# ChatGPT search

ChatGPT search is the web search built into ChatGPT. It launched to paid users on 31 October 2024, to all signed-in users in December 2024, and to anyone without an account in February 2025. Here is what that means for a small site you run and measure.

Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/chatgpt-search

## What ChatGPT search is and where results come from

ChatGPT search is ChatGPT answering with fresh web results. ChatGPT decides when to search, or you select search. Answers carry inline citations and a Sources panel.

Results come from search partners, Bing among them, and from OpenAI’s own index crawled by OAI-SearchBot. As of 2026, the crawler does not execute JavaScript. Shopping answers with product cards arrived in 2025.

Three tokens control access in robots.txt: OAI-SearchBot for search indexing, GPTBot for model training, and ChatGPT-User for on-demand fetches when a user opens your link from ChatGPT.

## Why it matters for a small site

Your page can be cited even if you do not rank first on Google. A clear answer can earn a citation and send users to your page from the Sources panel.

It rewards crawlable HTML. If your product docs or /pricing render with JavaScript only, OAI-SearchBot will miss key facts.

Product pages can appear as cards. Make price, availability and variant details visible in HTML. Do not hide core content behind tabs that need JavaScript to render.

## How to allow, block and serve ChatGPT

1. **Decide your policy** Allow OAI-SearchBot if you want to appear in ChatGPT search. Allow ChatGPT-User so users can fetch your page when they click a citation. Set GPTBot by your training policy.
2. **Set robots.txt** Place user-agent rules at /robots.txt. Test that they load for both HTTP and HTTPS.
3. **Serve crawlable HTML** Render key text server side for docs, pricing and FAQs. Keep titles, headings and key facts in the markup.
4. **Mark up sources clearly** Use precise page titles like “Pricing, YourProduct”. Write concise intros. Put facts near the top, for example “Starts at $X” at the start of /pricing.
5. **Keep canonical and sitemaps clean** Avoid duplicates. Link important pages in your nav. Submit XML sitemaps so partner engines like Bing can find them.

```text
# Allow ChatGPT search and user fetches, block training
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

```

> The crawler does not execute JavaScript. If content needs JS to appear, ChatGPT search will not see it.

## How to read and measure it

Track crawling first. Watch server logs for OAI-SearchBot hits on /pricing, /guides/getting-started and similar. If it cannot fetch, you will not be cited.

Track on-demand fetches. Log the ChatGPT-User agent. Spikes here often match new citations after you update a page title or a key fact.

Watch referral traffic patterns. Users open your site from the Sources panel. As of 2026, referrers vary, so use on-page analytics events on key actions to see lift after citations.

Use partner signals. Since Bing is a partner, monitor Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing and coverage on pages you want ChatGPT to cite.

## Common traps

- Blocking OAI-SearchBot by copying a GPTBot ban without thinking about search
- Shipping content that only appears after client-side rendering or user action
- Thin product pages with no plain-text specs, price or availability
- Using vague titles like “Solutions” that cite poorly
- Letting canonical or hreflang point away from the page you want cited

## Questions

### Does ChatGPT have a search engine?

Yes. ChatGPT search is built into ChatGPT. It can decide to search the web for an answer, or you can choose search. Answers include inline citations and a Sources panel.

### Is ChatGPT search free to use?

As of 2026, anyone can use ChatGPT search without an account. It first launched to paid users on 31 October 2024, then to all signed-in users in December 2024.

### What is the ChatGPT browser called?

There is no separate browser you install. ChatGPT fetches pages with its own agents. OAI-SearchBot crawls for search, and ChatGPT-User fetches a page on demand when a user opens a source.

### Is ChatGPT better than Google?

They are different. ChatGPT writes an answer with citations, drawn from partners like Bing and its own index. Google shows a results page. For your site, aim to be clear and crawlable so both can cite or rank you.

### How do I block or allow ChatGPT search?

Use robots.txt. Allow or disallow OAI-SearchBot for search, GPTBot for training, and ChatGPT-User for on-demand fetches. Set the rules at the root of your domain.

## Read next

- [SEO for ChatGPT: how assistants choose what to cite](https://porteur.ai/guides/seo-for-chatgpt): How ChatGPT with search finds pages and decides what to cite, what to fix on your site, and how to test it each month in under 30 minutes.
- [How ChatGPT search picks and cites sources](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-chatgpt-search-cites-sources): See how ChatGPT search finds pages and cites them, what your page needs to be picked, and how to check if your site is named.
- [robots.txt for AI crawlers: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and what to allow](https://porteur.ai/guides/robots-txt-for-ai-crawlers): Decide which AI crawlers to allow in robots.txt, why it matters, and copy‑paste examples for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google‑Extended and more.
- [Generative engine optimization (GEO): how to be named by AI answers](https://porteur.ai/guides/generative-engine-optimization): How to get your site named in AI answers: sources, crawlers, lists, structure, llms.txt, comparisons, and how to measure by asking assistants.
- [AI citation](https://porteur.ai/glossary/ai-citation): Learn what AI citations are, where they come from, how to get them, and how to measure clicks from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
- [Bing Webmaster Tools for a small site: what it gives that Google does not](https://porteur.ai/guides/bing-webmaster-tools): Set up Bing Webmaster Tools in minutes. Import from Search Console, reach Copilot and Yahoo, use Backlinks, Keyword Research, Site Scan and IndexNow.
- [Web crawler](https://porteur.ai/glossary/web-crawler): A web crawler is software that fetches pages and follows links. Here is what that means for a small site, how to check access, and what to fix.

See how your pages read to AI search and who already ranks on your topics with a free check from Porteur, starting from your home page URL. Free check: https://porteur.ai/