ChatGPT Acts Like a Search Engine

E910: How ChatGPT and other large language models actually generate answers, based on widely shared research on how AI systems use search, training data, and real-time web results.

If you're doing SEO in 2026 and beyond, understanding how AI decides when to search, what it pulls from the web, and why certain content gets shown in AI answers is no longer optional.

This episode explains the mechanics behind ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and LLM recommendations - and how to adapt your SEO strategy so your content gets surfaced.

What You'll Learn in This Episode - How ChatGPT really works behind the scenes - Why ChatGPT behaves more like a search engine than a "thinking" system - When ChatGPT decides to trigger a web search vs. using training data - How multiple models work together to evaluate, search, and generate answers - Why semantic relevance matters more than exact keywords - How ChatGPT pulls small snippets, not full articles - Why speed, cost, and page structure affect whether content is used - The role of freshness for timely, niche, or complex queries

SEO Tactics to Get Shown in AI Answers - How clean structure and direct answers increase snippet eligibility - How long, rambling content gets ignored by AI systems - How to write content that is easier for LLMs to extract and reuse - Where clarity and formatting directly impact AI visibility

Advanced AI SEO Strategies Covered - The press release tactic that influences ChatGPT and AI Overviews - How non-competitive and branded queries can be shaped with indexed PR content - Why certain "best X for Y" listicles are being repeated by LLMs - How self-published rankings and announcements affect AI recommendations

How to See What ChatGPT Is Searching For - How to inspect ChatGPT's web queries using browser developer tools - How to find query fan-outs and reuse that language in your content - How to turn AI search queries into H2 sections or new pages

Finding AI-Driven Searches in Google Tools - How to uncover natural language AI searches in Google Search Console - How to identify long-form queries used in AI Overviews and AI Mode - How to create content specifically for AI-assisted search behavior

Tracking AI Traffic Accurately - How to see traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot in Google Analytics - Which pages AI tools are recommending - How to measure real AI-driven visits instead of guessing

The Core Takeaway

If AI systems rely on search for many prompts, the best way to influence them is still to do strong SEO - but with better structure, clearer answers, and content built around how AI actually retrieves and evaluates information.

⭐️ Lily Ray's TLDR - https://x.com/lilyraynyc/status/2003143387264749882?s=46

⭐️ AI SEO/GEO/AEO: How to Get Shown in LLMs in 2026 - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/ai-seo-geo-aeo-get-shown-llms-2026/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to AI and SEO 01:07 Understanding How ChatGPT Works 03:18 Influencing Large Language Models 04:02 SEO Tricks and Tips 06:23 Using Google Tools for AI SEO 07:13 Optimizing Content for AI 09:04 Conclusion

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #digitalmarketing