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If you’ve run Google Ads before, you’re probably used to thinking about keywords.
You choose the search terms you want your ads to appear for, set your bids, write your ad copy, and wait for someone to search.
ChatGPT Ads work differently.
Instead of focusing only on keywords, they are designed around conversations.
That doesn’t mean keywords have disappeared. It means they’re no longer the whole story.
For businesses, this requires a different way of thinking about advertising.
Do ChatGPT Ads Use Keywords?
The short answer is not in the same way as Google Ads.
Google Ads primarily matches advertisements to search queries.
For example, if someone searches:
Digital marketing agency Sydney
Electrician near me
SEO services
Google uses those searches to help determine which advertisements to display.
ChatGPT works differently.
Instead of focusing on a single search query, it considers the broader conversation.
Someone might ask:
“I’m getting plenty of website visitors but hardly any enquiries. Should I improve my website or spend more on advertising?”
That single conversation tells a much richer story than a few keywords ever could.
According to OpenAI, advertisers provide context hints describing the types of conversations in which their ads may be relevant. These hints help the system understand intent, but they do not guarantee an ad will appear in every matching conversation. OpenAI also considers factors such as conversation context and landing page relevance when deciding whether to serve an ad. (help.openai.com)
What Are Context Hints?
Think of context hints as descriptions of customer intent.
Instead of saying:
Show my ad when someone types “SEO agency.”
An advertiser might indicate that their advertisement is relevant to conversations about:
- Growing a small business
- Getting more website enquiries
- Improving online visibility
- Choosing between SEO and paid advertising
The system then determines whether the advertisement is relevant to the conversation.
This approach allows advertisements to appear naturally within broader discussions rather than relying solely on exact keyword matches.
Why Conversations Reveal More Than Keywords
People rarely make important business decisions after asking a single question.
Most conversations develop over time.
Imagine someone chatting with ChatGPT.
They start by asking:
“Why has my website traffic dropped?”
Then:
“Would Google Ads help?”
Followed by:
“How much should a small business spend on digital marketing?”
Finally:
“Should I hire an agency or do it myself?”
By this point, ChatGPT has a much clearer understanding of what the user is trying to achieve than a traditional search engine can from a single query alone.
This richer context creates new opportunities for businesses to reach customers when they are actively evaluating solutions rather than simply searching for information.
Customer Questions Become Your New Strategy
- How do I stop getting blocked drains?
- Why is my hot water running out?
- How much does a plumber usually charge?
- Should I repair or replace my hot water system?
- Should I invest in SEO or Google Ads?
- Why isn’t my website generating leads?
- How do I choose a digital marketing agency?
- Why are my Facebook Ads not working?
Notice how none of these are simply keywords.
They reflect genuine customer concerns.
What MetaWeb Learned About Intent
During MetaWeb’s June 2026 ChatGPT Ads pilot, one pattern appeared consistently.
Campaigns built around specific business problems and customer intent generally generated stronger engagement than broad service messaging.
For example, campaigns centred on tradie lead generation, AI solutions, and SEO or PPC decision-making produced stronger engagement signals than more generic agency positioning.
It’s important to note that the pilot involved ongoing optimisation throughout the month and was not a controlled experiment. These findings should therefore be treated as practical observations rather than universal rules.
The lesson was clear:
Businesses should spend less time thinking about what they sell and more time thinking about the questions customers ask before they buy.
Your Landing Page Still Matters
Even the most relevant advertisement can struggle if the landing page fails to deliver on its promise.
If someone clicks an ad after asking about generating more leads, they expect to land on a page that answers exactly that question.
A generic homepage filled with dozens of services creates unnecessary friction.
MetaWeb’s pilot also reinforced that landing page relevance remained just as important as bidding strategy throughout the campaign.
The best landing pages are focused, relevant, and immediately helpful.
How to Prepare Your Business for Conversational Advertising
You don’t need access to ChatGPT Ads to start preparing.
Here are five practical steps you can take today.
1. List your customers’ most common questions
If your customers ask the same questions repeatedly, those conversations are valuable.
Use them to shape your website content, landing pages, FAQs, and future advertising.
2. Build pages around problems, not just services
Instead of creating a page titled:
SEO Services
consider creating helpful content around questions like:
Why Isn’t My Website Getting Leads?
or
Should I Invest in SEO or Google Ads?
These topics align more closely with how people naturally seek advice.
3. Strengthen your expertise
Publish case studies, original research, customer success stories, and practical advice that demonstrates your experience.
Trust matters more than ever in AI-driven discovery.
4. Make every landing page useful
Every advertisement should lead to a page that answers the question the customer is already asking.
The shorter the gap between the conversation and the solution, the better the experience.
5. Measure everything
Make sure your forms, phone calls, bookings, and enquiries are properly tracked.
Without reliable conversion data, it’s difficult to understand what is actually working.
Conversations Are Becoming the New Search
Keywords are still important.
But conversations provide something keywords often cannot.
Context.
Intent.
Motivation.Businesses that understand why customers ask questions, rather than simply what they search for, will be better prepared as conversational advertising continues to evolve.
The future of digital marketing isn’t about abandoning keywords.
It’s about understanding the people behind them.
Final Thoughts
ChatGPT Ads represent a shift from matching search terms to understanding conversations.
That changes how businesses should think about advertising, content, and customer journeys.
Rather than building campaigns around isolated keywords, businesses can focus on real customer questions, helpful answers, and relevant experiences.
As conversational AI becomes a more common way for people to research products and services, those who understand customer intent will be in a stronger position to connect with the right audience at the right moment.
Prepare Your ChatGPT Ads Intent Map
Want to know which customer conversations your business should target?
Talk to MetaWeb about creating a ChatGPT Ads intent map that aligns your customer questions, landing pages, and advertising strategy before conversational advertising becomes mainstream.
