How to get your website to rank on ChatGPT and Google (Yep, you need both)

If you thought SEO was all about Google, think again. The rise of AI chatbots like ChatGPT means your website’s got to play a whole new game if you want to get seen and heard. Spoiler alert: ChatGPT and Google don’t look for the same things — so your content strategy needs to switch gears depending on who you’re talking to.

Here’s the lowdown on what each platform cares about, what that means for your website content, and how to win at both.

What’s the deal with Google vs. ChatGPT?

Google’s the OG search engine.

It’s all about crawling your site, reading your keywords, checking backlinks, and figuring out if your page is actually worth a top spot. Think of it like a detective sniffing out clues everywhere to deliver the best answers.

ChatGPT is a bit different.

It’s an AI model trained on loads of text, not a search engine in the traditional sense. It generates answers based on patterns and context — no crawling, no live indexing. So, it wants your info short, sharp, and super clear to pull out and serve up in a conversational-style answer.

What each platform wants from your content

Factor	Google’s Wishlist	ChatGPT’s Wishlist
Style	Deep, detailed, packed with keywords	Straightforward, conversational
Keywords	Keywords = king	Intent and natural language > keywords
Links	Backlinks and internal links matter a lot	Doesn’t care about links
Freshness	Loves fresh content	Relies on training data, so freshness is less crucial
Tech Stuff	Page speed, mobile, schema markup = must	Doesn’t factor in technical SEO
Format	Long-form content, FAQs, videos, images	Bullet points, quick answers, FAQs

So, how do you actually rank on both?

For Google:

• Nail your keyword research and sprinkle keywords naturally.
• Write juicy, detailed content that answers all the questions your audience might have.
• Make your site fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to crawl (hello, schema markup).
• Build backlinks like your life depends on it (or, you know, like your rankings do).
• Keep things fresh by updating content regularly.

For ChatGPT:

• Write like you’re chatting with a friend — clear and to the point.
• Add FAQ sections using the exact questions your audience asks.
• Break things up with bullet points and short paragraphs for easy scanning.
• Focus on the why and how — what’s the user really after?
• Build trust with authoritative, well-researched info (ChatGPT values quality content in its training).

The sweet spot: Combine both strategies

Don’t pick one or the other — do both. Create detailed, keyword-smart content that also includes conversational, easy-to-digest FAQs and clear answers. Use schema markup to help Google showcase your FAQs in rich snippets and make your info easy for AI to spot. Think of it as SEO with a friendly face. (Schema markup is a type of code added to a website that helps search engines understand the content better. It improves how your pages appear in search results, often showing extra info like ratings, prices, or event details.)

Quick recap

Platform	What you need to do
Google	Detailed, keyword-rich, technically solid, authoritative
ChatGPT	Clear, conversational, intent-focused, FAQ-friendly

The bottom line? Your website content has to multitask. It needs to impress Google’s bots and satisfy ChatGPT’s AI brain — giving your audience the best of both worlds.

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