You know how everyone thought ChatGPT used Bing’s search index? Well, it turns out that may not be the case anymore. Recent tests suggest ChatGPT is getting its information from a different, but very familiar, place: Google’s index.
This is a big deal. For a while, the SEO world was getting a little nervous about how to get their content seen by AI. It seemed like there were two different games to play: one for Google and one for everyone else. But these new discoveries suggest that if you’re visible to Google, you’re likely visible to ChatGPT too.
The Experiment That Changed Everything
Two different people, an ex-Googler named Abhishek Iyer and a search consultant named Aleyda Solís, both ran clever tests to see what ChatGPT was really doing.
Here’s how the experiments went down: They made up new, fake words and a made-up definition for them. Then, they put this information on webpages that weren’t linked to from anywhere else. They specifically asked Google to index this page, but blocked other search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo.
After the page was indexed by Google, they asked ChatGPT to define the fake words. What happened next was incredible: ChatGPT not only defined the expressions, but its answers were a near-perfect match to the content on the pages. When they checked Bing and other search engines, they had no idea what the words meant.
All these points lead to one big conclusion: ChatGPT isn’t just relying on Bing’s search data. It’s using Google’s index to find information.
What This Means for Your Online Visibility
This discovery changes the game for anyone who creates content online. Your strategy for getting seen by AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini now has a clear starting point: Google.
- Google’s Index is the First Step: If your content isn’t indexed by Google, it’s highly unlikely that ChatGPT will find it. This makes a strong Google indexation strategy more important than ever.
- Traditional SEO Still Matters: The old-school SEO fundamentals are back in a big way. Things like clear site structure, good internal linking, and creating unique, valuable content are essential. You can’t rely on unindexed pages to show up in a chatbot’s answer.
- Higher Rankings Aren’t Everything: The tests didn’t find that having a high ranking in Google’s search results directly impacts visibility in ChatGPT. Instead, AI models prefer content that’s clear and to the point.
How to Stay on Google’s (and ChatGPT’s) Radar
To give your content the best chance of being picked up by AI, think about how it can be easily understood and summarized. Here are some things you can do to structure your content for AI:
- Use clear headings (like H1, H2, and H3) to organize your content.
- Answer common questions directly and concisely.
- Use structured data markup from Schema.org to highlight important information like FAQs or instructions.
- Have content that can be crawled even if JavaScript is turned off, as some AI crawlers can’t render it.
- Help Google (and AI) find your deeper pages by linking them well.
- E-commerce websites should add unique insights or summaries for product descriptions. If you sound like everyone else, Google might ignore your site.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that getting your content indexed by Google is now the foundation for visibility in the world of generative AI. It’s a clear path forward for anyone who wants to be found in both traditional search and these new AI platforms.
