For years, Google was the undisputed number one online search engine. If you had a question, you "googled" it. But in 2025, we are experiencing a quiet revolution: more and more people are using ChatGPT to search for information - without realising that they are actually using Bing.
ChatGPT as a new "search field"
Since OpenAI equipped ChatGPT with web access (via Microsoft's Bing), search behaviour has changed radically. Anyone who used to click through ten links now gets a direct answer - clear, summarised, usually without a source.
What hardly anyone knows: ChatGPT only uses Bing for web searches. Google is on the outside.
? "OpenAI's GPT-4 uses Bing as the default search engine in web mode. Google access is excluded for licensing reasons." (Source: Microsoft / OpenAI Partner FAQ)
Why this is important
1. bing is the new gateway to visibility - at least for AI
Since ChatGPT obtains its real-time data via Bing, this means for companies:
- Anyone who is not visible on Bing is also not included in ChatGPT responses.
- Google SEO alone is no longer enough.
2. visibly ≠ called: GPT often uses content without a source
And now it gets even more exciting:
Even if you rank on Bing, you will often not be visible in ChatGPT.
ChatGPT uses a lot of content as a source of information, but does not name it explicitly. The answer appears neutral - without a link, without a brand, without a reference to the original page.
This means:
Your website can help shape an answer - without your company being visible. GPT "processes" content like a blender: information in - answer out - sources unnamed.
Why are no sources displayed?
ChatGPT only shows sources if:
- information is not available in the training data set,
- current web access is necessary,
- or GPT has to secure itself (e.g. with figures, companies, prices, product data).
For general questions such as "How does sustainable logistics work?", GPT usually falls back on training knowledge - and does not display a source, even if the answer was originally based on content from your site.
Visibility in ChatGPT - how does it still work?
✅ 1. technical visibility with Bing
- Crawling & indexing via Microsoft Webmaster Tools
- Use of Schema.org markup and clear page titles
- Timeliness & consistency of content
✅ 2. GPT-compatible content
- Content should be fact-based, concise and clearly citable.
- Avoid marketing language - GPT favours objective, information-rich content.
- Author details, data, sources & semantically clear structure help to be recognised as trustworthy.
✅ 3. build external authority
- Mentions on sites such as Wikipedia, industry portals, news sites
- Backlinks from highly rated domains that GPT classifies as "reliable"
Are you mentioned in ChatGPT? How to recognise it!
ChatGPT rarely names sources - but when users click on your link, they sometimes leave traces. Pay attention to your tracking tool:
- utm_source=chatgpt - is often provided automatically, especially with plugins, custom GPTs or GPT-generated links
- Unusual direct accesses to specific subpages
- Peaks in AI-relevant contentwithout clear referrer
? With a Web analysis tool such as Trackboxx you can identify these clues - and find out, if and when ChatGPT puts your content into circulation.
Exemplary reality: Visible, but invisible
A company optimises its "sustainable logistics" page on Bing and achieves top 5 rankings. If you ask ChatGPT about this, a nice continuous text appears - but without a link, without mentioning the company.
The answer may be based on its own content, but GPT does not name a source because:
- it is interpreted as "generally known",
- there is no strict source requirement,
- and GPT are "synthesised" from several sources rather than quoted.
Figures on change
- 98 % of ChatGPT's web searches (GPT-4) run via Bing (OpenAI Developer Docs, 2024).
- According to Bitkom (2025), 55 % of Gen Z regularly use AI tools such as ChatGPT to search for information.
- Microsoft reports that GPT-supported searches via Bing have increased classic Bing traffic by over 30 % (Q4/2024).
? Why social media is becoming even more important now
While ChatGPT is replacing traditional search queries, the importance of social media as a search tool is growing. Discovery and branding channel:
- Users search less activelyInstead, they consume what AI or feeds suggest to them.
- Visibility is created via Storytelling instead of search results.
- Social content also has an indirect influence, which brands ChatGPT knows or names.
- Who has no presence in feeds, will soon no longer exist digitally.
Conclusion: Rethinking visibility
In the era of generative AI, classic SEO rules are becoming blurred. If you want to be found, you have to understand:
Google alone is no longer enough. Bing is the foundation for ChatGPT visibility. And: Content must not only rank - it must be GPT-compatible in order to be "mentioned" at all.
"You can be the answer - and still not be named. Welcome to the age of silent visibility."
Reading tip: Bing SEO - opportunity for website operators
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