OpenAI’s new GPT Search feature is generating increasing interest in the world of internet marketing. Initially, the tool was meant to support users’ creativity in generating texts, but now it has expanded its role, aspiring to be a full-fledged internet search engine. In the context of local search results, a question arises – can GPT Search really threaten the giant that is Google? Currently, both SearchGPT and Google with its Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) feature are introducing changes that could completely transform the landscape of search results. In this analysis, I examine what benefits and limitations ChatGPT might bring for local business SEO.
ChatGPT as a Local Search Engine
ChatGPT Search can respond to queries about local businesses in various ways. Sometimes it shows maps with business profiles, sometimes it focuses on more detailed descriptions without visualization. When presenting a map, results are limited to a few businesses, meaning you need to ask for more to get a complete picture of the market. Moreover, we can continue to “converse” with the received results, asking for more precise information. There’s also no guarantee that subsequent results will be presented in the same format, for example as pins on a map, even if we explicitly request it. It’s worth adding that the results received in tests rarely matched Google’s results, which is understandable since they’re based on completely different data and algorithms. This highlights the uniqueness of ChatGPT Search and the distinctiveness of its approach to local results. This unpredictability means that optimizing for visibility in ChatGPT results can be challenging, and businesses need to maintain a broad presence across many external sources.
Factors Influencing Results
Another important issue is the factors that influence the ranking of businesses in ChatGPT Search. This tool analyzes various aspects of operations, including staff qualifications, customer reviews, and comprehensive service offerings. These factors are dynamic and can vary depending on the query and industry. Interestingly, unlike Google, local results may take into account a much larger number of business aspects, such as unique service features, team experience, or specific local distinguishing factors. For example, in the medical industry, staff qualifications might carry significant weight, while in gastronomy, customer reviews would be more important. ChatGPT often relies on articles and rankings available online to determine which aspects are key in a given industry. This means that published information must be current and aligned with user expectations in the given industry.
Lack of Live Data Access
ChatGPT doesn’t have access to live data from Google Business Profiles, meaning information about businesses is pulled from other websites and can often be outdated. ChatGPT analyzes data from Google Business Profiles only when they are replicated and published by external websites, which means the accuracy of this information can vary. Additionally, I sometimes received suggestions for locations with incorrect addresses because the business had moved several months ago. Such errors can significantly undermine the quality of all received results. This means business owners must particularly ensure their current information is present on various external portals to guarantee the best possible presentation in results generated by ChatGPT.
Importance of Reviews
Reviews are one of the most important elements that ChatGPT considers in presented results. The tool analyzes the number of reviews, their content, and average rating, but only when this data is published on external sites such as rankings or industry articles. ChatGPT not only considers numbers but also tries to summarize the key information mentioned by customers, which can give users a better picture of what customers value and criticize. Importantly, ChatGPT doesn’t have access to visual elements of Google Business Profiles, such as photos or other graphical representations, which significantly limits the complete picture it can offer users. In practice, this means businesses must pay particular attention to ensuring their descriptions, offerings, and published customer reviews are comprehensive and well-accessible in text form for ChatGPT to process them properly.
Lack of Location and City Center Results
ChatGPT Search tends to focus on businesses located in city centers, especially if users don’t specify their exact location. Additionally, ChatGPT Search has difficulty precisely establishing location context if users don’t provide detailed information. This, combined with the limited number of results, means businesses operating on the outskirts might be overlooked unless users conduct additional, more detailed queries. ChatGPT Search also struggles with precisely establishing location context if users don’t provide detailed information. For businesses, this means they need to strongly emphasize their location in online materials to increase their chances of appearing in results. This shows how important local optimization is and the use of external sources to increase chances of appearing in AI results.
Linking to Google Business Profiles
ChatGPT often generates links leading to search results rather than directly to business profiles. The accuracy of links often depends on the uniqueness of the business name. In cases of general and imprecise names, such as “Late Night Pizza,” the link might redirect to a list of several similar profiles. Therefore, a unique and recognizable business name has always been a significant advantage in terms of visibility in Google local results. Businesses should thus ensure their brand is unambiguously associated and easily identifiable online.
A major advantage of ChatGPT is that each business is described based on various sources, such as their own website, external rankings, business directories, booking systems, articles, or blogs. However, during testing, I noticed that the tool often reached for articles from so-called link farm sites, which don’t always feature high-quality content. In extreme cases, results generated by ChatGPT were based on information created by other AI, leading to errors and inaccuracies. Sometimes you can observe a “tail-eating” phenomenon, where AI uses information generated by other AI, leading to the perpetuation of the same errors. For example, an article published by one AI might be quoted by another, resulting in incorrect information being perpetuated and increasingly difficult to eliminate from circulation. Therefore, business owners should regularly monitor what’s being said about them online and strive to ensure that information published, even on SEO link farms, doesn’t contain far-fetched AI hallucinations about their business.
Query Generality and Results
ChatGPT takes into account the generality of user queries. If we don’t specify exactly what service we’re interested in, the tool tries to return results for businesses with extensive and diverse offerings. This shows how important detailed service descriptions are both on your own website and in external sources such as industry directories, rankings, or review portals. It’s particularly important for offerings to be precisely described and accessible, as users increasingly use voice queries, which can be more precise. Again, businesses should describe their services in detail to best respond to these types of queries.
ChatGPT Search has the potential to fundamentally change how users search for more complex local information. Its ability to process complex queries and provide answers could become a breakthrough element in the future of local search. The development of voice queries may become a key factor influencing how users interact with search engines, meaning businesses must prepare their data for this type of interaction. Although there are currently some limitations, technological development could revolutionize how businesses reach local customers. To avoid falling behind, businesses should monitor these changes and adapt their marketing strategies to upcoming trends.
This analysis was conducted based on the first days after the release of ChatGPT Search, which means the tool may evolve, and results and functionalities may change.*
