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Google vs. GPT Search, Who Leads the Search Revolution?

Published at Jan 23, 2025 13:01 | Last updated at Jan 23, 2025 13:01 by Rifqi Ardhian

Google vs. GPT Search, Who Leads the Search Revolution?
Cover image: Google Search and GPT Search, which one is better?

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When discussing information search activities in the digital era, the name "Google" is one of the entities often mentioned. In fact, in Indonesia, for example, many people tend to interpret Google as synonymous with the term "search engine" itself.

However, with the massive growth of digital technology marked by the emergence of artificial intelligence, one of which is GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), a new way to search for information has emerged, namely through GPT Search.

This development, however, raises several questions. For example, which is better between GPT Search and Google Search in answering user queries?

This article will thoroughly explore the differences, advantages, and weaknesses of each of these search engines. So, make sure you read it to the end!

 

Information search can now be done across various platforms, including social media and AI-based platforms like ChatGPT.

GPT Search is an AI technology that enables users to search for information quickly and deeply using natural language models.

As it is specifically designed to understand context, GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) can analyze questions or prompts and provide relevant answers based on its own database.

Unlike traditional search engines, GPT Search is capable of providing more contextual explanations, suggesting ideas, and even assisting in creative tasks, such as writing, designing strategies, or solving specific problems.

Also, GPT Search is specially designed utilizing the Transformer architecture, which was first introduced by Vaswani et al. in the paper “Attention is All You Need.”

This architecture uses a self-attention mechanism to understand the relationships between words in a text, helping GPT better understand the context and user requests in more detail.

Additionally, the GPT model is trained using a massive dataset, such as text from books, articles, and websites, and through a fine-tuning process to adjust search logs or user data so that the results presented are more relevant.

In fact, GPT Search also leverages NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities to understand user requests semantically, not just literally. This way, search results can cover a broader context, such as synonyms, similar phrases, or meanings implied implicitly.

 

Recently, GPT Search has been increasingly used in the process of information retrieval. With the development of this technology, many people have started comparing which search engine is superior between Google and GPT Search.

Both offer different advantages and drawbacks. So, to help you compare them, here are some of the strengths and weaknesses of Google vs. ChatGPT.

 

The Advantages of Google

Here are some of the advantages of the giant search engine, Google:

  • Google covers billions of websites from around the world, offering diverse and comprehensive results.
  • It provides search results quickly, even for complex queries.
  • In addition to text, Google can display results in various formats, such as videos, images, news, maps, and local information (nearby).
  • Google prioritizes Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), meaning the websites shown in search results are mostly credible and reliable.
  • Google is well-integrated with other services in its ecosystem, such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, and YouTube.
  • Google displays real-time information like the latest news, weather forecasts, or event schedules.
  • Google now also offers an AI overview feature (though it is currently available only for certain topics/keywords), which helps users summarize answers from various authoritative sources.

 

The Drawbacks of Google 

Despite its many advantages, Google still has several drawbacks, such as:

  • Search results often rely on keyword matching, which sometimes fails to understand the context or intent behind users’ everyday language.
  • Users still need to filter out which websites they trust because Google displays hundreds or even thousands of websites deemed relevant for a single search query.
  • Search results are often filled with ads, which can reduce the user experience.
  • For complex questions, Google doesn't always provide direct answers but instead offers links to websites deemed relevant, requiring users to browse through each site before finding the answers they need.
  • Google’s search algorithm can be influenced by many aspects, such as SEO, popularity, and commercial interests, which may result in bias when displaying search results.

 

Here are some of the advantages of GPT Search:

  • GPT Search can understand the meaning and context of user questions, even if the question is ambiguous or indirect.
  • GPT Search can provide answers in different forms depending on the user’s request or prompt.
  • It can answer questions in a conversational manner, allowing users to ask questions naturally as if speaking to a human.
  • GPT Search can be used for brainstorming creative ideas due to its wide-ranging database in various languages.
  • It doesn’t display ads in search results, offering a cleaner user experience focused on the information or answers to the questions asked.

