AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews have already changed how consumers search online for information and products, but it’s hard to quantify that change without data.
Semrush recently conducted a deep dive into referral traffic from SearchGPT (now known as ChatGPT Search) by analyzing a massive amount of clickstream data and examining detailed user interactions across digital platforms. Find out what this analysis of referral traffic from ChatGPT means for your business with Coalition Technologies.
Table of Contents
The Rundown
Learn more about SearchGPT, including insights like:
- ChatGPT Search has already amassed 556 million unique visitors within its first year.
- The average Search query for the new feature is 4.2 words long.
- 70% of queries using the new ChatGPT feature can’t be categorized as transactional, informational, commercial, or navigational.
- ChatGPT’s demographic skews towards younger male users.
- Many websites in the tech and education industries get more traffic from ChatGPT than Google or Bing.
- You’ll also learn more about what these trends mean for businesses and how to leverage this new feature to grow.
What is ChatGPT Search?
Search is a finely tuned model based on ChatGPT 4o that allows users to perform real-time web searches. Users can get up-to-date information for their queries, including links to relevant sources, without visiting a search engine. This mode blends Google’s information depth with ChatGPT’s ease of use.
Considering ChatGPT receives 5.2 billion monthly visits, this feature could mark a monumental shift in search habits if it becomes widely adopted. In terms of scope, this is similar to Google AI Overviews’ impact on global search trends.
A Powerful Tool for Traffic Referral
ChatGPT Search holds immense potential as a traffic referrer, and the feature has grown incredibly since its release. According to Semrush data, ChatGPT sent users to 30,000 unique domains as of November 2024, an increase of 20,000 from July of the same year.
How does that SearchGPT referral traffic stat compare to Google? Predictably. As of January 2024, Google is still comfortably the biggest traffic referrer in the world, with over 2/3rds of all referrals to the top 170 domains originating from the search giant.
The big takeaway from our ChatGPT Search investigation here, however, is the incredible rate of growth ChatGPT is seeing. An increase in 20,000 unique domains in less than half a year marks a rapid improvement in ChatGPT’s search capabilities, and they’re only going to get better as new models come out.
SEO Tip: Getting The First Mover Advantage
ChatGPT’s rapid growth is powered by a philosophy of constant change, as shown by the most recent update to the platform. Referring to the addition of conversation recall, CEO Sam Altman called ChatGPT “AI systems that get to know you over your life and becomes extremely useful and personalized.”
The bottom line is evolution. Businesses can optimize for ChatGPT Search faster than their competition and have a massive advantage, even if they work against more prominent names. Techniques like AI SEO can make ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLM tools work for your business with custom strategies, and it’s always better to start as soon as possible.
How Do Users Interact with ChatGPT Search?
Referral traffic from ChatGPT reveals that 46% of people have used the platform with the new Search feature enabled. This is impressive, considering Search is disabled by default unless a query specifically calls for it, like “Who won the Celtics game last night?” We can expect the percentage of SearchGPT users to grow as more consumers understand its strengths.
Average Prompt Lengths
According to SearchGPT referral traffic, the average ChatGPT Search query is 4.2 words. Queries with the Search feature turned off are significantly longer at 23, with the longest being 301 words.
This aligns with the trends we’ve seen on other platforms like Google. Basic search queries tend to be shorter and to the point, seeking concise answers rather than describing a general situation.
Understanding Search Intent on ChatGPT
The Coalition deep dive into voice search optimization discussed the importance of understanding search intent as a business and how different platforms can affect how people search. Many of those trends play out here in the ChatGPT Search investigation.
Google search queries are typically easy to classify into four categories: transactional, informational, commercial, and navigational. This has traditionally made it easier for marketers to optimize their content towards a specific type of searcher.
On the other hand, ChatGPT seems to follow an entirely different trend. According to Semrush data, 70% of queries on the platform are unique and can’t be classified into the four traditional categories mentioned above.
This is likely because ChatGPT’s long-context and conversation recall capabilities make it easy for users to brainstorm and problem-solve on the go and within the app instead of moving to a different website for a solution.
