ChatGPT vs Google – The Future of Search or Just a Smarter Assistant?

There is no denying that ChatGPT has quickly become a staple for many individuals, from planning workouts to finding recipes, and is increasingly popular in e-commerce, with personalised searches to help shoppers find the exact product they are looking for. This is prompting business owners and marketing managers to ask the question: Is ChatGPT replacing Google, and how does that change the SEO landscape? This blog will explore the changes in search patterns, how this affects SEO, and what ChatGPT vs Google means for business owners.

Is ChatGPT replacing Google as a search engine?

Short answer, no. ChatGPT is not replacing Google, at least not in the way many people assume.

Google maintains its dominance over search volume. As of December 2025, Google accounted for 77.9% of total digital queries, while ChatGPT accounted for 17.1% (source). While Google remains dominant across the landscape of search engines, ChatGPT has posed the biggest threat to Google, but with Gemini’s latest update, it has slowed market share loss significantly. Gemini’s market share surged from just 5.7% to over 21.5% within a year, while ChatGPT’s share declined, highlighting Google’s ability to retain users through AI integration across its ecosystem (source).

Google’s core strengths lie in indexing and ranking live web content, which is especially relevant to e-commerce and service-based businesses. Google’s search model is built around exploration and choice. It presents users with ranked results, allowing them to compare multiple sources, evaluate credibility, and navigate directly to business websites, making it particularly effective for transactional and navigational intent.

ChatGPT, on the other hand, works differently. Rather than acting as a directory of websites, it functions as an AI assistant that synthesises and generates information into conversational answers. Instead of returning a list of links, ChatGPT provides direct explanations, summaries, recommendations, and contextual responses based on the user’s question. This makes it especially useful for informational and research-based queries, but Google remains the chosen search engine for e-commerce and service-based browsing.

How do people actually use ChatGPT vs Google today?

User intent plays a massive role when choosing between the two search platforms. Users often have different aims. ChatGPT helps users think, while Google helps users act.

ChatGPT is commonly used for:

• Explanations
• Summarising information
• Writing and creative ideation
• Practical guidance

While Google remains the primary choice for:

• Informational, such as long-form articles and news
• Navigational
• Transactional

Purchasable products make up only 2.1% of ChatGPT prompt intent, with Google remaining the primary search engine for e-commerce and service providers (source). Often, they work well together in supporting consumers throughout the process.

For example, individuals may ask ChatGPT to give an explanation of what a managed WiFi service is, while they tend to use Google to find a local managed WiFi service provider.

Why Google still dominates high-intent and commercial searches

Google has spent more than two decades refining its algorithm to deliver the most relevant, authoritative, and useful results. Its biggest advantage is not just technology, but trust, scale, and infrastructure. Google processes an estimated 8.5 billion searches per day, giving it unmatched behavioural data to understand user intent and deliver highly accurate commercial results (source).

The Google ecosystem is specifically designed to support high-intent and transactional queries. It includes:

• Business listings through Google Business Profile allow users to find verified local providers instantly.
• Google Maps integration, enabling location-based searches such as “near me” with directions, opening hours, and contact details.
• Customer reviews and ratings, which provide social proof and influence purchasing decisions.
• Google Shopping and product listings allow users to compare prices, availability, and retailers.
• Knowledge panels, offering quick, verified business information.
• Featured snippets and rich results help users find answers while still guiding them toward trusted sources.

Google is built to connect users directly with businesses, products, and services, unlike conversational AI tools. This makes Google especially effective for commercial and transactional intent, where users are ready to take action, such as making a purchase, booking a service, or contacting a company. Essentially, Google facilitates decisions as well as provides information.

What are zero-click searches, and how does AI accelerate them?

Put simply, zero-click searches mean the user finds the answer immediately on the search engine results page (SERP), such as weather, definitions, local information, or quick facts. Zero-click searches have been driven by features like snippets in the meta descriptions and titles, knowledge panels, map listings, and now through Gemini’s AI overview. AI accelerates this by generating concise, synthesised answers, eliminating the need to visit websites for information.

However, zero-click searches mainly affect informational queries, not high-intent commercial searches. When users want to take action, whether it’s to hire a provider, compare services, or request a quote, they will still need to visit a website.

That’s why strong SEO remains essential to businesses.

Can ChatGPT drive traffic or leads to websites?

Indirectly, yes, but it differs from Google.

ChatGPT can:

• Influence buying decisions
• Recommend services or solutions
• Help users shortlist providers
• Increase brand awareness

However, ChatGPT doesn’t replace your website. Your website remains your primary conversion asset.

AI tools rely heavily on high-quality, authoritative web content to generate responses. Businesses across multiple industries that invest in clear, useful, and well-optimised content increase their likelihood of being referenced or influencing AI-generated answers.

This is where AI optimisation and traditional SEO intersect. Having a strong website supports both search engines and AI systems.

Is SEO still worth investing in as AI search grows?

AI use is growing, but so is SEO.

It’s a common misconception that AI search engines are removing the need for SEO, but it’s actually the opposite. Search is expanding, not shrinking.

SEO principles have traditionally been about Google search rankings, building customer trust, and brand credibility. Now SEO also means getting your website onto AI-generated recommendations through generative engine optimisation (GEO). Neglecting SEO brings the risk of becoming undiscoverable across both traditional and AI-powered discovery channels. On the other side of the coin, businesses that invest strategically benefit from increased visibility across multiple platforms.

At Six Digital, our experienced team ensures you don’t just have a strong strategy, but one that evolves with the changes in search technology.

SEO today isn’t just about rankings. It’s about visibility everywhere your customers are searching.

The future of search isn’t just ChatGPT or just Google. It’s both.

When comparing ChatGPT vs Google search, the key difference lies in how users discover information and take action. It’s about understanding how they work together. Our commitment is to do the basics to an exceptional level. That means making sure your website is ranked on Google, but it is also optimised through GEO for AI platforms.

Search is changing, but the fundamentals remain clear: visibility drives growth.

Our SEO services are never targeted at a single search engine, but rather a well-rounded strategy to get your business seen. Now is the time to act. Contact us today for a consultation on how we can help get your business seen across all platforms.