AI isn’t just for generating content. An increasing number of people are using tools like ChatGPT as an alternative to Google … and we’ve seen this starting to drive sales for creators on FilterGrade!
It’s not just traffic anymore. Sales from ChatGPT are already happening. The future is looking bright. 😍 pic.twitter.com/P7rBUOUAfB
— Mike Moloney (@moloneymike) December 3, 2024
This means optimizing your content to appear in ChatGPT’s results is essential. While many regular SEO principles still apply (like using keywords), there are some key differences in emphasis.
In October 2024, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Search, noting and building on how users were already using ChatGPT as a search engine. This is set to be a growing trend, one you want to be on top of so you don’t lose out to your competitors.
In this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about SEO for ChatGPT and similar AI chatbot tools. Cover photo by Solen Feyissa.
What Makes SEO for ChatGPT Different?
With ChatGPT, you need to understand:
1. User Intent Behind Queries
Think about what users want from a specific query. Like other AI chatbots, ChatGPT works in a conversational way, producing answers that aim to match the user’s intent.
While Google also focuses on search intent, this is becoming increasingly important as AI search becomes more popular.
Murtaza Oklu, Owner of OMO Transfer says, “As AI continues to shape search behavior, content creators need to prioritize conversational intent. Optimizing for tools like ChatGPT requires a focus on user queries and delivering concise solutions.”
When you create content, think about the types of questions users might ask. What’s the context behind these? What sort of product or solutions might they be looking for?
2. Focus on Semantic Search
ChatGPT understands content through its meaning, not through individual keywords. Like Google, it knows how topics relate to one another—but it prioritizes this even more.
As a marketer, you’ll want to create content clusters around different topics and subtopics. For instance, if you’re writing about choosing clipart, you’d want to include lots of the common topics that people look for with clipart (like food, borders, and seasonal clipart).
3. Zero-Click Search Results
Google’s snippets aim to provide a “zero-click” search result, answering a question right there on the search results page. ChatGPT does this too—but goes even further. Users won’t generally click links. Instead, they want a concise, direct answer.
You’ll want to include actionable summaries within your content so that AI tools can easily extract these. The more value you offer in this way, the more likely it is that ChatGPT will use your content rather than someone else’s.
Practical SEO Tips for ChatGPT Optimization
So what exactly should you do to get your content ranking in ChatGPT? Here are some specific steps to take.
Important: None of these tips will take away from your “traditional” SEO. They won’t harm your Google rankings in any way. In fact, many of these will enhance your all-round SEO as they help you produce the kind of content that Google loves too.
1. Prioritize Conversational Keywords
Avoid focusing on generic keywords and instead look for natural language phrases and question-based long-tail keywords. Think about the questions users are typing into tools like ChatGPT within your niche.
For instance, instead of optimizing your content for “photoshop ideas” you might choose a longer phrase like “How do I get ideas for Photoshop?” to match how people interact with ChatGPT.
Chris Aubeeluck, Head of Sales and Marketing at Osbornes Law, explains, “Legal marketing relies on clear, concise information to address client concerns. Optimizing your content for conversational queries means tools like ChatGPT can guide potential clients to you.”
2. Structure Your Content for Easy AI Parsing
ChatGPT (and similar AI tools) like content to be straightforward, scannable, and well-organized. That means using:
- Short paragraphs
- Bullet-point lists
- Clear headings (with correct header hierarchy, using H1, H2, H3 etc)
When you structure your article well, it’s easier for ChatGPT to pull key points directly from it.
Use title tags and meta descriptions too. These are useful for ChatGPT SEO, not just for Google and other more traditional search engines.
Julia Doak, Franchisor at Bedpost says, “AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT rely on clarity and context. Writers should focus on creating scannable, insightful content that is structured to meet user intent seamlessly.”
Related: Get organized with Notion Templates for productivity and workflow efficiency!
3. Provide Direct and Concise Answers
Have you ever read an online recipe where you had to wade through the recipe-writer’s entire life story before getting to the actual list of ingredients?
