion. Although ChatGPT's popularity has implications for Google, the two technologies have different capabilities and use cases. Google indexes websites and returns relevant results, while ChatGPT uses natural language processing to generate direct answers to users' questions. Their functions overlap in some areas, but many of their uses are likely to remain distinct in the short term.
The table below summarises the main differences.
| ChatGPT | |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered dialogue-based chatbot developed by OpenAI. | Google is an internet search engine owned by Google LLC. |
| Good at understanding and responding to prompts using natural language processing. | It is good at helping users find useful information and websites on the internet. |
| Requires membership. | It can be used without the need for any membership. |
| ChatGPT's prototype is based on only 570 gigabytes of text data. | The Google index contains hundreds of billions of web pages, corresponding to over 1,000,000,000 gigabytes of data. |
| Provides only textual answers to questions. | It offers results in many different formats, including text, image, video, question and answer. |
| Since it works by learning from patterns, it may be biased and may not provide reliable, up-to-date information. | By offering more than one option, it enables users to make comparisons in order to reach the right information and allows sorting according to actuality. |
Preply conducted a study comparing Google and ChatGPT. The two tools answered 40 questions across different topics, and their responses were then evaluated. ChatGPT led on 23 questions, while 1 question was rated a "draw" between Google and ChatGPT.
Based on these results, Google performed better on current topics, while ChatGPT was stronger at providing short, direct answers.
Can ChatGPT Replace Google?
As noted above, Google and ChatGPT overlap in some areas but are designed for different purposes. ChatGPT's main uses are listed below, and Google cannot perform most of them through a single command.
- Content Writing
- Coding/Debugging
- Keyword Research
- Translation
- Problem Solving
- Personal Conversation
One of Google's main differences from ChatGPT is the range of result types it provides, including shopping, video, and image results.
A significant share of Google searches have commercial, news, or purchasing intent, so ChatGPT and Google could not yet be compared directly in those areas at the time of writing. Queries such as "Purple Dress" or "What happened in Istanbul today?" showed clear differences between the two technologies.
Although the possibility of ChatGPT replacing Google in the current structure is quite low, it is possible to say that with some innovations, Google can gain some of the market share. Especially with Bing Chat, where Microsoft combines ChatGPT with the search engine, it may be possible for the number of Bing users to gain a small share of Google's share.
How Can I Use ChatGPT in SEO Studies?
The impact of ChatGPT on the SEO and marketing world seems to be to make things easier, as in all sectors. So, how can you optimise your website using ChatGPT? How can the use of ChatGPT benefit SEO efforts? I will briefly answer these questions below.
1 - Keyword Research
As you know, keyword research is among the most basic steps of SEO. If you do not have an SEO tool that you can do keyword research, you can ask ChatGPT to extract keywords related to your industry for you.
2 - Word Grouping
You can use ChatGPT for keyword grouping. By sharing a sample data set, you can group according to the criteria you want. In this way, you can evaluate your organic traffic performance on a group basis.
3 - Structured Data Generation
When creating your structured data, you can take advantage of ChatGPT, create all JSON-LD code in GPT, or add or remove existing code.
In addition, you can easily detect the cause of errors you receive in your structured data with ChatGPT.
4 - Excel Formula Creation
Excel and Google Sheets are among the tools that many of us frequently use. You can easily edit the formulas created in Excel or Google Sheets with ChatGPT or you can quickly create formulas by explaining your request in detail.
5 - Creating Content or Content Brief
You can use GPT to decide how to proceed when creating blog content. For example, ChatGPT's response to the command "Submit a content brief on the theme of Starting a Company in Montenegro with H1, H2, H3 headings." is as follows.
Similarly, it is possible to utilise GPT directly in the content creation phase.
Bonus: SEO Extension Creation
You can create your own SEO extensions by transferring your request to ChatGPT correctly, and you can use ChatGPT to debug situations where you need coding knowledge. Below you can see the details of the Chrome Extension written by Jonathan Boshoff with the help of ChatGPT.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, both ChatGPT and Google are major players in the modern technology world and both play important roles. While ChatGPT has made great strides in natural language processing and offers an effective solution for text-based content generation, help and automation, Google is a pioneer in areas such as fast access to information, search engine, advertising and data analysis with its wide range of products. Which platform should be preferred may vary depending on the needs of the user, the size of the project and the goals. While both platforms continue to add value to the world of technology, users can choose the solution that best meets their needs.
