ChatGPT emerges as a search alternative, but Google holds ground

ChatGPT is now used by over 400 million people weekly and ranks the eighth most visited website globally. While many users rely on it for tasks like writing, productivity, and planning, a growing number are also turning to it for search — a space long dominated by Google.

Despite its popularity, experts say ChatGPT won’t fully replace Google. Rohan Sarin, a former product lead at Google and Microsoft, argues that the two serve different purposes. Google excels at direct, fact-based queries, while ChatGPT is better suited for exploration and synthesis.

‘Google connects users to the raw internet,’ Sarin notes, ‘whereas ChatGPT acts as an interpreter, helping users frame ideas and questions.’

The comparison also highlights user behaviour. While Google remains the tool of choice for verifying information, Sarin points out that many users want ‘something that works’, not necessarily precision — a strength of ChatGPT’s fast, ad-free responses.

However, industry experts don’t expect Google’s dominance to end soon. Eric M. Hoover, SEO director at Jellyfish, says Google’s integration of AI tools like Gemini and AI Overviews will help it stay competitive. ‘Search is still built into browsers, apps, and digital ecosystems,’ he adds.

Rather than one replacing the other, experts believe both platforms will coexist. ChatGPT is changing how we explore information, but Google’s role in search remains vital — especially for accuracy and source verification. For now, the best approach may not be choosing one tool over the other but knowing when to use each.

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