ChatGPT SERP Report in SEMrush: A New Era for Search Position Tracking
The integration of ChatGPT as a search engine (aka AI Search) within SEMrush’s position tracking marks a pivotal moment for digital marketers and SEOs. As generative AI reshapes how users search for and interact with information, SEMrush’s new ChatGPT SERP report offers a forward-looking tool to monitor and optimize website visibility in this rapidly evolving landscape. This represents a major shift as a first tool in the emerging AI SEO and GEO world.
What Is the ChatGPT SERP Report in SEMrush?
SEMrush has introduced ChatGPT as a selectable search engine in its position tracking feature. This allows users to see how their sites rank within ChatGPT-gener
ated responses for specific keywords, similar to traditional SERP tracking for Google or Bing. While still in beta, this feature is already functional for US-based keyword tracking and supports up to 50 keywords at a time. The system provides familiar metrics such as ranking position, score, and even local pack data for business-related queries.
Why Does This Matter?
Generative AI, led by platforms like ChatGPT, is fundamentally changing user search behaviors. Unlike traditional search engines that focus on short, keyword-driven queries, ChatGPT enables more conversational, creative, and context-rich interactions. SEMrush’s recent analysis of over 80 million lines of clickstream data reveals that ChatGPT is rapidly growing as a traffic referrer, now sending users to over 30,000 unique domains daily—a significant jump from less than 10,000 just months prior.
This shift signals a broader distribution of traffic and new opportunities for websites that may not have ranked highly in classic search engines. Notably, ChatGPT often surfaces smaller or more specialized domains, hinting at a democratization of content discovery.
How Does ChatGPT Search Differ from Google?
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Prompt Length and Intent: When users interact with ChatGPT, prompt lengths are often much longer and more detailed compared to Google searches. However, when ChatGPT’s web search feature is enabled, prompts become shorter and more keyword-like, resembling traditional search queries.
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Search Intent: Only about 30% of ChatGPT queries fit into classic search intent categories (navigational, informational, commercial, transactional). The remaining 70% represent new, creative, or exploratory intents—such as brainstorming, planning, or content creation—that don’t map neatly to standard SEO frameworks.
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Traffic Patterns: ChatGPT is emerging as a key referrer for tech, academic, and educational domains, sometimes driving more traffic to these sites than Bing or even Google in certain cases.
What Can Marketers Do with the ChatGPT SERP Report?
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Track Visibility: You can now monitor your site’s presence within ChatGPT’s answers for target keywords, helping you understand your AI-driven search footprint.
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Identify Breakthrough Opportunities: By focusing on keywords ranking in positions 3–10, you can prioritize optimization efforts where you’re close to breaking into the top ChatGPT results—mirroring strategies used for Google SERPs.
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Adapt Content Strategies: With ChatGPT’s unique intent landscape, optimizing for conversational, detailed, and creative prompts becomes essential. Structured, well-cited, and authoritative content is more likely to be surfaced by AI models.
Limitations and Future Outlook
Currently, the ChatGPT SERP feature in SEMrush is limited to US data and a maximum of 50 keywords, but these constraints are expected to relax as the feature matures. There is also a desire among users to track actual prompts (not just keywords), which would provide even deeper insights into how people interact with AI-driven search.
As generative AI continues to evolve, the ability to monitor and optimize for AI-powered discovery will become a core part of digital marketing. SEMrush’s ChatGPT SERP report is an early but crucial step in this direction, giving marketers a much-needed window into the future of search.
Search Engine Position Report from SEMrush
| Feature | Description | How It Helps Marketers |
|---|---|---|
| Search Engine | ChatGPT (OpenAI) as a selectable search engine in SEMrush Position Tracking | Lets you track your rankings in AI-generated search results |
| Keyword Tracking | Supports up to 50 keywords per project (currently US only, beta phase) | Focuses efforts on your most important keywords |
| Ranking Position | Shows your site’s position in ChatGPT’s answer for each tracked keyword | Identifies where you appear in ChatGPT’s responses |
| Score | Measures how prominently your site is featured in ChatGPT’s answer | Helps prioritize optimization for higher visibility |
| Local Pack Data | Displays local business results when relevant | Useful for local SEO and businesses targeting local users |
| Comparison | Allows side-by-side comparison with Google/Bing rankings | Reveals differences between traditional and AI search |
| SERP Features | Highlights if your site is included in special result types (e.g., snippets) | Pinpoints opportunities for enhanced visibility |
| Prompt Insights | (Planned) Will track actual prompts, not just keywords | Deeper understanding of user intent and content needs |
| Traffic Potential | Identifies keywords where you’re close to top positions (3–10) | Prioritizes “quick win” opportunities for growth |
| Content Guidance | Suggests optimizing for conversational, detailed, and authoritative content | Adapts your strategy for AI-powered search environments |
Conclusion
The ChatGPT SERP report in SEMrush is more than just another position tracking tool—it’s a glimpse into the next generation of search. As user behavior shifts toward AI-powered, conversational discovery, marketers who adapt early will be best positioned to capture new audiences and stay ahead of the curve. The time to experiment, learn, and optimize for ChatGPT is now.
