ChatGPT search

ChatGPT search is the web search feature built into ChatGPT. When a question needs current information, ChatGPT rewrites it into search queries, sends them to search providers, and answers with links to the pages it used. OpenAI first tested it as the SearchGPT prototype in July 2024.

Why ChatGPT search matters

ChatGPT search reaches a vast audience. OpenAI says that every week, "1 billion people turn to ChatGPT for everything from quick questions and web searches to planning, research, advice, and complex decisions." Web search is available on every ChatGPT plan, and to people who are not signed in. When a buyer asks for current prices, reviews or alternatives, the answer is built from pages ChatGPT finds in that moment, so a brand can enter it without waiting for a new model.

From SearchGPT to ChatGPT search

July 25, 2024. OpenAI announces SearchGPT, "a temporary prototype of new AI search features," open to a small group of users and publishers through a waitlist.
October 31, 2024. ChatGPT search launches for Plus and Team users and the SearchGPT waitlist, powered by a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o.
December 16, 2024. It reaches all logged-in users.
February 5, 2025. It becomes available to everyone in regions where ChatGPT is available, with no signup required.

From the start, OpenAI separated search from training: "Sites can be surfaced in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training."

How ChatGPT search works

Decide. ChatGPT can search automatically when a question would benefit from current information, or when the user selects Search.
Rewrite. It "typically rewrites your query into one or more targeted queries" for third-party search providers, a simple form of query fan-out. General location and, if enabled, saved memories can shape those queries.
Read and answer. It reviews the results, may send more specific follow-up queries, and writes an answer with citations and, when available, a Sources panel.
Continue. Follow-up questions keep the full context of the chat, which makes ChatGPT search a form of conversational search.

Example: a buying question in ChatGPT search

A shopper asks: "Is there a quieter alternative to the Dyson V15 for a small flat?" ChatGPT may rewrite this into searches such as "quietest cordless vacuum" and "Dyson V15 noise level dB" (illustrative), read reviews and spec pages, then answer with a few models and citations. A brand whose product page states its decibel rating gives ChatGPT a fact to quote. One that does not depends on reviewers to say it.

How to appear in ChatGPT search

Allow OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says that sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot "will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers," though they can still appear as navigational links. Allow its published IP addresses in your CDN or firewall too. Changes to robots.txt take about 24 hours to apply.
Do not confuse the bots. GPTBot collects training data, and blocking it does not affect search. ChatGPT-User fetches pages for user actions and is not used to decide what appears in search.
Serve key content in HTML. In a December 2024 study, Vercel found that OpenAI's crawlers, OAI-SearchBot included, did not render JavaScript.
Expect no guarantee. ChatGPT ranks results "using multiple factors." "Placement is not guaranteed," OpenAI adds.

Then check the result: Hawkscan shows the full answers ChatGPT gives to the prompts you track, every day, with the pages it cites, next to Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Google AI Mode. See how ChatGPT compares with other answer engines.