This kind of drawn-out content doesn’t work well for ChatGPT. Instead, you want to summarize key info early in your content, before you dive into details. A brief, direct answer is most likely to appear in ChatGPT.
Michael Nemeroff, Co-founder & CEO at RushOrderTees suggests, “If similar questions keep coming up from your customers, add an FAQ section in your content. That way, it’s easy for ChatGPT to draw from your article when answering those same questions or search queries.”
4. Use Structured Data
Using schema markup is useful for Google—but it’s also really helpful to AIs. Structured data can help the AI categorize and understand different types of information within your content.
For instance, if you have an FAQ section at the end of your article, use FAQ schema. If your article includes a review, use the review snippet schema.
Kathryn MacDonell, CEO at Trilby Misso Lawyers says, “Structured, easy-to-digest information plays a vital role in industries like legal services. You want to make your content as clear as possible to AI so you can help clients who may need urgent answers.”
5. Focus on Topical Depth
The established SEO practice of creating “hub and spoke” content is a great way to go when you want your content to rank well in ChatGPT too. As John Grant, Founder & CEO at Premier Bidets, puts it, “The better we organize and cluster our topics, the higher the likelihood that AI will choose to feature relevant answers.”
“Hub and spoke” content means having a main post (the “hub”) on your website that then links to posts covering all kinds of subtopics. For example, if you have a post on “Modern Website Design Trends” this could include links to other articles that go in-depth on topics like “Minimalist Design Principles”, “Color Psychology in UI” and “Best Practices for Mobile-First Design”.
Measuring Success in SEO for ChatGPT
How can you tell whether your SEO optimization is effective in getting your content to appear in ChatGPT search?
With Google traffic, you probably look at key metrics like how many visitors you’re getting and whether your post is ranking top for a given keyword.
But ChatGPT is different. Rodger Desai, CEO of Prove explains, “Success in SEO for ChatGPT isn’t just about rankings—it’s about understanding how your content is being referenced and used. Measuring visibility within AI-driven responses is the new benchmark for effective optimization.”
It can be difficult to gauge how visible your posts are in ChatGPT’s responses, but you could aim to track conversational brand mentions and any instances where your content is directly quoted or used by AI tools.
You could use this process for tracking whether ChatGPT is including your product/brand in relevant searches.
Over time, you’ll want to adjust your strategy—for instance, you might notice that ChatGPT is consistently pulling from a competitor’s website. Is there something that a competitor is doing that you’re not, such as optimizing email landing pages to capture leads more effectively or drive engagement?
Future Trends in SEO for ChatGPT
AI technology is evolving incredibly rapidly—so what does the future hold for ChatGPT SEO?
We can expect to see:
- AI playing an increasingly important role in search. More and more people will start using ChatGPT and other tools to run searches. Even Google uses AI overviews in search now.
- Voice search is becoming more significant. With AI assistants like Siri and Alexa built into many devices, voice search is becoming more important than ever. Optimizing around natural, conversational queries will help you rank in voice search.
- Multimodal results will become the norm. AI will increasingly integrate images and videos into search results—not just text—into results.
Stanislav Khilobochenko, VP of Customer Services at Clario, explains, “Some people used to be wary of voice search tools like Alexa and Google Assistant, concerned that the AI may record them or spy on them. But as these technologies have become increasingly adopted, people are becoming more confident using them, and we’re likely to see increased use of voice search in the future.”
Start Today With SEO for ChatGPT
Good SEO is going to increasingly involve adapting content to AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT.
By focusing on natural language, topical depth, and concise, actionable answers, you’ll keep your content visible and relevant, despite the disruption of AI. You may not see lots of traffic to your site as a result—but you’re likely to find your products or services getting mentioned more and more often on the web and in social media.
All the strategies above are straightforward, practical ones you can get started with today. The sooner you begin with SEO for ChatGPT, the sooner you can future-proof your content.