ChatGPT now handles a fifth as many searches as Google, so "just Google it" has some competition at the counter
By Brett Gavaghan, Founder of Adaptd ·
OpenAI says the number of web searches run through ChatGPT now equals 20% of Google's search volume. That changes where customers might find you.
The short version
- OpenAI says ChatGPT now runs about one-fifth as many web searches as Google does.
- The figure came from OpenAI's Adam Fry at a press event on 2 November 2026; Google's number wasn't sourced.
- Check what ChatGPT says about your business and keep your website's basic facts clear and current.
For twenty-odd years the answer to any question was "Google it". A growing number of people now just ask the chatbot, and some of those questions are about businesses like yours.
What did OpenAI say about ChatGPT search?
OpenAI says the number of web searches run through ChatGPT now equals 20% of the number run through Google. Adam Fry, OpenAI's consumer product lead for ChatGPT, shared the figure at a press event on 2 November 2026, as reported by The Verge.
OpenAI counts a search as any question that makes ChatGPT look something up on the web, not requests like defining a word. Fry didn't say where the Google figure came from, so treat the comparison as OpenAI's own estimate.
How big is a fifth of Google?
A fifth of Google is a lot. For comparison, Microsoft's CEO said in 2023 that Bing had about 3% of the search market after more than a decade of trying.
Google is still well ahead, and it's putting AI answers into its own results too. OpenAI also started showing images of sponsored products in ChatGPT last month, so the chatbot answer is slowly picking up the habits of a search page.
What should your business do about it?
Ask ChatGPT a few questions a customer might ask, like "Who does bookkeeping for tradies in Geelong?", and see whether you come up and whether the details are right. Wrong hours, an old address or services you dropped years ago are worth fixing at the source.
My take: you don't need a new strategy, just a tidy shopfront. Keep your website, Google Business Profile and directory listings saying the same things in plain words, because AI tools read the same pages your customers do.
Same customer, different counter. Make sure your name is on both.
Sources
Wondering what this means for your business?
That's exactly what the discovery call is for.