 

Despite offering several advantages, GPT Search still has some drawbacks, such as:

  • GPT Search has a limited database regarding real-time or current information, so it might not always provide the most up-to-date answers (depending on its training data).
  • The GPT model doesn’t cite sources for its information, making the credibility of the AI model weaker because users can’t verify the accuracy of the provided answers.
  • GPT Search might generate incorrect or "fabricated" answers if it doesn’t find relevant data for a particular question.
  • GPT Search still has many limitations regarding multimodal features, such as presenting answers in various content formats like images, videos, or maps.
  • The free version of ChatGPT has limited features. Thus, not all users can have the same experience.

 

We conducted a simple study to help you better understand the differences between Google and GPT Search in providing search results. Here are some of the findings:

Important Note! We used the ChatGPT 4.0 mini model without an account and in Incognito mode for Google searches to reduce potential bias in the answers.

 

The first case study compared the search results for general information. The question we asked was, “How is a rainbow formed?” Here are the answers provided by Google and ChatGPT.

 

Google

For the query "How is a rainbow formed?", Google displayed search results in a variety of formats, including text snippets and YouTube video links.

Additionally, Google is quite aware that questions like these are often studied by students or children, so the video thumbnails shown in the search results are visually appealing to attract attention.

The websites that appeared in the search results for this query came from authoritative news platforms and several educational websites.

 

ChatGPT

Unlike Google, which presents information in both text and visual formats, ChatGPT focuses on answering the question by providing a listicle of the stages of a rainbow’s formation.

This format is helpful for users who want a quick answer, as they can directly read the response after submitting their question.

However, unfortunately, ChatGPT still showed a spelling mistake, such as in the seventh point of the second item, where the word "dibiasakan" should be "dibiaskan."

 

The next case study compares the search results presented by Google vs. ChatGPT for queries related to data/statistics. The query we asked was, “Social media usage statistics in Indonesia 2024.” Here are the responses provided by Google and ChatGPT.

 

Google

On the Google search results page, users can see many websites presenting results for the query about social media usage in Indonesia. Users can then choose which websites they trust, possibly based on preferences, the relevance of the information, or past experiences with those websites.

Additionally, Google displays the last update date for each website, so users can consider this when looking for the most recent data.

 

ChatGPT

On the GPT Search results, users can indeed view data on social media usage in Indonesia for 2024.

However, unfortunately, ChatGPT still doesn’t display the sources it used to generate these results (unless explicitly requested in the prompt).

As a result, the accuracy of this data may need to be questioned by users, especially if they intend to present this information in professional or academic reports.

 

One of the most important things users need before making a purchase is to review the product's reviews. So, how do Google and ChatGPT respond when asked to review a product? Here's the full breakdown!

 

Google

Just like when we make a general information query, Google also displays video results when we ask about product reviews. This time, we entered the query "Nike Air Jordan shoes review," and Google immediately showed several review videos from YouTube.

This is quite useful, considering data from GoodStats, which shows that 35% of millennial users heavily rely on YouTube to review product reviews before making a purchase decision.

In addition to video answers, this search engine also displays several related articles from sports shoe niche websites and some e-commerce sites.

 

ChatGPT

As seen in the image above, ChatGPT still struggles to understand the intent of the question asked. When we posed the question in Indonesian, "review sepatu nike air jordan," ChatGPT, unfortunately, responded in English, which could disrupt the user experience, especially if the user is not fluent in foreign languages.

However, ChatGPT is still responsive in providing product reviews, dividing its reviews into sections such as design, comfort, usability, and durability of the shoes.

 

4. Search for Recent Events

In addition to information and tutorials, events and trends are also among the aspects most searched by users when visiting search engines. Based on this, we also compared the search results on Google vs. ChatGPT when users query about current trends and events. Here’s the case study:

 

Google

When users submitted a prompt about a football match event, “MU vs Liverpool,” Google immediately displayed a snippet with scores from the most recent matches between Manchester United and Liverpool, complete with the match dates.

