TL;DR
ChatGPT Search (also called “ChatGPT search”) is OpenAI’s web search that returns AI-written answers with citations, integrates product discovery (shopping) without ads or affiliate bias, and is now broadly available. It’s designed for natural-language questions and follow-ups, drawing from the live web and showing sources. For AEO, publish concise, verifiable facts and structured data so ChatGPT can cite you directly. OpenAI, Reuters.
What is ChatGPT Search?
OpenAI introduced a search experience inside ChatGPT that finds timely information from across the internet and responds with a synthesised answer plus citations. OpenAI’s launch notes show staged availability from late 2024, expanded to all users in supported regions by February 2025—even without sign-in. OpenAI.
In April 2025, OpenAI added shopping features: product suggestions with images, reviews and links. Reuters reported that OpenAI emphasised no ads or commissions, relying on structured data like prices and reviews from third-party sources. The report also cited scale metrics: over 1 billion searches weekly and 400+ million weekly active users as of February. Reuters.
How it works (user’s view)
- Ask a question (“What’s the best budget 14-inch laptop for travel writing?”).
- Get a sourced answer with inline citations to named outlets or docs.
- Follow-up naturally to narrow by constraints (budget, region, weight, ports).
- Click through to sources or retailers for details or purchase.
The goal is to compress research into one conversation that stays linked to the open web via citations. OpenAI.
What’s different from traditional search
- Answer-first design. You see a single, reasoned summary with links rather than a list of results.
- Conversation as navigation. You refine the task in plain English.
- Citation-centric. Answers are designed to show sources you can audit. OpenAI.
- No ads in shopping (as of the April 2025 update). Product picks cite sources and use external metadata rather than paid placement. Reuters.
Tips for beginners
- Ask for tables or criteria: “Make a table of laptops under 1.3 kg and show which source supports each spec.”
- Request multiple viewpoints: “Summarise pros/cons from three independent reviews; link them.”
- Use follow-ups to inject context: “I’m in the UK; prefer next-day delivery.”
- For shopping, ask for reasoning: “Explain why these picks beat others; cite benchmarks or owner-review data.”
AEO: how to be cited by ChatGPT Search
- Publish canonical, dated fact pages (pricing, specs, policies). ChatGPT Search will pick sources that resolve contradictions cleanly.
- Expose structured data: Product, Offer, AggregateRating, FAQ, Organization. Shopping features rely on structured metadata like price, availability and reviews. Reuters.
- Create answer hubs: short Q&A pages for top intents (e.g., “Is Feature X supported?”).
- Keep performance high: assistants de-prioritise slow or script-blocked pages.
- Provide primary evidence: link your compliance docs, benchmark PDFs, or case studies; assistants reward verifiable claims.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Speed + citations keep you in flow while preserving accountability. OpenAI.
- Ad-free product picks reduce bias and let independent reviews drive results. Reuters.
Limitations
- Dependence on web coverage & schema: if your niche lacks good sources, answers may skew.
- Freshness gaps can occur for very new announcements until widely reported and indexed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ChatGPT Search free?
OpenAI states Search is available to everyone in supported regions, no sign-in required. Premium plans still exist for broader ChatGPT features, but Search itself has wide free availability. OpenAI.
Does it always show citations?
The feature is built around linked sources. If a question is opinion-heavy or lacks good references, expect fewer links; otherwise citations are standard. OpenAI.
Are product recommendations sponsored?
Reuters reports no ads or commissions in the shopping update; rankings rely on third-party metadata, images and reviews. Reuters.
How can my business appear?
Ensure crawlable pages with structured data and clear evidence. Publish concise answer sections and keep facts consistent across your site and directory listings.
Is Search different from ChatGPT “Deep Research” or the new Atlas browser?
Yes. Search is the answer-with-citations interface inside ChatGPT. Deep Research (separate feature) produces longer reports; Atlas is a full browser with ChatGPT built in. OpenAI.
The bottom line
ChatGPT Search frames discovery around trusted, linked answers. If your facts are well-structured and easy to verify, you gain not just traffic, but in-answer citations that build trust before the click.
References (Harvard style)
- OpenAI (2024/2025) Introducing ChatGPT Search. Available at: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-search/
- Reuters (2025) OpenAI rolls out new shopping features with ChatGPT Search update. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/openai-rolls-out-new-shopping-features-with-chatgpt-search-update-2025-04-28/
- OpenAI (2025) Introducing ChatGPT Atlas (context). Available at: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/