ChatGPT Vs Google Search Conversion Rates: The Surprising Difference
Whilst everyone's talking about how to get to the top of Google and ChatGPT, our data shows ChatGPT sources are converting 3 times higher than Google - but before you give up on Google, there's a few things you need to know.
ChatGPT vs Google search conversion rates
- What are the differences between Google and ChatGPT conversion rates?
- Why optimising for Google SEO is critical for ChatGPT and LLM optimisation?
- The AI search optimisation factors driving conversions from Google and ChatGPT?
ChatGPT lead generation conversion rates 3-4x higher than Google
Across a number of both B2C and B2B brands where we report on marketing lead generation and sales, we've been able to confirm that leads from ChatGPT sources convert significantly higher than traditional Google search sources.
One B2C brand is converting 75% of ChatGPT leads versus 25% of Google leads - 3x higher. Another B2B brand, is converting 80% of ChatGPT leads versus 20% of traditional Google SEO leads - 4 times higher!
ChatGPT ecommerce conversion rates 3x higher than Google
This data also aligns with a recent study of 35,000 ecommerce brands by marketing intelligence platform, Lebesgue, which found ecommerce conversion rates were 3x higher from LLM traffic than traditional search.
But, website traffic volumes from ChatGPT are significantly smaller than Google. So whilst ChatGPT is a great new source of sales, at the moment it's an exciting additional source and not a replacement for Google.
Ultimately, you need to optimise for both Google and ChatGPT
What's really interesting is when you ask ChatGPT to recommend a brand it relies on one of two methods.
The first is it's training data which your brand needs to be mentioned in one (or more) of OpenAI's media partners such as The Guardian or Condé Nast.
Or, the second method is based on retrieval data. Whereby the more complex the query, ChatGPT may look to get the latest answer by searching in Google! So ultimately, being found at the top of Google, now also means you're more likely to be found at the top of ChatGPT.
But why is ChatGPT converting higher than Google?
From analysis of AI search visibility data and conversations we've had with brands, the ChatGPT prompts driving the highest quality conversions have exceptionally high intent to purchase. Often starting with "best" and "award-winning" followed by a very specific combination of brand category or products and services, along with a very specific shopping list of audience needs including size, sectors and locations.
Whereas Google searches driving conversions will typically include a much wider mix of broad and specific searches from across the consideration and purchase stages.
ChatGPT also presents the evidence of what different brands strengths are by referencing average rating and total number of reviews from sources such as Google, Feefo and TrustPilot.
This is why, just like traditional SEO it's critical to optimise all your brand-owned media prioritising your website so that ChatGPT and other LLMs like Claude and CoPilot can easily find evidence of your brand's authority.
ChatGPT and Google visitors both have high intent to purchase
It's exactly why our ThoughtShift Full-Funnel Methodology starts with end of funnel insight to optimise transactional website pages over creating new top of funnel informational pages like blogs as category, product and services pages which are proven to convert at a significantly higher conversion rate, making faster bottom-line impact on revenue.
Now you want to be found at the top of Google and ChatGPT, making sure your relevant awards, reviews, testimonials and case studies are on all your transactional landing pages is an essential step on the way to AI search success.
Is your website invisible to AI agents & search engine bots?
But if your website is beautifully presented for humans but elements such as awards are only featured as image-based logos this makes them potentially invisible to machines like search engine spiders and AI agents.
So you need to make sure your website is using the latest technical SEO and GEO strategies considering both search engines and generative AI engines to help you gain both world-class Google and ChatGPT visibility.