A comprehensive analysis of 62 search queries reveals that Google maintains an edge over ChatGPT search across most search categories, particularly in local and commercial searches. The study, conducted by search expert Eric Enge and published on Search Engine Land, found that while ChatGPT search performs competitively in informational queries, Google’s established infrastructure and vast data resources give it significant advantages. Google scored particularly well in local searches (6.25 vs 2.0) and commercial queries (6.44 vs 3.81), leveraging its extensive business database and integration with Google Maps.
The study noted ChatGPT search’s strength in content gap analysis and disambiguation queries, where it provided more comprehensive interpretations of ambiguous terms. However, ChatGPT search showed notable weaknesses in maintaining context across query sequences and handling local search requests.
The research highlighted Google’s superior ability to understand user intent and provide relevant follow-up resources, attributed to its decades of search data collection and analysis through platforms like Chrome browser, which commands 67.5% market share as of November 2024.