ChatGPT and search engine optimisation: The future is here

Abstract

The new chatbot from artificial intelligence company OpenAI, called ChatGPT, has grown aggressively since its launch in late 2022. ChatGPT provides information back to users who populate questions in a clear and easy to understand structure. This technology can be used for different purposes, including writing code, creating business proposals, writing stories and answering complex questions. Because this technology is considered a breakthrough in terms of its ability to process natural language, it stands to reason that it could have future effects on the fundamental digital marketing tactic known as search engine optimisation (SEO), a process by which websites are developed and updated with the goal of increasing natural ranking, traffic and customers from search engines like Google and Bing. For the past 20 years, people have turned to search engines for information, news articles, images, videos and answers to questions both mundane and complex. This technological advance with chatbots could indicate a significant general shift for marketers, specifically related to web searches and how marketers think about SEO. In fact, Microsoft's decision to invest in ChatGPT and include it within their search engine, Bing, has already created waves in the search engine ecosystems. In this paper, ChatGPT will be examined, its capabilities and how they could affect search marketing and SEO.