Behind each ChatGPT answer, the chatbot runs 1.48 web searches on average that the user never sees, and one question about accounting software triggered 11. Those hidden searches average 8.9 words, against 5.3 for the question the user typed: they are the queries your content really has to match.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 602 hidden ChatGPT searches behind 408 answers · ChatGPT with web search, September 2026
Source: ChatGPT Runs 1.5 Hidden Web Searches for Every Question You Ask - Suff Digital