SearchGPT: A New Way To Search

‍SearchGPT, a new prototype from OpenAI (known for ChatGPT), is becoming popular as a new search engine. This search engine will be AI-powered just like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The tool hopes to change how we interact with search engines for information by leveraging AI to provide summarized responses from online sources. The search engine is currently beta testing and has a wait list that is closed to the public.

While the idea seems promising, the prototype still has some issues to address. OpenAI has some limitations, from the need for more refined search capabilities to the accuracy of its results. SearchGPT’s strength is its ability to provide summaries that condense information from various sources. This is something that many search engines have begun rolling out as a feature. 

One issue is that SearchGPT’s current model tends to prefer less authoritative websites, which isn’t an accurate representation of the information that’s available on the internet (ex. Smaller niched websites, or academic publications with little to no organic traffic). It’s reported that “26% of domains ranking in SearchGPT receive no traffic from Google” (SearchEngineJournal).

While some people find SearchGPT’s summarization skills great, others are less impressed, saying that it references outdated news results and has inaccuracies in content. 

OpenAI’s plan to integrate SearchGPT’s strengths into ChatGPT could increase the usefulness of the search engine. This strategy, along with an ad-free subscription-based model, might make an interesting niche for SearchGPT and other search engines in the future.

In conclusion, although Google currently monopolizes the search engine industry, with improvements, SearchGPT may transform from a prototype into a serious Google competitor.

The Hierarchy Of Headers Has Minimal SEO Value

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Recently on Reddit, John Mueller, coordinator of Google Search Relations efforts, weighed in on the role of header elements in SEO, which sparked discussions among digital marketers. His insights clarified that headings play a role in the structure of a webpage, but their impact on SEO is minimal. Headings are more for content organization and accessibility than for ranking.

The Reddit question was:

“How Harmful is having Non sequential header Tags? Like having a h4 title and h1 tags below Or Having a h4, h3 h5 but not h2 tags?”

John Mueller’s answer:

“Doing things properly (right order headings) is a good practice, it helps search engines lightly to better understand your content, and it's good for accessibility. If you're setting up a new site, or making significant changes on your templates, or just bored :-), then why not take the extra 10 minutes to get this right.

That said, if you have an existing site, fixing this isn't going to change your site's rankings; I suspect you'll find much bigger value in terms of SEO by looking for ways to significantly up-value your site overall. A low-effort site will remain a low-effort site even if you get the headings in the right order. Put your energy into making it higher-value overall instead.”

This new information may come as a surprise to many SEO professionals. This signifies a shift from the early 2000s when headings were a critical ranking factor. Today, they're primarily used to increase user experience. Mueller's point is clear: proper use of headings helps search engines understand content but isn't a shortcut to better rankings.

The reality of header use today is a little more complex than it seems. A lot of websites use headings to style text because making changes on a website with hundreds or thousands of pages can take an extremely long time. Especially on a CMS like WordPress, where adjusting heading styles without affecting SEO can be tricky.

While “how to use headings” seems like one of the less important SEO best practices, it forces marketers to think about the bigger picture in SEO and web design: focus on the user, and the search rankings will follow.

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