How People Search in ChatGPT is different to how people search on Google, and the gap is getting bigger. On Google, users scan a list of results and choose where to click. In ChatGPT, they ask a full question in plain English and expect one clear, confident answer back.
That shift matters if your website is meant to generate leads. When people use ChatGPT to research, compare, and decide, they are not browsing ten options. They are trying to reduce effort and reach a decision faster.
This guide breaks down How People Search in ChatGPT, the types of queries people use, what they ask when they are ready to buy, and what you can do to make your website more likely to be surfaced, trusted, and chosen.
How people use ChatGPT differently to Google
Google is built around results pages. Even when Google shows an AI summary, the experience still encourages scanning, comparing, and clicking through.
ChatGPT is more like a conversation. People ask longer questions, add context, and expect the tool to remember what they said earlier. Instead of searching “accountant pricing”, they will write something closer to “I run a small service business, what should I expect to pay for an accountant and what should I look for?”
In practice, How People Search in ChatGPT looks like this:
They give background details because they want a tailored answer.
They ask follow up questions immediately.
They want a shortlist, not a directory.
They care about clarity and trade offs, not just “best”.
For businesses, the takeaway is simple. If your website is vague, generic, or hard to verify, it is less useful in a world where people want direct answers and clear decisions.
The 4 types of searches people do in ChatGPT
A helpful way to understand How People Search in ChatGPT is to group queries by intent. Most prompts fall into one of these four categories.
Informational Searches (Learning and Research)
This is when someone is trying to understand a topic, a problem, or the options available. They are not ready to enquire yet, but they are building confidence.
Typical prompts sound like:
“What is the difference between X and Y?”
“How does X work?”
“What are the common mistakes when doing X?”
What works on your website for this intent is content that teaches without padding. Clear definitions, simple explanations, and practical examples tend to perform well. If you write articles that answer real customer questions, you become a credible source earlier in the decision journey.
Commercial Investigation (Comparison and Evaluation)
This is where people start narrowing down options. They might not be ready to buy today, but they are evaluating providers, approaches, and costs.
Prompts often look like:
“Which is better for my situation?”
“Compare option A vs option B for a small business”
“What should I look for when choosing a provider?”
This is where many business websites fall short. They talk about themselves, but they do not help the customer compare. Pages that explain your process, your approach, your pricing structure, and your boundaries make it easier for someone to choose you.
If you want to match How People Search in ChatGPT, consider writing comparison style content that answers the questions customers already ask on calls.
Practical Guidance or Transactional Searches (Action Oriented)
This is the “tell me what to do next” category. People are either about to take an action, or they are actively trying to solve something.
Prompts sound like:
“Give me a step by step plan to do X”
“How do I fix X quickly?”
“What should I do first?”
Websites that win here tend to be structured and specific. Step based guides, clear checklists, and short answers under question headings are genuinely useful. The more your pages feel like a direct solution, the more likely they are to be referenced and recommended.
Navigational Searches (Specific Destination)
This category surprises people. Users also use ChatGPT to find a specific site, brand, tool, or page. It is not just discovery. It is navigation.
Prompts look like:
“Take me to the official website for X”
“Where can I book an appointment for X?”
“What is the contact page for X?”
For this type of intent, consistency matters. If your brand name, business details, and online profiles are messy, it is harder to confidently connect the dots. A clear website, a clear brand name, and clear contact paths all help.
What people type into ChatGPT when they are ready to buy
When someone is close to spending money, How People Search in ChatGPT becomes more specific and more personal. They stop asking general questions and start asking decision questions.
You will see patterns like:
“I need a [service] for [specific situation]. Who should I choose and what should I ask them?”
“What should a good [service] include and what is a fair price?”
“Can you recommend a provider that is reliable and not overpriced?”
“What is the fastest way to get this done properly?”
The underlying point is that people are trying to reduce risk. They want to avoid a bad choice, wasted time, and unclear costs.
