What ChatGPT SEO is (and isn’t)
ChatGPT SEO means getting your brand named in ChatGPT’s answers when buyers ask what to buy. It does not mean using ChatGPT to write blog posts or find keywords. Some people use the same name for that, but it’s a different job.
When a buyer asks ChatGPT for the best option, it doesn’t show a page of ten links. It writes one answer with a few names and a reason for each. In our study of 10,000 keywords, ChatGPT linked to just 2.35 pages per answer on average. The list is short, so a spot on it matters.
| ChatGPT SEO is | ChatGPT SEO isn’t |
|---|---|
| Getting ChatGPT to name and recommend your brand | Using ChatGPT to write your content |
| Getting your brand onto the pages ChatGPT reads | Buying cheap guest posts |
| Fixing what ChatGPT gets wrong about you | Paying for an ad |
| Checking the answers again and again | A one-time setup |
You may also hear it called SEO for ChatGPT, ChatGPT search optimization or generative engine optimization for ChatGPT. The goal is the same: be the brand ChatGPT recommends.
What we change: ChatGPT’s memory and its live search
ChatGPT gets brand names from two places: what it already learned, and what it finds on the web while it answers. Each one needs different work, so we change both.
ChatGPT’s memory
Before ChatGPT was released, it learned from a huge amount of text on the web. Brands that many sites write about are brands it already knows. It can name them without searching at all.
Memory plays a big part. In our study, 82.22% of ChatGPT’s answers named at least one brand that an AI with web search turned off also named for the same question. And when ChatGPT named those well-known brands, 85% of the mentions had no link to the brand’s own website.
Source: Web Asset Builders study of 10,000 US keywords, August–September 2026.
So your own website can’t teach ChatGPT who you are. What other sites say about you does that. Memory changes slowly, because it only updates when a new model is trained. We work to get your brand described the same clear way on the pages that shape it: reviews, “best of” lists, news and trusted directories in your field.
ChatGPT’s live search
When a question needs current facts, ChatGPT searches the web. It turns the question into a few short searches, reads the pages that come back and names brands from them. It finds those pages with its own search bot, called OAI-SearchBot.
Live search changes faster than memory. It is also where your own site gets a real say. In our study, 42.42% of the links next to brands in ChatGPT’s answers went to the brand’s own site. The rest went to other websites.
- The brand’s own site 42.42%
- Other websites 57.58%
Links next to brand mentions in ChatGPT’s answers. Source: Web Asset Builders study of 10,000 US keywords, August–September 2026.
So for live search, we make sure the bot can read your site. We get your brand onto the pages it reads for your buyers’ questions. And we make your own pages clear enough to repeat.
Our ChatGPT SEO services
We do the work for you, from the first check to ongoing tracking. Here is what’s included:
- Find your buyer questions. We list what your buyers ask ChatGPT at each step: when they learn about a problem, compare options and choose.
- Check what ChatGPT says now. We run each question many times in new chats. We write down the brands it names, the pages it links to and anything it gets wrong.
- Let its search bot in. We check that your robots.txt file and your host let OAI-SearchBot read your pages. If the bot is blocked, ChatGPT’s search can’t use your site.
- Make your site easy to repeat. Your pages should say what you sell, who it’s for and how you compare. We put those facts in plain text, with the answer first, and keep them the same everywhere.
- Get you named on the pages ChatGPT reads. We work to get accurate mentions on reviews, “best of” lists, comparisons, news and directories that fit your field. We don’t buy cheap guest posts. In our study, only 2.36% of the sites ChatGPT linked to were in our catalog of sites that sell them.
- Track the answers and close gaps. ChatGPT’s answers change from one chat to the next. We obsessively track what it says about you, and we keep working on the questions where it names a competitor instead of you.
Every project starts with our free AI visibility audit. It shows where you stand in ChatGPT today, so the work starts with your biggest gaps.
ChatGPT vs Google’s AI: why you need a plan for each
Being named by Google’s AI doesn’t mean ChatGPT will name you too. Our study compared ChatGPT with Google’s AI Overviews on the same keywords. On average, the two shared only 3.33% of the pages they linked to.
| What we measured | ChatGPT | Google AI Overviews |
|---|---|---|
| Links next to brands that went to other websites | 57.58% | 80.69% |
| Linked pages that were also in Google’s top 10 | 10.87% | 49.83% |
| Typical Google rank of linked pages that ranked | #21 | #6 |
| Pages linked per answer, on average | 2.35 | 4.94 |
| Answers that linked to Reddit | 0.31% | 49.87% |
| Answers that linked to YouTube | 0.16% | 50.81% |
Three things stand out:
- Google rank is a weak guide for ChatGPT. Only about 1 in 10 of the pages it linked to were in Google’s top 10.
- ChatGPT reads different sites. Forum threads and videos fill Google’s AI answers, but ChatGPT almost never links to them.
- ChatGPT gives fewer links. With about 2 links per answer, there is less room to get in.
So we build one plan with a part for each platform. For Google’s side, see AI Overview optimization and Google AI Mode SEO. AI Mode is Google’s chat-style search. Our study didn’t measure it, so we check it on its own.
ChatGPT SEO for online stores, software and local businesses
Buyers ask ChatGPT different things depending on what they buy. So the pages that matter change too.
Online stores
Shoppers ask ChatGPT what to buy, which product fits their need and whether it’s worth the price. We get your products named on the reviews, comparisons and gift guides ChatGPT reads. We also keep product facts, like sizes, materials and prices, the same on your site and everywhere else. See the full plan in AI SEO for ecommerce.
Software
Business buyers ask ChatGPT for a shortlist of tools, then ask how two options compare. We get your software onto the comparison pages, review sites and “best tools for” lists that shape that shortlist. We also help you publish honest comparison pages of your own.
Local businesses
People ask ChatGPT who to call near them and whether a business is any good. We make your name, services and service area match across your site, your listings and local “best of” pages. Then we work on the review sites ChatGPT reads for your area.
