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Before we dive in together, the company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI, launched a genuine starting point with what we now know as ChatGPT Search. Since then, many businesses have wanted to rank on ChatGPT.Â
Everyone got excited straight away and shouted: "Whoa, this is going to beat the giant."
In fact, they were not the first. We already had AI Overviews in Google, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and the list goes on.
To give you an idea, according to Demandsage (July 2026) Perplexity AI attracts around 170 million visitors a month.
That is far behind the reach of ChatGPT and ChatGPT Search, but still impressive.
You are probably wondering what this means for SEO.
You know about the algorithm updates, of course, but the most interesting part is the impact of AI on visual and voice search.
Take Google Lens, for example: according to Google, people use this tool to scan an image almost 20 billion times a month (October 2024)!
Let that sink in for a moment — almost 20 billion times.
Voice search is becoming more and more popular too.
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If you have young children, their first experience of searching often happens by voice, with devices such as Alexa or Google Home. While we learned to search by typing, this new generation is growing up with voice search as the norm.
The pace at which voice is developing is astonishing. Apple devices have integrated OpenAI into Siri, Amazon works with Anthropic and so on. Voice and visual search are increasingly driven by this. Those familiar 10 blue links on page one? They are now becoming what we call "page two".
Do you know what I really enjoy?
Almost 60% of all searches in Europe already ended before anyone clicked a link in 2024. In the United States, that figure rose to 68% in 2026. Another agency researched this, with the same picture showing up in our own data.
Quite remarkable, right?
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A familiar face from Google (you know him, their search liaison) has something interesting to say about this. He says Google sends more organic traffic to websites every year.
How can that be? Simple:
More people have access to the internet
Thorough research has been done on this:
- around 5,000 people surveyed
- more than 11,000 people surveyed
In 2020 and 2024 respectively.
And guess what? The results turned out to be fascinating.Â
🔍 People no longer use search engines alone. They now search on:
The search landscape is more diverse than ever. Where you used to need only Google, you are now better off being in several places at once.
No worries, I will guide you through it.
We recently carried out an analysis of the return on SEO, comparing new websites with established ones.
The results are crystal clear. There is still a huge ROI to be gained from SEO.
Whether people think it is dead or alive and kicking, if you do not invest in it, whatever your budget, you are simply leaving revenue on the table.
Among search engines alone, Google is still the biggest player, with an 89.94% global market share (StatCounter, September 2026).
Across all search platforms combined, Google is one of many places where people search. Every day we see:
Google's organic traffic may not be the highest, though that is not their main traffic source either. Most of their traffic comes from people who type in google.nl directly, a channel that stays pretty strong.
What many people do not know is that many ChatGPT Search results actually come from Bing. That is where it gets its information when it does not have an answer itself.
That is why Bing has become more important. If you want to perform well in ChatGPT Search, you also need to optimise for Bing and other search engines.Â
In February 2024, Gartner expected the volume of traditional search engines to drop by around 25% by 2026. Does this mean search is becoming less relevant, or even dying? No, I am only saying it is changing. Internally we call this "Search Everywhere Optimisation" — people now use several platforms instead of one.
Take the US as an example. By 2027, more than 90 million people a month there alone will use generative AI as their main search tool.
That is why, as a business, you should start optimising your websites and content for all these different platforms now.
That is how you stay ahead of your competitors.
First, some basic info (do not worry, I will keep it light). AI tools work with what we call 'large language models', or LLMs. Think of these models as 'brains'.
Funnily enough, not every tool is the same. It is a bit like different chefs in different kitchens — they each have their own speciality. Some can:
🌟 Most of them excel at:
The tools with real-time internet access can do even more, such as:
I am not going to discuss every tool one by one.
Remember this: language models are all different because they have different 'brains'. Just as you, as a business owner, might be a good cook in your spare time while your business partner is good at sport (and one does not have fewer brains than the other…).
Yes, people will increasingly use generative AI tools for their searches. Let us first take a step back and then look at the AI tools out there and all their possibilities, based on LLMs (Large Language Models).
Every AI tool has a slightly different LLM:
Most of them excel at:
Tools with real-time web access can do more:
As I said, new search engines are joining the field. ChatGPT Search offers:
It is all about context:
How do you rank on ChatGPT Search? A well-known agency asked several SEO experts to rate the ranking factors that ChatGPT Search considers important. I have translated their findings into practice for you.
We are going to explain what you really need to focus on to rank within ChatGPT Search.
This is crucial for anyone who wants to keep performing in the new way of searching. We will show you exactly what to do to succeed with this new technology.
Imagine this: you want your website to be found by Google as well as by other AI-driven search engines.
That is exactly what GEO is about.
It is about optimising your content so it fits perfectly with the way these search engines process and present information.
Think of:
So how do you get found?
There are two main ways:
Does this mean fewer visitors to my website?
You might be thinking: "If potential customers get their answers straight from AI, who will still visit my website?"
Independent research by Pew Research among 900 Americans (March 2025) shows fewer clicks on regular search results when an AI Overview appears, 8% versus 15% of visits. Google itself reported in May 2024 that links within an AI Overview actually get more clicks than the same page as a regular search result.
And believe me, we noticed it ourselves. When Google introduced the overviews, we saw a slight but clear increase in website visitors among our clients.
GEO is a big opportunity, not a threat.
Spoiler alert: you probably know these strategies already.
That is because Google itself recommends following SEO best practices to perform well in AI Overviews.
If you focus on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) and create valuable, optimised content for keywords where you have a clear chance of winning, you will perform well.
Here is an overview of Large Language Models (LLMs) and how they work.
At their core, they analyse huge amounts of text to understand relationships and patterns.
