Uncovering ChatGPT Search Sources - BrightLocal
Uncovering ChatGPT Search Sources
ChatGPT can now search the web in real-time to provide better answers with attribution to trustworthy sources. But what sources does it use for these search results, and can we learn anything to support generative engine optimization (GEO)?
Key Findings
Business websites take the lion's share of search sources: Business websites make up 58% of all local search sources in ChatGPT, followed by business mentions (27%) and directories (15%).
Wikipedia dominates business mention and publisher content: Wikipedia results account for 39% of all ‘business mention’ sources.
Three Best Rated is the most prevalent directory in ChatGPT Search sources: Three Best Rated makes up almost a quarter (24%) of all directory sources.
'Top' directories notably missing from ChatGPT Search's sources: Yelp, Facebook, and Google Maps do not appear as directory sources within this study.
No forum results in ChatGPT: Forums like Reddit and Quora did not appear as sources throughout this study.
It's been almost two years since generative AI burst onto the radars of tech and digital professionals worldwide. Since then, the conversation hasn’t stopped, and the developments keep coming.
At the end of October 2024, OpenAI (the organization that owns the product ChatGPT) announced ChatGPT Search.
This new feature means that, based on the user’s prompt or question, ChatGPT can automatically search the web in real-time to support the answers it provides. Users can also toggle the functionality when entering a query.
Methodology and Terminology Used
In this study, we conducted 800 manual local business web searches in ChatGPT, recording the first ten search sources ChatGPT displays in its local results’ ‘Sources.’ It’s important to note that while Google displays results in the hundreds, ChatGPT’s ‘Sources’ can vary significantly—sometimes showing only a handful of sources and other times showing more than ten.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Directory (D) | A formally recognized business listing site where NAP is present, such as Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, BBB, and Yell. |
| Forum (F) | A forum or discussion website, such as Reddit or Quora. |
| Mentions (M) | Websites and resources where businesses are mentioned, but that might include something other than business address or phone number. Examples include Wikipedia, Time Out, Eater, and Forbes. |
| Business website (B) | Typically, a local business website related to the search term (e.g., "Chicago Toyota" for a 'car dealership Chicago' search term), but also all other websites that do not fit the above criteria. |
Search Results Compared
Nearly three-fifths (58%) of all the sources for ChatGPT Search results were business websites. Business mentions made up more than a quarter (27%) of ChatGPT Search sources across the local searches we conducted. Meanwhile, business directories only made up 15% of ChatGPT Search’s sources.
Healthcare and Wellness
Searches for healthcare and wellness businesses predominantly surface business website results. It largely makes sense when you consider the general nature and urgency of a person needing to find a healthcare business.
Hospitality
The hospitality searches are dominated by a range of business mention results. These include well-known hospitality publications, while local blogs and news sites appear for specific location terms.
Services and Trades
A typical search engine user might expect to see many directory results in the Services and Trades group, such as Thumbtack, Angi, BBB, and so on. However, only two of the search terms generated a significant number of directory results in the source lists.
‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL)
The ‘Your Money or Your Life’ group concerns businesses that can impact clients’ lives, health, and finances. Here, directory results take a stronger share of the sources.
Entertainment
The Entertainment group is another interesting one where directories are surprisingly absent. Both ‘betting store’ search terms see a very large number of business mentions.
Notable Findings
Mentions on Wikipedia
As we touched on in the hospitality and entertainment sections above, Wikipedia makes a surprising number of appearances throughout this study.
No Forum Presence in ChatGPT
We found that the presence of forum results had decreased significantly, accounting for just 7% of search results displaying for local business searches.
How to Appear in ChatGPT Search’s Sources
ChatGPT Search has only been available since October 2024, so it’s unclear just how mainstream it might become as a search engine. However, we can’t ignore the fact that over 300 million users are using the wider ChatGPT platform weekly. With that in mind, you want to give your brand the best shot at appearing in ChatGPT Search’s source lists.
Summary
As we’ve highlighted, these results are a snapshot of ChatGPT Search right now— and things are moving fast. Even if you’re not quite ready to test the waters of LLM optimization (or GEO), now could be a good time to review your local marketing efforts and ensure your business information is correct and up to date in all the right places.