Google also provided a small YouTube video thumbnail for users who were curious and wanted to watch a replay of the match.

Additionally, users could choose between Men’s Football and Women’s Football, as Google displayed two clickable buttons at the top of the score snippet.

 

ChatGPT

It seems that the query "MU vs Liverpool" was too vague for ChatGPT, as the AI model requested further clarification about the prompt. This means users need to elaborate on the prompt or question they submit.

When we clarified that we wanted information about the most recent match between MU and Liverpool, ChatGPT responded with the following format: 

  • Date of the match
  • Score comparison
  • Goal-scoring players’ names
  • Type of league

Unfortunately, the AI model displayed data from August 22, 2024, while Google was able to show more recent data, specifically from January 5, 2025.

 

We also conducted a simple study regarding currency search to review which search engine is better at displaying the most recent exchange rates. Here’s the full discussion:

 

Google

We submitted the query “rupiah to US dollar today” on Google and encountered a snippet full of illustrations, as shown in the image above.

In addition to displaying the exchange rate for our query, Google also presented a currency graph showing the movement of the exchange rate over the past few days.

Below this, users could further explore related questions that are often asked by other users in the “People Also Ask” (PAA) section.

 

ChatGPT

Unfortunately, for the same query, ChatGPT was still unable to provide the desired results. In fact, the AI model directed users to access Google and official banking sites in Indonesia instead.

 

In addition to currency, stock prices are also an important aspect frequently reviewed by users on search engines. Considering that stocks are a sensitive subject requiring high accuracy, OpenAI's official website states that it has partnered with news platforms and other data providers to ensure the accuracy of information, such as weather, news, and stock prices.

Here’s the comparison between Google vs. ChatGPT in providing answers for stock price queries:

 

Google

For the query “BBRI stock price,” Google displayed a very detailed snippet, as shown in the image above (the image was taken on January 22, 2025). In addition to showing the stock price, Google also displayed the stock price changes over several periods, including 1 day, 5 days, 1 month, 6 months, and up to 5 years.

On the same snippet, on the right side of the user’s screen, stock prices from other relevant banks were also shown, allowing users to maximize their experience when researching stock prices.

 

ChatGPT

Unlike Google, the ChatGPT version 4o mini was still unable to provide specific answers regarding stock prices and directed users to check them directly on authoritative apps or websites to ensure the credibility of the information.

 

So, Google Search vs. GPT Search, Which One Is Better?

This question can’t be answered definitively, as both Google and ChatGPT have different strengths and limitations. For example, if you want to obtain a variety of answers from various sources that are credible and authoritative, Google would be the better choice.

On the other hand, if you're looking for quick, contextual information or need help with creative ideas, ChatGPT could be a suitable option.

It’s important to note that the research above was conducted on ChatGPT version 4o mini without an account, so it’s possible that the latest version of ChatGPT (or even a paid version) could provide better results than the ones we found.

In conclusion, both Google and ChatGPT are search engines that can help users find answers to specific questions. Beyond searching for information, many people also use ChatGPT to write content, which is then distributed on personal or business channels.

However, this is not recommended for large businesses or companies. As a business entity, it’s important to ensure that the content on your website is accurate and factual.

Therefore, businesses should make sure that content writing on their websites is not simply copied directly from ChatGPT, but should still be written by humans and verified by industry experts, especially if the business niche falls under YMYL.

To address this, cmlabs offers solutions trusted by many well-known companies in the YMYL industries, such as healthcare, finance, and more. Our large clients, including Siloam Hospitals, Pegadaian, Shopee, and AQUA, are proof that they are satisfied with cmlabs' SEO Services and SEO Content Writing Services.

So, what are you waiting for? It might be time for your business to shine and dominate the search engine with cmlabs! Contact our marketing team now to get exclusive offers while they last!

Risca Fadillah

Risca Fadillah

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