Is ChatGPT Changing How People Search, and Is Your SEO Strategy Keeping Up?

If you’ve been using ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, write content, or speed up repetitive writing tasks, you’re not alone. AI tools like ChatGPT have become everyday companions for business owners, marketers, and content creators. But what many companies haven’t realized yet is that these tools are doing more than just helping people write faster—they’re fundamentally changing how people search for information.

That shift is already happening, and it’s moving fast. If you haven’t revisited your SEO strategy in the last six months, you might already be falling behind.

What is the New Search Behavior? Conversations, Not Queries

Let’s start with the big shift: Traditional search engines like Google rely on keywords and links. You type in a phrase like “best accounting software for small business” and get pages of results, some useful, some not. You click around, compare, scroll, dig, and finally land on what you need.

But ChatGPT (and other AI assistants) work differently. People now ask questions, not just keywords. And they expect a direct answer, not a list of 10 websites.

So instead of Googling “how to get more Instagram followers,” a business owner might type into ChatGPT:

“What’s the best way for a local coffee shop to grow their Instagram following in 2025?”

That’s a very different way of searching. Microsoft has already baked AI into Bing. Google is testing AI Overviews that provide direct answers above traditional search results. Apple and Meta are rolling out their own conversational search tools. The bottom line? Search is becoming more natural, more contextual, and less reliant on blue links.

Why Isn’t Your SEO Strategy Working Anymore?

Most business websites are still optimized for old-school search habits: ranking for keywords, stuffing in search terms, and hoping Google likes the formatting. But if the search journey is now starting in a chat window instead of a browser, your content has to be answerable, not just searchable.

What does that mean in practical terms?

1. Write Like You’re Answering a Question

Each page, blog post, or FAQ should directly respond to a real question your customers are likely to ask. This doesn’t mean stuffing in keywords—it means structuring your content in a way that is conversational, helpful, and easy to quote by AI tools.

2. Add Structured Content That Makes You Easier to Index

Use schema markup, clear headings, lists, and summaries so AI can quickly understand what your page is about. When ChatGPT scrapes and summarizes your content, it’s looking for clarity and structure.

3. Embrace Long-Tail and Intent-Based Phrases

AI searches are longer and more specific. That means focusing on phrases like “best hair salon in Lancaster for curly hair” instead of just “Lancaster hair salon.” The more you can anticipate the intent behind someone’s search, the better your chance of being found.

Is SEO Dead? Don't Panic.

This shift doesn’t mean SEO is dead. Far from it. But it does mean that SEO is evolving. At Cup O Content, we’re already helping clients adjust to this new reality by:

• Rewriting old blogs to be more answer-friendly

• Creating content clusters that match customer questions

• Optimizing for AI scraping tools as well as traditional search engines

• Ensuring content is written in a voice that sounds helpful, human, and quotable

Because here’s the thing: AI can only summarize what already exists. If your content is high-quality, well-structured, and useful, you’re more likely to be featured in AI-driven search results.

Should You Focus Content on Usefulness? Yes.

As AI tools like ChatGPT continue to become part of the search experience, companies who embrace this change will be the ones who stay visible. If you’ve been dragging your feet on SEO or thinking it was just about stuffing in the right words, now is the time to rethink.

Contact Cup O Content today to help your company create content that ranks, resonates, and gets remembered—whether it’s by a human, a chatbot, or both.