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SearchGPT is the AI search engine by OpenAI that was initially presented as a prototype on July 25, 2024. OpenAI released SearchGPT within ChatGPT as ChatGPT search on October 31, 2024, and made it available to everyone without registration on February 5, 2025. SearchGPT produces written answers backed by references to sources.
Accuracy remains the open question. The Tow Center for Digital Journalism tested eight AI search engines on 1,600 queries based on news article snippets and found out that they were answering more than 60% of the queries incorrectly, while ChatGPT search failed to answer 134 out of 200 questions (Source).
This guide explains what SearchGPT is, the launch date and release timeline, how ChatGPT search compares with Google and what it means for your SEO.
What Is SearchGPT?
SearchGPT is the name OpenAI gave its AI search prototype in 2024. OpenAI described it as a temporary test that paired its models with web information to give current answers with clearly identified sources, and it released the test to a limited group of users and publishers for feedback (Source).
If you searched for search gpt as two words, you landed on the same product. OpenAI planned to bring the best of the prototype into ChatGPT. It did.
SearchGPT vs ChatGPT Search
SearchGPT was the 2024 prototype, and ChatGPT search is the live feature you can use today. This guide keeps that split.
SearchGPT Launch Date and Release Timeline
The SearchGPT launch date depends on which stage you mean, so the list below gives the OpenAI SearchGPT release date for the prototype and the ChatGPT search launch date for each later rollout, in the order they happened. Each date comes from OpenAI.
- July 25, 2024: OpenAI announced the prototype version of SearchGPT for a select group of users and publishers.
- October 31, 2024: OpenAI launched ChatGPT search for Plus and Team users as well as for SearchGPT waitlist users.
- December 16, 2024: ChatGPT search was available to all logged-in users where OpenAI provides ChatGPT.
- February 5, 2025: ChatGPT search was open to all users in those regions without any sign-up.
Most searches related to the OpenAI SearchGPT launch date refer to the July 2024 announcement date. You can use October 31, 2024 as the ChatGPT search launch date for its first public launch and February 5, 2025 for when it became available to everyone (Source).
5 Distinct Features That Set SearchGPT Apart From Google Search
These five features separate ChatGPT search from a standard results page.
1. Written Answers With Linked Sources
ChatGPT search returns a written answer with citations. A Sources button lists the references and related links, and images link back to their sources.
2. Follow-Up Questions in One Chat
Ask follow-ups in the same chat.
3. Search Only When It Helps
ChatGPT decides when a question needs current information. You can force a search from the tools menu, or type a slash in the message box and select Search.
4. Free Access With Usage Limits
The Free plan includes web search, and it works for people who are not signed in, within usage limits.
5. Publisher Partnerships
At launch OpenAI listed news partners that include the Associated Press, Financial Times, Reuters and Vox Media, and it said any website or publisher can choose to appear in ChatGPT search results.
SearchGPT vs Google: Comparison Table
Below is a comparison of ChatGPT search and SearchGPT, the product it evolved into, with Google search on five factors that determine whether a specific search query is better suited for which of the two tools.
| Point | ChatGPT search (SearchGPT) | Google Search |
|---|---|---|
| Result format | Written answer with citations and a Sources list | Ranked links, with an AI Overview on some searches |
| When it searches | ChatGPT decides, or you select Search | Every query returns results |
| Access | Free with usage limits, no signup needed | Free |
| Follow-ups | Continue in the same conversation | Start a new query or use an AI feature |
| Site owner control | OAI-SearchBot rules in robots.txt | Indexing and snippet controls |
Recheck it before you rely on it.
How ChatGPT Search Changes SEO?
1. Answer Complete Questions
Cited answers prefer pages that answer a question and its potential follow-up questions, so make sure you begin each section by answering the question, and then provide an answer to the next question a reader might have.
2. Allow OAI-SearchBot
According to the OpenAI Crawler documentation, “OAI-SearchBot determines inclusion in the ChatGPT Search index,” and the status of the crawling process is unaffected if the training crawler GPTBot is blocked. However, you need to make sure that your pages are not blocked from ChatGPT searches using the robots.txt file.
3. Track Referral Traffic Separately
A written answer can satisfy a reader before a click, so tag visits from chatgpt.com in your analytics. Judge those pages by qualified visits.
4. Publish Original, Attributed Pages
The Tow Center discovered that often tools refer to syndicated or even duplicated articles rather than their originals. Post on your own website first, indicate the name of the author, use citations and links to their works if there is some quote, and do not syndicate your pages.
Real Example: Jidoka Technologies
We published 120 blog posts over six months for Jidoka Technologies, a Chennai-based Vision AI startup. The case study reports that its content appeared in AI-generated answers 105 times across ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, AI Mode and Gemini, with 261 pages cited.
The figures are self-reported and the page gives no split by platform. Read the Jidoka case study for the full scope, or see our AI SEO services.
Biggest Challenges for ChatGPT Search
Accuracy
ChatGPT search never declined to answer in the Tow Center test and signaled uncertainty only 15 times, so check any answer against its cited source before you rely on it for a decision, a quote or a fact in published work.
Publisher Trust
The same study found ChatGPT citing a syndicated copy of a USA Today article, and USA Today blocks OpenAI’s crawler. Crawler rules do not always match what a tool cites.
Usage Limits
Free searches count against plan limits.
Conclusion
SearchGPT began as a July 2024 prototype and now runs as ChatGPT search, open to everyone since February 2025. Allow OAI-SearchBot, answer complete questions, cite your sources and track visits from chatgpt.com as a separate channel, because a tool can only cite a page it can crawl, read and trust. Start with your ten most-visited pages.
Contact Content Whale to plan content that earns citations in ChatGPT search and Google.
FAQs
What is SearchGPT?
It is the title of the 2024 AI search prototype developed by OpenAI that now works as ChatGPT search. It provides answers in text form with sources attached.
What is the SearchGPT launch date?
The SearchGPT prototype was announced by OpenAI on July 25, 2024, while ChatGPT search was launched on October 31, 2024.
When did the ChatGPT search become available for free users?
ChatGPT search became available for all logged-in users on December 16, 2024, and available for everybody without sign-up on February 5, 2025.
Is SearchGPT free?
Yes, subject to limitations. The Free plan includes web search, and it works without the need to log in.
What is the difference between the prototype and ChatGPT?
The prototype was separate and devoted to search, and OpenAI integrated the best features of the prototype into ChatGPT, where search can be found next to the chat.
What makes ChatGPT search different from Google?
Google provides ranked links and/or AI Overview for all queries input to the search engine; ChatGPT provides a written response along with sources cited and follow-ups can be done in the same chat session.
How do I show up in ChatGPT search results?
OAI-SearchBot should be allowed to crawl your website by including it in robots.txt, create original pages that provide answers and cite sources.
Content Whale – USA
