ChatGPT vs Gemini: Where to Optimise Your Content and Why It Matters for Every Industry

Introduction: AI Search Is Splitting, So Should Your Strategy

For years we focused on one search engine: Google. Now there are two dominant AI interfaces used for discovering answers, comparing tools, and making decisions, ChatGPT (powered by OpenAI) and Gemini (formerly Bard, powered by Google).

And they are not the same. They pull from different data sources, serve different user intents, and shape discovery in very different ways. If you post your content in the wrong places, or optimise for the wrong system, you may be invisible to half your audience.

This article is your guide to understanding what each model is good at, who is using which tool, what types of questions they dominate, and how to shape your strategy accordingly.

Part 1: How ChatGPT and Gemini Actually Work

ChatGPT (OpenAI, Microsoft)

Powered by GPT-4 (or GPT-3.5 depending on version) with context windows up to 128k tokens
Browsing powered by Bing, so it pulls live results through Microsoft's search, not Google
Integrated into Microsoft Copilot, Bing, and ChatGPT Pro
Training data includes open web data up to early 2023, heavily influenced by Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, Medium, and Wikipedia

Where ChatGPT excels:

Technical comparisons ("alternatives to Segment for event tracking")
Summarising product categories ("best CRM for remote teams")
Code explanations and software decisions
Research style tasks and brainstorming

Gemini (Google)

Powered by Gemini 1.5 model family developed by Google DeepMind
Natively integrated into Google products: Gmail, Docs, Search, YouTube
Built on Google's index, Knowledge Graph, and SGE infrastructure
Full context of YouTube, Google Maps, Google Search Console, Android

Where Gemini excels:

Fact based lookups ("What is the current president of Mexico")
Real time data if connected to Google Search
Local search, places, and events
Summarising Gmail threads, spreadsheets, and search history
Queries grounded in user behaviour or location

Part 2: Who Uses What and Why

ChatGPT Dominates:

Developers, product managers, growth hackers, early stage founders
B2B SaaS decision makers and technical marketers
Users looking for tool stacks, comparisons, setup guides, API docs

Gemini Dominates:

Enterprise teams working within the Google ecosystem
Internal corporate users leveraging Docs, Sheets, Calendar
Local businesses, eCommerce, and consumer facing service providers

Part 3: Content Strategy by Industry

For SaaS and Technical Products:

Focus on ChatGPT visibility:

Optimise for Bing (ChatGPT's web source)
Target Reddit, Hacker News, Quora, Medium
Use long tail keyword clusters in FAQ and schema
Create developer friendly content that is structured and tool based

For Local Services and B2C eCommerce:

Focus on Gemini and Google SGE:

Optimise for Google Business, Maps and Search Console
Use local schema and high quality reviews
Ensure visibility in Gmail, YouTube and Google Shopping data
Use Google Posts and structured product markup

For Agencies and Consultants:

Split between both:

Publish detailed thought leadership on Medium, LinkedIn and Quora for ChatGPT
Maintain strong SEO hygiene for Google with Schema, Meta and Local
Use Google Drive embedded content to surface in Gemini

For Marketplace and DTC Brands:

Start with Gemini for search driven commerce, but seed ChatGPT mentions for authority:

Syndicate product data to Merchant Center and schema feeds
Earn Reddit, community or influencer mentions that appear in model training

What You Should Be Asking Right Now

Is my site indexed by Bing? ChatGPT uses Bing, not Google.
Do I appear in structured conversations on Reddit or Quora? These platforms are model training data.
Is my Google Business profile fully optimised? Gemini draws directly from it.
Are my product pages readable by both AI and humans? Clear structure increases citation likelihood.
Have I built structured content hubs for long tail discovery? AI interfaces shine on niche questions.

Final Thought: AI Discovery Is Bifurcating

ChatGPT and Gemini are not converging, they are diverging.

If you treat them as one platform, you miss opportunities in both.

ChatGPT rewards structured, thoughtful, open web content shared on forums and through schema
Gemini rewards platform native content that is embedded in Google's ecosystem

Know your audience. Understand your channel. And build visibility for the engine that actually serves your users.

If you want help mapping your content to the right discovery platform, I do this for SaaS, eCommerce and high intent growth campaigns.