ChatGPT Search (AKA SearchGPT) vs. Google Search: which is better? Well, I’ll tell you one thing. One of my friends contacted me to tell me that he finally subscribed to ChatGPT the other day. The reason? To use ChatGPT Search and ditch Big G. Are they in for big problems ahead? Let’s look at Google’s search results vs. the new ChatGPT Search and see what we can see.
Prefer listening? Play the podcast version below! If not, just keep reading.
What is ChatGPT Search (AKA SearchGPT)?
First off…what is it? ChatGPT Search is a feature in OpenAI’s ChatGPT that lets it look up current information online. This means it can provide up-to-date answers on topics like news, sports scores, and stock prices by searching the web in real time. It’s similar to Perplexity. It’s also similar to Google, only you don’t have to click around through multiple websites to find answers to your questions.
ChatGPT Search launched on October 31, 2024 (just in time for the election!). All ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as SearchGPT waitlist users, currently have access to the search party.
According to OpenAI, this search feature is “designed to get you a better answer.”
The big question is… does it? Let’s find out. Time to party.
How do You Use ChatGPT Search?
To use ChatGPT Search, there are two easy ways to do it. The first is obvious. Just click the globe icon in the prompt bar and then enter your prompt as usual.
The other way is to let ChatGPT determine when to use Search for you. This way is generally less effective, but it usually works. For example, if you prompt it like the image below, you’ll momentarily see the “Searching the Web” text, followed by the answer.
Search Results War: ChatGPT Search vs. Google
Let’s directly compare the search results of both tools for a variety of fascinating searches and see which produces the best results.
1. Research: Who is Dick Smith?
ChatGPT:
Google Search:
Winner – ChatGPT: This one wasn’t even close. ChatGPT nailed Dick. It produced a perfect answer to the question and pulled information about Dick from multiple pages of the site. The information was synthesized and put together nicely. The links worked. Google’s first search result was a link to the About Us page, which does contain information about Dick, but that’s not nearly as good. Google’s AI Overviews did not trigger.
2. Vacation Planning: North Korea
ChatGPT:
Google:
Winner – Google: Google wins this battle. I mean, they have a 26-year head-start, but still. Google provided a full search results page filled with the answer I was looking for, on top of images, facts about the country, key points to remember, etc. Although both answered the question in a similarly effective way, Google likely has the edge on most of these types of vacation queries because if you’re looking for things to do in the hermit kingdom, you probably want to know a lot of other things about it as well. Like information about Dennis Rodman.
3. Why Does Everyone Hate Google?
ChatGPT:
Google:
Winner – Tied: Well, at least Google’s AI has already become self-aware. Both tools provided accurate reasons to hate Big G, along with several reliable sources. Don’t be evil.
4. Why Are The Yankees The Most Hated Baseball Team of All Time?
ChatGPT:
Google:
Winner – ChatGPT: Google’s AI search overview produced an ERROR (see the red arrow). I know everyone makes mistakes, but that’s just bad. Maybe too many people are asking this question on Google all at once. That issue contributed heavily to ChatGPT’s win. ChatGPT’s answer was more comprehensive and convincing. However, it only annotated a source one time, even though its source list was packed with several sites.
5. In One Sentence, Why Did World War 1 Start?
ChatGPT:
Google:
Winner – Tied: ChatGPT provided what I asked for, but Google provided extremely relevant YouTube videos to watch, as well as highlighting the main reason for the war. However, with Google, the answer was far down the page, it was formatted and written horribly, and the answer was not written in one sentence (it wasn’t an AI answer).
Wrapping It Up – Is ChatGPT Search Better Than Google?
The final score was as follows: SearchGPT 2, Google 1, and two ties. Of course, keep in mind this was just a quick and dirty test and only included five test prompts. With that said, it’s very impressive that ChatGPT Search can already hold its own weight against Big G. As stated previously, Google has a 26-year head start on the search game. ChatGPT just entered the search arena two weeks ago.
I did witness the occasional broken link are incorrect information in ChatGPT, but there were also some issues with the Google searches as well.
It will be exciting to see how SearchGPT develops. My prediction is it starts chipping away at Google’s market share, one click at a time. How much of it the tool takes is up for debate. Kind of like how long it will take you to get out of your mother’s basement.
If you own a website, now would be the time to take notice. Keep an eye on your Google Analytics reports to monitor how much traffic you’re getting from ChatGPT and Perplexity. It will increase over time and become more important for your SEO efforts.
If you found any kernel of value in this post, be sure to share it with all of your coworkers, your local bar patrons, and all the fine people of your local ghetto.
ChatGPT Search vs. Google Search… it’s been fun.
Until next time, remember to run the prompts and prompt the planet.
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