How people use AI chatbots like ChatGPT and what that means for SEO

AI chatbots like ChatGPT have taken the world by storm and are now an indispensable part of daily business.

According to current study by OpenAI Just two and a half years after its launch, ChatGPT was already being used weekly by over 700 million people – almost 10% of the world's adult population. But how are people actually using this technology? And what does that mean for the future of information retrieval and search engine optimization (SEO)?

In this blog post, we take a look at the key findings of the study "How People Use ChatGPT" and derive impulses for AI and SEO strategy.

How do people search using AI bots?

The study divides the use of ChatGPT into seven main categories, three of which stand out in particular:

Source ChatGPT

The three most common usage categories are "Practical guidance", "Information search" and "Text writing".

Practical Guidance

Users are asking for tailored advice, e.g.:

• "Create a training plan for me for a marathon."
• "How can I pay off my loan faster?"

In contrast to traditional search, ChatGPT delivers individual answers, which addresses the specific concern tailored .

Seeking Information

Here, ChatGPT behaves like a search engine: 

• "What are the best laptops under €1.000?"
• "Who formulated the theory of relativity?"

However, the answers are often more coherent and open to dialogue – users can ask questions directly.

Text composition (writing)

This is the most common work-related use:

• Writing emails
• Summarize or correct texts
• Request translations

Interestingly, two-thirds of the writing requests aim to improve existing texts, not to create new ones from scratch.

Usage patterns: Asking vs. Doing

The study also distinguishes between three types of interaction:

Source ChatGPTAsking requests are growing faster than doing requests.

Who uses ChatGPT?

• AgeAlmost half of the adult users are under 26 years old.
• GenderInitially, male users dominated, but now the distribution is almost balanced.
• Education & Career: Highly educated users and people in academic professions use ChatGPT more frequently for work – especially for decision-support tasks (“asking”).

Source ChatGPTThe gender gap in ChatGPT usage is closing.

What does this mean for SEO?

The way people interact with AI chatbots has a direct impact on search engine optimization:

1. From keywords to conversations: 
   • Users ask complex questions, not just keywords.
   • SEO implication: Optimize for long, natural search queries and anticipate follow-up questions.
2. Practical instructions are gaining in importance.
   • ChatGPT is frequently used for "how-to" questions.
   • SEO implication: Create step-by-step guides, FAQs, and practical content that can be used directly.
3. Authority and trust will become even more important
   • • When AI bots summarize content, they refer to trusted sources.
     • SEO implication: Build expertise and authority in your niche – through studies, expert interviews, or data-driven posts.
4. Local search and personalization
   • The study shows that ChatGPT is growing strongly in emerging markets.
   • SEO implication: Local signals and personalized content continue to gain relevance.
5. Voice Search & Multimodality
   • Voice and image search make interaction even more natural.
   • SEO implication: Prepare your content for voice-based queries and visual responses.