If your website does not answer the risk questions, it loses. “We offer quality service” is not a risk reducer. “Here is what is included, here is our process, here is typical pricing, here are results, here is what happens next” is.
What influences recommendations in ChatGPT style search
It is worth being careful with claims here. ChatGPT is not a traditional search engine in the same way as Google, and the way it responds can vary depending on setup, browsing capability, and what sources it has access to.
That said, if you want to align with How People Search in ChatGPT, you should focus on what makes information easier to trust and easier to use.
In real terms, recommendations are influenced by:
Clarity and structure
Pages that answer a specific question clearly, using headings that match what people ask, are easier to extract and summarise.
Credibility signals
Real proof matters. Case studies, testimonials, client examples, team details, and clear contact information help your business feel verifiable.
Consistency across the web
If your business details are inconsistent across your website and profiles, it creates doubt. Consistency supports trust, and trust supports recommendations.
Topical depth
One thin page rarely builds authority. A small cluster of pages that cover a topic properly does. This also helps normal SEO, not just AI driven discovery.
How to optimise your website for ChatGPT style searches
The most common mistake is producing lots of AI written text that says nothing specific. It sounds polished, but it does not answer real questions. If it does not help a customer make a decision, it will not perform well.
Another mistake is chasing visibility while ignoring conversion. You can attract visitors and still get no enquiries if your offer is unclear, your proof is missing, or your contact path is awkward.
Businesses also skip structure. They publish scattered posts with no clear service pages, no internal linking, and no obvious topic clusters. That makes it harder for both users and systems to understand what you actually do.
Finally, many businesses do not measure outcomes. If you are not tracking enquiries, calls, and which pages drive action, you cannot improve with confidence.
Common mistakes businesses make when trying to optimise for AI
The most common mistake is producing lots of AI written text that says nothing specific. It sounds polished, but it does not answer real questions. If it does not help a customer make a decision, it will not perform well.
Another mistake is chasing visibility while ignoring conversion. You can attract visitors and still get no enquiries if your offer is unclear, your proof is missing, or your contact path is awkward.
Businesses also skip structure. They publish scattered posts with no clear service pages, no internal linking, and no obvious topic clusters. That makes it harder for both users and systems to understand what you actually do.
Finally, many businesses do not measure outcomes. If you are not tracking enquiries, calls, and which pages drive action, you cannot improve with confidence.
Want to see how your website shows up in AI search?
If you want a clear starting point, request a free marketing audit. We will review your website structure, messaging, and visibility, and highlight what to fix first so your site matches How People Search in ChatGPT as well as how people search on Google.
You can request it here: Digital Marketing Agency in London
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by reducing the number of required fields to the absolute minimum. Name and email are usually enough for an initial enquiry. Make sure your form is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and includes a trust signal such as a testimonial or client logo near the submit button.
The fewer, the better. For most service businesses in London and the UK, asking for just a name and email is enough to start the conversation. You can gather additional details during the follow-up call once trust has been established.
Common reasons include too many required fields, slow loading times, poor mobile experience, lack of trust signals, or unclear privacy policies. Even small friction points can cause visitors to leave without completing the form, especially in competitive markets like London.
CAPTCHAs can reduce spam, but they also reduce conversions. If you must use one, choose an invisible or minimal option such as Google reCAPTCHA v3, which does not interrupt the user experience or add extra steps for genuine enquiries.
Ideally within five minutes. Research shows that the likelihood of converting a lead drops by over 80 percent if they are not contacted quickly. Use automation to send an instant confirmation email or SMS, then follow up personally as soon as possible.
Use tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Microsoft Clarity to track form completion rates and see exactly where people drop off. Pay attention to metrics like time to completion, mobile vs desktop performance, and lead quality to understand whether your form is working properly.
Yes. We offer a free marketing audit where we review your website, your forms, your tracking, and your current lead sources. You can request your audit here: https://maximusmediascape.com/digital-marketing-agency-in-london/. We will tell you what to fix first and provide a clear list of actions to improve your conversion rate.
