ChatGPT vs. Google: Is the Search Giant in Trouble?

Google better watch out because ChatGPT is coming for its lunch money. And honestly? I’m not sure Google has a solid defense right now.

For years, the default response to any question was, “Google it.” Don’t know which restaurant to check out? Google it. Struggling to keep your plants alive? Google it. Not sure what product to buy? Google it.

But now, there’s competition. And I think this new contender is about to take Google’s lunch money—and maybe even its snack money too.

Instead of “Google it,” we’re now being told to “Ask GPT.” With ChatGPT’s ability to browse the live internet, it’s not just matching Google—it’s beating it in a lot of areas.

Here are a couple of examples where I’ve noticed it blowing Google out of the water.

Obscure Questions, Straight Answers

Picture this: I’m at an event, chatting with an older gentleman, probably in his 60s. His phone was acting strange—this blue bar was jumping around his icons, one by one. He had no idea what was going on and asked if I, being “young,” could fix it.

I looked at it and guessed it might be some sort of accessibility setting, but I had no clue how to disable it. Naturally, I figured he’d Google the issue, right?

Nope. Instead, he pulled out his phone, opened the ChatGPT app, pressed the microphone button, and asked: “I have a blue bar on my phone that keeps jumping from icon to icon. I think it’s an accessibility feature. How do I turn it off?”

ChatGPT kicked into gear and gave him step-by-step instructions. A few seconds later, the blue bar was gone.

This moment was a lightbulb for me. Here’s why:

• Older people are using cutting-edge AI. Not because it’s cool, but because it works. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it gets the job done.
• ChatGPT connects dots Google can’t. If you’d Googled something like “blue bar jumping from icon to icon,” you’d probably hit a dead end. GPT doesn’t need a perfectly written webpage to give you an answer. It understands concepts and can pull together solutions from seemingly unrelated ideas.
• It skips the middleman. GPT doesn’t just point you to a webpage with instructions—it gives you the instructions directly. That’s a huge leap forward.

Recommendations That Get It

Here’s another way ChatGPT has changed the game for me.

I’ve got two daughters. One loves trying new things; the other is all about chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. So when we’re picking restaurants, it’s a balancing act. My wife, adventurous daughter, and I want something exciting, but the other one needs comfort food on the menu.

If you’ve ever Googled restaurant recommendations, you know it’s basic. You can search for “seafood restaurants near me,” but adding “with kid-friendly options like chicken nuggets” just doesn’t work. There’s probably no web page that lists that exact combo.

But ChatGPT? It gets it.

I asked it for seafood restaurants near me that also had “kid-friendly comfort food like chicken nuggets.” Not only did it understand what I meant by “comfort food,” but it also scanned menus from restaurant websites to find places that checked both boxes.

We ended up at Atlas in Burnaby. (By the way, highly recommend.)

The Big Picture for Digital Marketing

As a marketer, I’ll be honest—this shift is both fascinating and a little nerve-wracking. For years, SEO has been the holy grail. We’ve poured endless hours into optimizing websites to rank on Google.

But now? ChatGPT doesn’t care about your keyword density or backlink strategy. It reads and interprets the information itself. And if it keeps getting better, a lot of those SEO tactics might not matter as much anymore.

What’s next? I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing ads in GPT responses. Think about it—Google search results are full of ads. Why wouldn’t GPT go down that same path?

And let’s not forget pricing. Right now, ChatGPT is a steal at $20/month. My company uses it constantly—for editing, brainstorming, answering obscure questions—you name it. But if history tells us anything, this won’t last forever. Remember when Google Maps was free for developers? Then, once everyone was hooked, Google started charging.

The same thing could happen here. Once we’re all dependent on GPT, expect that $20 subscription to creep up.

Google vs. GPT: A New Era

The leap GPT has made over Google feels like the same kind of leap Google made back when it first replaced early search engines. The difference? GPT doesn’t just surface content; it understands it.

That said, it’s hard not to imagine GPT following Google’s trajectory. Ads, higher costs, and more control over what we see could all be in the cards.

But for now, GPT is a game-changer. Whether it’s fixing an iPhone or finding the perfect restaurant, it’s delivering something Google can’t: context, reasoning, and solutions tailored to your exact needs.

So, what about you? Have you switched to using ChatGPT over Google? Or do you still rely on Google for most things? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear how your behavior has changed.