They are based on machine learning and use a specific type of neural network, a so-called “Transformer”.
These models train on large datasets to generate text in response to your prompt.
For searches, they analyse websites like yours to give users the most valuable and accurate answers.
Nothing new, right?
Even so, it is more important than ever to create content that matches the specific search intent of users.
This means you focus on long-tail keywords, use more conversational language and include semantic keywords. You can often find these topics directly in the SERPs (search results), for example in "People also ask" and AI Overviews.
Keywords are becoming more and more conversational as consumer behaviour changes. These days, people more often search with 3 to 8 keywords.
Why? Because they can. The rise of LLMs brings higher expectations of search results.Â
This applies to traditional search engines as well as generative AI searches.
Do keep the high-volume keywords in your content strategy too. A combination of high-intent keywords and long-tail keywords does the trick.
For example: instead of just "marketing software," you can target "marketing software for restaurants". Another example is the shift from "greeting card" to a seasonal long-tail search such as "personalised Christmas card for business clients". This lets you reach businesses with a specific search intent that matches their needs.
Quality.
Write about topics you really know about and that are relevant to your target audience. Make sure your content is current and useful. Aim for backlinks from reliable sources. Blog posts are a powerful way to answer questions and become visible in AI results.
Ask yourself: does my content offer value and does it meet the needs of my users? A guide to writing an internship CV for students, for example, is extremely valuable for a specific target audience. This is the way to succeed in SEO and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) alike.
Has everyone already written about “the benefits of sleep”? Save your time and focus on topics that have not been widely covered yet. Create unique content that offers a fresh perspective and adds value. For example, use a poem generator to give your social media content a creative twist. Now that is unique.
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Use schema markup to help AI understand your content. Think of terms such as "URL structure" and "SEO" for a topic like "creating an XML sitemap." A Wikipedia page also strengthens your authority and helps increase your visibility.
AI values a site that is easy to use and has good reviews. Optimise your website for speed and clarity. Let customers share their experiences and join the conversation on platforms such as Quora, so AI understands your brand better.
Use schema markup, internal links and clear headings to give your content a clear structure. Check that your website loads quickly and that there are no crawling or indexing issues.
Earn mentions and backlinks by taking part in events, giving interviews or sharing press releases. Create shareable content such as research or videos to earn more organic backlinks.
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation, is largely about good, fundamental SEO. It covers Google and other AI platforms too.
Important: keep learning and adapting. Tools such as Semrush let you filter SERP features, including AI Overviews, so you can see what works.
Experiment continuously.
Change a web page and watch what happens to your rankings. Do you appear in AI Overviews? Tests like these show whether you are on the right track.
When I started out in SEO, people often asked: "Where do you get all that knowledge?" My answer?
By experimenting endlessly and yes, above all through trial and error.
At zoekmachinespecialist.com we still do that, especially with our own website. We analyse data on what works and what does not and apply that knowledge to our strategies for our clients.
We combine data from tools such as Semrush and use it to start our opportunity analyses for clients.
Everything contributes to a better understanding of what works and what does not.
Of course it is good to track your own rankings, but focus above all on what your competitors are doing.
Use tools such as the Wayback Machine to see what changes they make.
This helps you understand why their rankings rise or fall. What makes their pages more appealing to users? And more importantly, what can you do to outdo them?
With this approach, you increase your chances of ranking in AI Overviews or scoring high in the new AI search engines such as ChatGPT Search.
Even the engineers working on these AI platforms do not know exactly what the future holds.
They rely on data and feedback from users.
A well-known Google engineer says the landscape is changing so fast right now that nobody knows for 100% sure how it will develop.
New features are tested, feedback is processed and the systems adapt constantly. When Google’s AI Overviews first launched, they covered a lot of searches.
After that, the share fluctuated sharply. Across more than 10 million keywords, Semrush saw an AI Overview for 6.49% in January 2025, 24.61% in July and 15.69% in November 2025. They are learning from users too.
Keep a close eye on trends and patterns and use them as soon as you notice they are valuable. That way you spend your time on experiments that pay off.
We once ranked at the top for keywords such as "free SEO tools", which brought us plenty of traffic.
These were mainly visitors with no interest in professional SEO services. That is why we now focus on keywords such as "zero-click website” or "zoekmachinespecialist", alongside the keyword “seo agency tilburg” for example.
These terms may generate less traffic, but they attract the right audience that actually wants to become a client.
Q: What does the rise of AI search engines such as ChatGPT Search mean for my business?
A: AI search engines are changing the way people search. ChatGPT Search gives direct answers, so users visit a website less often. This means your content needs to be visible there too. Focus on creating valuable, contextual content and use specific SEO techniques. That makes your content easier to understand.
Q: How can my business respond to the trend of voice and visual search?
A: Searches via voice and visual tools such as Alexa and Google Lens are on the rise. Optimise your content for natural language and give images clear descriptions and tags. That improves your visibility, especially as a local or service-based business.
Q: Is SEO still important with all these new AI search engines?
A: Absolutely. SEO remains essential, even in a changing search landscape. Focus on "Search Everywhere Optimisation" by optimising your website for platforms such as Google, Bing, ChatGPT Search and other AI search engines. By targeting long-tail keywords and search intent, you keep attracting targeted traffic and generating revenue.
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About the author
Dominic Pietersz
Your dedicated point of contact
Dominic helps SMEs grow through Google and other channels. With his international experience, he turns challenges into concrete growth.
Follow Dominic on LinkedInInspiration · Everyone was saying ChatGPT would beat the giant, which made me curious. That weekend, this piece about ranking on AI search engines took shape.
