So, my boss just sent me another blog article with a headline that caught my attention: “To be visible on ChatGPT, you need to be more visible on Bing search.” Well, that got me thinking! 

I’ve been working in SEO for years, and I never really thought of ChatGPT as a “search engine”—more like a super helpful assistant (that’s how I and probably you, use it) but more and more people are using it as a search engine now. With this new information, I had to dig into what this actually means…

Spoiler: it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

ChatGPT as a search tool

First off, let’s talk about ChatGPT itself. It’s not exactly a search engine like Google or Bing, but it does pull data from the internet to generate its responses. And guess where some of that data comes from? You guessed it—Bing. 

ChatGPT has an integration with Microsoft’s Bing for certain queries and data, which means that if you’re visible on Bing, you’re more likely to show up in ChatGPT’s results.

The power of Bing Search

You might be wondering: “How does Bing fit into all this?” 

Well, when you optimize your content for Bing, it increases the chances that ChatGPT will pull information from your site. Bing uses its own ranking system based on relevance, quality, and authority, which are also critical factors for ChatGPT when drawing data. 

So, if you’re ranking well on Bing, there’s a good chance your content will be noticed by ChatGPT, too.

Improving Bing visibility

Here are some easy-to-follow steps to improve your visibility on Bing—and by extension, in ChatGPT’s search results:

  • SEO Basics: Start with the essentials of SEO. Make sure your content is optimized for Bing the same way you’d optimize for Google, but there are a couple of Bing-specific tweaks:
  • Ensure your content answers users’ questions directly (Bing loves that!).
  • Use clear meta descriptions and titles to help both Bing and ChatGPT understand what your content is about.
  • Get your site’s technical SEO right—things like page speed, mobile-friendliness, and clean URLs go a long way.
  • Incorporate Structured Data: Bing loves structured data (also known as Schema Markup). By marking up your content with this data, you’re helping both Bing and ChatGPT understand the context and meaning of your content better. This can increase the likelihood of your site appearing in the right search results, including those powered by ChatGPT.
  • Bing Webmaster Tools: Sign up for Bing Webmaster Tools! It’s a free tool that allows you to check your site’s performance on Bing. You’ll get insights on crawl errors, indexing issues, and can even submit your sitemap to make sure your pages get indexed properly. This can directly impact your visibility both on Bing and ChatGPT.
  • Backlinks Matter: As with any search engine, backlinks are an important factor in ranking. Bing values high-quality backlinks, and these can improve your website’s authority. More authority on Bing equals a better chance of being included in ChatGPT’s responses.

How ChatGPT uses information

You might be thinking: “Wait, ChatGPT doesn’t actually crawl the web like a search engine, does it?”

Nope, it doesn’t. 

But here’s the thing: ChatGPT relies on indexed data and external sources (like Bing) for some of the information it pulls for certain queries. So, when your content is showing up in Bing search results, there’s a higher chance that ChatGPT will grab that information and use it in its answers. 

The better your visibility on Bing, the more likely your content will be used by ChatGPT.

Quality Content is “still” King

Let’s wrap this up with the most important thing: content. 

Sure, technical SEO matters, but at the end of the day, it’s all about providing valuable, engaging, and relevant content. Whether it’s for Bing, ChatGPT, or any other search engine, high-quality content will always be the main driver behind visibility.

Here are a few tips for creating content that both Bing and ChatGPT will love:

  • Answer your audience’s questions in a clear, concise way.
  • Keep your writing natural and engaging—don’t just stuff keywords in there.
  • Focus on providing value rather than over-optimizing for search engines.

So, now we know that boosting visibility on Bing can help you show up in ChatGPT’s search results. Who would’ve thought? The moral of the story is that SEO isn’t just about getting clicks from Google anymore; it’s about being in the right place, at the right time, for the right AI-powered assistant. 

Don’t forget: good content is key—whether it’s Bing or ChatGPT looking at it.

Categorized in:

Growth Marketing