ChatGPT Search Review Is OpenAI’s Search Engine Here to Compete with Google?

Updated: November 21

ChatGPT Search, or SearchGPT, provides quick answers, the latest information, and relevant web sources.

Google is rolling out new updates, and OpenAI continuously tries to make ChatGPT smarter. However, in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, the latter seems to have fallen behind.

However, now, OpenAI is here with its most talked-about evolution: ChatGPT Search.

Wikipedia describes ChatGPT Search as a search engine. It brings the freshest web-based results for your query. OpenAI has joined hands with news and data providers to provide the freshest information.

You can enable it by clicking the web search icon shown below.

Fun Fact: One of the most exciting things about the new OpenAI search engine is that when you click on the ‘web search icon,’ you get a list of trending topics.

We at WebSpero Solutions got early access to SearchGPT, so we tested it to understand why this OpenAI invention is essential for the World Wide Web and whether or not it can compete with search engine giant Google.

How To Use SearchGPT?

It is as simple as using ChatGPT.

The newest feature, available at chatgpt.com⁠, can only be accessed by ChatGPT Plus users. To get started, click on the web search icon. Then, enter your query like you do in ChatGPT.

Fun Fact: You can download the SearchGPT extension to search your queries here.

We tried this:

“I am going to Hawaii this weekend with my family. Suggest me some water activities that I can try.”

As you can see, the results were a list of activities with citations from reputed sources like New York Magazine, The Sun, etc.

How do you change your Default Browser to ChatGPT Search (Chrome)?

The ChatGPT Search extension is currently only available for paid users, but it will soon be free. Before this happens, let’s prepare to download the extension on Chrome and use it as our default browser instead of Google.

It is definitely going to change the way people search for information online.

Source: SearchGPT

How is SearchGPT Different from ChatGPT?

The first difference we can spot between the two OpenAI models is ‘results.’

Source: ChatGPT

Source: ChatGPT

Although the results are almost identical, SearchGPT’s outputs come with citations.

We tested more and found that citations aren’t the only difference between ChatGPT and SearchGPT, such as:

✔ ChatGPT is based on the GPT-3.5 language model, while the search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o.

✔ SearchGPT has instant access to the real-time World Wide Web, so you get up-to-date information. This is useful when looking for the latest updates on news, stocks, and sports.

✔ ChatGPT has a fixed set of databases to provide you with results. On the other hand, SearchGPT has access to current web data.

We asked both ChatGPT and SearchGPT to explain the difference between the two. Below are the responses:

Source: ChatGPT

Source: SearchGPT

How is SearchGPT Different from Perplexity AI?

The “results” of our queries are the first and foremost difference we could spot between the two AI models.

✔ Although both gave accurate results with citations, the outcomes of Perplexity AI were far more detailed and informative than SearchGPT.

✔ With Perplexity AI, we even get a list of related queries that adds more information to your knowledge. On the other hand, SearchGPT only sticks to the query asked.

✔ Both these tools have access to current web data; however, Perplexity AI gives more in-depth information than SearchGPT.

✔ Perplexity AI structures everything pretty well, making it a better tool for understanding minute details easily. On the other hand, SearchGPT can sometimes be a little complicated, even though it has all the information you need.

We asked both ChatGPT and SearchGPT to explain “How WebSpero Solutions is running their business excellently. Below are the responses:

Source: SearchGPT

Source: PerplexityAI

 

Comparison with Google: Can It Really Compete?

✔ It’s clear that SearchGPT has a long way to go before it can compete with Google, especially when we compare their traffic stats.

(Source: SEMrush)

Google – 140.7 billion visits

(Source: SEMrush)

ChatGPT Search – 4.5 billion visits

✔ SearchGPT currently struggles with location-based accuracy, which is a key strength of Google.

✔ While SearchGPT can provide a list of the best restaurants with their locations on a map, this feature is slower compared to Google. The functionality is similar, but the response time needs improvement.

✔ On the plus side, SearchGPT delivers real-time responses in a well-structured format, with citations that help users explore topics further.

Overall, SearchGPT still has a long journey to catch up with Google. Google’s extensive suite of tools and advanced capabilities make it far more powerful than SearchGPT at this stage.

gurushuran webspero
Gursharan Singh

Co-founded WebSpero solutions about a decade ago. Having worked in web development- I realized the dream of transforming ideas sketched out on paper into fully functioning websites. Seeing how that affected the customers’ generation of leads and conversions, I wanted to delve deeper into the sphere of digital marketing. At Webspero Solutions, handling operations and heading the entire Digital Marketing Field – SEO, PPC, and Content are my core domains. And although we as a team have faced many challenges, we have come far learning along and excelling in this field and making a remarkable online reputation for our work. Having worked in building websites and understanding that sites are bare structures without quality content, the main focus was to branch into optimizing each website for search engines. Investing in original, quality content creation is essential to SEO success in the current search climate. Succeeding in this arena ensures the benefits of producing visitor-friendly content. Directing all our teams to zoom in on these factors has been a role that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing throughout these years.