By Hridoy Ahmed | Last updated: October 2026 | 7 min read
Short answer: ChatGPT’s language model understands meaning, not only exact words, so in that sense it works semantically. When ChatGPT searches the web, OpenAI says it may use its own crawler and other search providers. OpenAI has not published whether its web search ranks pages with embeddings or “semantic search”. That part is unknown.
In this guide
- What semantic search means
- What the model itself does
- What happens when ChatGPT searches the web
- What is not known
- What you can do
- FAQ
What semantic search means
Keyword search matches the words you type. Semantic search tries to match the meaning. A search for “cheap way to fly to Dubai” can find a page about “affordable flights to Dubai”, even though the words are different.
Most modern semantic search uses embeddings. These turn text into numbers that capture meaning, so that similar meanings sit close together. See my semantic SEO guide for the SEO side.
What the model itself does
A language model like the one behind ChatGPT learns from large amounts of text. It represents words and sentences in a way that captures meaning and context. That is why it can understand a question that is phrased in an unusual way, or tell which sense of a word you mean.
So when you chat with it, it is working with meaning. That is a fact about how language models work. It is not the same as saying ChatGPT runs a semantic search over the web.
What happens when ChatGPT searches the web
According to OpenAI’s help center, ChatGPT may search the web automatically when a question would benefit from current information, and it may show citations and a Sources list. OpenAI also says it sometimes partners with other search providers. Its crawler, OAI-SearchBot, is used to surface websites in ChatGPT’s search features.
You can read the official page here: Searching the web with ChatGPT. For the wider picture, see how AI search tools choose sources.
There is also a separate case. For developers, OpenAI’s API documentation describes a file search tool that uses vector stores. That is semantic search over files you upload, not over the public web.
What is not known
- Whether web results are ranked with embeddings, keywords or a mix
- How much comes from partner search providers and how much from OpenAI’s own systems
- Exactly why one page is cited and another is not
Be careful of anyone who claims to know the exact ranking method. OpenAI describes its ranking only in general terms.
What you can do
You do not need to know the exact method to help your pages be understood. These habits work for keyword search and for semantic search:
- Write clearly and answer the question first. See NLP SEO: how to write content that search engines understand.
- Cover the topic and its related questions. See entity coverage in SEO.
- Do not block the crawlers you want. See AI crawlers and robots.txt.
- Keep the site crawlable, fast and indexable.
- Show who wrote the page and why you are a reliable source.
If you want an expert to check your pages for AI search, see my AI search optimization service.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT use Google or Bing?
OpenAI says it sometimes works with other search providers and has its own crawler. It does not publish a full list of sources, so no one outside OpenAI can give you the exact mix.
Can I optimize for ChatGPT’s semantic search?
You can make your content clear, complete and easy to find. You cannot control how ChatGPT ranks pages, and nobody can promise citations.
Is semantic search the same as AI search?
No. Semantic search is a way of matching meaning. AI search usually adds a language model that writes an answer from retrieved sources.
Does Google use semantic search?
Google has said it uses language models such as BERT to understand queries better. How it uses them in ranking is not fully published. See the semantic SEO guide.
Want your content ready for AI search? I review your structure, crawler access and content clarity, and tell you what to fix first. See my AI search optimization service.
About the author: Hridoy Ahmed is an SEO specialist and WordPress security expert based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has 8+ years of experience and works with clients worldwide.
Related guides
- How AI Search Tools Choose Sources: What Is Known and What Is Not
- Semantic SEO: A Practical Guide to Entities, Topical Maps and Topical Authority
- AI Crawlers and robots.txt: How to Allow or Block GPTBot, ClaudeBot and More
Read next: Want to write content that AI tools and search engines can understand? See my complete guide to semantic SEO, and my post on what you can automate in semantic SEO.