ChatGPT Search
OpenAI's web connected search and citation experience inside ChatGPT.
Key takeaways
- ChatGPT Search is openAI's web connected search and citation experience inside ChatGPT.
- Allow OAI-SearchBot, the crawler ChatGPT search uses, in robots.txt.
- Avoid: confusing GPTBot (training) with OAI-SearchBot (search) and blocking the wrong one.
What is ChatGPT Search?
ChatGPT Search weights entity strength, training data presence, and live browsing sources. AEO for ChatGPT favours brand authority and clean entity signals.
OpenAI explained how search works inside ChatGPT when it introduced ChatGPT search.
Why ChatGPT Search matters for AEO in 2026
ChatGPT now searches the web for many questions and links to its sources. For buyers who research in ChatGPT, being one of those links is a new route to your site.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full AEO glossary or explore the SEO and GEO service we run for clients.
How to apply ChatGPT Search on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put ChatGPT Search into practice on your own pages:
- Allow OAI-SearchBot, the crawler ChatGPT search uses, in robots.txt.
- Make sure your pages are well represented in Bing, which ChatGPT search draws on.
- Track visits from chatgpt.com as their own referral source.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with ChatGPT Search fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Confusing GPTBot (training) with OAI-SearchBot (search) and blocking the wrong one.
- Assuming Google rankings carry over unchanged.
- Never testing what ChatGPT says about your category.
Questions about ChatGPT Search
OpenAI's web connected search and citation experience inside ChatGPT.
ChatGPT now searches the web for many questions and links to its sources. For buyers who research in ChatGPT, being one of those links is a new route to your site.
Start here: allow OAI-SearchBot, the crawler ChatGPT search uses, in robots.txt. Then make sure your pages are well represented in Bing, which ChatGPT search draws on.
The most common is confusing GPTBot (training) with OAI-SearchBot (search) and blocking the wrong one. Another is assuming Google rankings carry over unchanged.