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How to Get Traffic from ChatGPT Search

ByNina Clapperton Updated on

The future of search is here and its name is ChatGPT Search.

If you’ve used ChatGPT recently, you probably noticed a new icon in the search. Click on the little globe to activate the search function, and the AI will start combing the web for resources to match your keyword.

emailView of ChatGPT Search button

It also prompts you to add the new chrome extension  to your browser so you can search the entire web from any site – just like you’d set it as your default search engine.

They’re definitely coming for Google’s market share there!

It’s a whole new search engine to conquer… or is it?

Right now, ChatGPT Search isn’t AI run. It’s actually just Bing with some filters on.

The AI itself isn’t combing search results and making assessments. It’s largely pulling the top 10 from Bing for every query I tested.

There are some differences, like it tends to avoid forums and social media for its primary sources.

And if it feels the first result answers the query well enough, it skips the rest unless you ask for more sources.

If it’s just Bing, why do people like it so much?

I mean, no one really hypes Bing outside of HCU affected publishers.

(I’m speaking of society and marketing at large, not just SEOs.)

Here are my reasons, let’s see if you agree:

  1. It’s ad free. So the first result is actually an organic result … for now anyway
  2. It delivers conversational answers that let me preview the topic before I go to the site
  3. It always cites its sources for claims and makes it very easy to navigate to the sites. It will even cite the same source multiple times with different pages to add context
  4. If you don’t like the results, you can tell it and it will adjust its search for your needs. It can kinda build off your last search
  5. The AI can go a step further and do something with the information, unlike a static Google or Bing result
  6. ChatGPT can also add images and diagrams to help you understand the information if it’s complex

Note: I have only tested it for informational and commercial queries, not local SEO. I’ve heard varying responses on its effectiveness in that area. ​

Here’s how you can check if you’re “ranking” in the search:

  1. Go to your Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console. I have a tutorial on Bing for my Profitable Part-Time Blogger students. I have a GSC tutorial on Youtube for y’all
  2. Find 10-20 keywords you’re ranking on page 1 for. Usually it’s in the top 3-5 that you’ll show up
  3. Search it manually in ChatGPT Search

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You can also track your traffic from ChatGPT by searching for the source “ChatGPT” in Google Analytics or Microsoft Clarity.

​Here’s a video tutorial on how to filter G4 to show this easily.​

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Now what you really want to know: how do you rank in AI search if you aren’t already?

This is based on my research so far, and based on how ChatGPT has said they plan for it to work, even though it doesn’t fully do this right now.

Let’s future proof your AI ranking!

  1. Stop counting keywords. Instead, focus on matching the user intent and have relevant content that the Natural Language Processor can understand. Thats how it will match complex questions to relevant answers
  2. Target long tail, very specific keywords that speak to a niched down pain point. I.e. “how to rank #1 in search to get more clients” instead of “best seo tips”.
  3. Use a conversational tone to match the vibe of ChatGPT
  4. Use multimedia and schema to help signal what your content is and how it supports users. Include faq schema, how to lists, numbered lists, images and infographics. I haven’t seen tables do much yet but I predict they’ll matter in the future too, since they’re helpful for users and chatgpt loves a table output. My email next week is all about schema so if you don’t know what the heck I just said, wait till next week
  5. Be concise. ChatGPT likes thorough content, but not 12k word posts. It takes a lot for the ai to review that whole thing
  6. Make sure the AI can read your site. If you’ve blocked AI, it won’t be able to rank you even if you rank on Bing. It can right now pull snippets from the Bing API but it otherwise cannot crawl the content
  7. Make your site mobile friendly and quick loading. Basically, have a good user experience so the AI can comb your site but also so the user will enjoy their time there. If it takes too long to load, they’ll go back to ChatGPT for another source
  8. Index your content on Bing (for now at least)
  9. Use image SEO as it can pull image carousels. So if you have pretty pictures, optimize them with alt text and helpful file names – but not keyword stuffed ones.

I filmed a prediction two weeks ago that AI Search was gonna be the big thing in 2025, and the more I play with ChatGPT Search, the more I’m certain of it.

Have you tried the AI search yet? Did you like it more than Google?

Like this post? Share it with others!

Nina Clapperton is the founder of She Knows SEO.

She started blogging in 2018 and spent years doing everything “right” while earning $0. Then she stopped guessing and learned how search actually works. She rebuilt her travel site around audience intent and structure and grew to 50,000 sessions in 6 months. Within a year, the blog was bringing in $30,000 months and later crossed 243,000 pageviews.

She took the same audience first SEO approach and built her education business into multiple $100,000 months.

Now Nina teaches bloggers and online business owners how to build search powered businesses grounded in strong positioning, clear structure, and monetisation that actually supports their audience. She covers traditional SEO and AI driven search without the tech bro noise, and she’s known for explaining complex strategy with analogies you won’t forget.

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