As for the 30% that can be sorted into the typical search intent categories, the ChatGPT Search investigation reveals:
- 52.2% of queries are informational
- 34.2% of queries are navigational
- 7.5% of queries are transactional
- 6.1% of queries are commercial
Discovering New Opportunities with ChatGPT
SearchGPT referral traffic analysis shows us that 70% of traffic that can’t be classified into traditional categories can instead be categorized as creativity (for brainstorming), conversation (to get advice), and critical thinking (to solve problems).
This calls for a pivotal shift in how businesses approach content optimization. Considering conversational search is the new norm, brands must use SEO copywriting to exploit long-tail keyword opportunities and target more niche topics in their content strategy. This ChatGPT Search investigation reveals how good the platform is at understanding subtle user intent, and you can make that work for you with content geared towards those precise queries.
If you’re unsure how to find the right keywords to optimize for, consult a top-rated SEO agency for a custom strategy built around your needs. A professional SEO agency like Coalition Technologies can leverage AI tools to create the ideal content strategy focused on AI-powered search.
Traffic From ChatGPT vs. Google and Bing
Referral traffic from ChatGPT uncovers intriguing new insights into user behavior.
Compared to Google, OpenAI-related websites get 14x more traffic from ChatGPT Search. AI-related tools like slidesgpt.com and b12.io also get significantly more traffic from ChatGPT than Google.
This trend largely continues if we look at Bing. Tech-related websites appear to perform better on ChatGPT. However, academic websites like Oxford University Press and larger multinational institutions like the World Bank also get more traffic from ChatGPT than Bing.
This SearchGPT referral traffic is expected, considering the increasingly common usage of SearchGPT for academic research and tech-related tasks. As search accuracy improves, seeing where this trend goes will be interesting.
Top-Performing Industries
This ChatGPT Search investigation looked at the 10,000 most-visited domains. These are the five industries that got the most traffic from the platform’s search feature:
- Online Services (9.9M unique sessions)
- Education (6.6M unique sessions)
- Mass Media (5.8M unique sessions)
- Information Technology (5.3M unique sessions)
- Computer Software and Development (2.6M unique sessions)
Audience Demographics
Google’s massive reach of 6.6B unique worldwide visitors (as of 2024) is reflected across its universal appeal for all demographics. Google’s user base spans various occupations and age ranges, with the largest being the 18-24 bracket at 24.7%. Regarding occupation, Google’s most frequent users are full-time workers and homemakers.
ChatGPT Search shows more variance in terms of demographics. The feature got 566M unique users in its first year, with a demographic that skews towards younger male users. Occupation-wise, ChatGPT’s most frequent users are students. This aligns with ChatGPT’s usefulness as a tool for education and exploration.
Is Your Content GPT-Ready?
SearchGPT referral traffic is the latest signal that user behavior is shifting strongly. Helpful content that aligns with creative prompts will rise to the top. As more searchers become comfortable with AI-powered search tools, only the websites that can optimize in time will reap the rewards.
Build a GPT-ready website with the digital marketing agency working at the forefront of AI. Contact Coalition Technologies for a free consultation today to learn how we can leverage AI to grow your brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ChatGPT Search?
Search is a new feature within OpenAI’s standard ChatGPT running off 4o. This feature allows the tool to search the web for the most helpful responses to user queries. Unlike traditional Google search, which simply creates a list of relevant links related to the query, ChatGPT’s new feature will synthesize information from those links to generate a concise and accurate response.
How can I make ChatGPT recommend my website?
Referral traffic from ChatGPT reveals the power of understanding user intent. ChatGPT users tend to use more conversational language in their queries. As a business, you can optimize your content for that trend by using more specific long-tail keywords. We recommend working with a trusted marketing agency for better keyword research.
How do businesses benefit from ChatGPT Search?
Businesses that adapt to ChatGPT can benefit in many different ways. Optimized websites can increase their traffic significantly and boost sales as high-intent searchers come in.
