In Indonesia and Singapore, ChatGPT attracted more web traffic than Facebook, while 71% of shoppers throughout Southeast Asia find products via marketplaces, as reported by Seotal.
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, September 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Google’s AI-driven search now provides responses in Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, and Vietnamese. Its AI Mode support page, reviewed on September 13, 2026, lists all five languages and identifies Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines as supported regions.
Seotal, a platform connecting businesses with pre-screened freelance SEO experts, examined Google’s documentation in conjunction with Similarweb traffic rankings, Statcounter referral data, and two consumer surveys to outline the current state of AI search optimization—commonly referred to as AI SEO or generative engine optimization—across these six markets.
The analysis highlights three key developments for businesses reliant on search in the area: AI answers now function in local languages, AI assistants have emerged as significant web traffic hubs, and product discovery frequently begins outside conventional search engines.
State of AI SEO in Southeast Asia, key findings:
– Local-language AI search is operational, yet the newest capabilities remain English-only. In October 2024, when AI Overviews expanded to over 100 countries, Google listed Indonesian among six languages; AI Mode subsequently added Indonesian on September 8, 2025. According to Google’s help page, Gemini 3 Pro powers AI Mode, while interactive charts within AI Mode are exclusively available in English.
– Search queries are growing in length. The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report, produced by Google, Temasek, and Bain and Company, references Google data indicating that as of May 2025, queries were 2 to 3 times longer than traditional searches, with visual search expanding 70% annually as of July 2025.
– AI assistants rank among the most frequented websites. In Similarweb’s August 2026 country rankings, chatgpt.com held the 4th position in both Indonesia and Singapore, surpassing facebook.com in each market. gemini.google.com ranked between 9th and 13th across all six countries, a notable jump from its position outside the top 20 in every country from June to August 2025. perplexity.ai remained outside the top 50 in all six markets.
– AI assistant traffic is largely dominated by ChatGPT, with regional exceptions. Statcounter data shows ChatGPT generated 86.13% of AI chatbot referrals to websites in Indonesia during August 2026. Microsoft Copilot captured 8.27% of referrals in the Philippines in June 2025, while Claude took 5.58% in Singapore in June 2026—its highest monthly share across any of the six countries.
– Product discovery primarily occurs on marketplaces. A July 2026 report from impact.com, Cube Asia, and dentsu, surveying 2,400 consumers across the six markets, found that 71% discover new products on online marketplaces, 57% via search engines, and 24% incorporate generative AI into their shopping journey, as noted by ITBrief Asia.
– AI features already impact purchasing decisions. In a Google and Milieu survey of 7,200 consumers across ASEAN conducted in September 2025, as cited in the e-Conomy SEA 2025 report, 75% stated that AI chatbots, translators, and image search aided their content discovery, and 62% reported that AI features like personalised recommendations influenced a purchase.
Search efforts in Southeast Asia must now address both the answer and the ranking, in Thai, Vietnamese, and Bahasa Indonesia as well as English,” said Ali, co-founder of Seotal. “Local-language pages, marketplace listings, and clear structured data belong in the same strategy as Google rankings, because the data indicates discovery is spreading across all three.”
Methodology
Seotal did not conduct its own survey for this review. Language and feature availability are derived from Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews help pages, along with Google’s product announcements. Website rankings are sourced from Similarweb’s public country lists, which rank sites based on web visits rather than app usage. Referral shares come from Statcounter, which tracks clicks from AI chatbots to websites instead of individual users. Consumer data is drawn from the impact.com, Cube Asia, and dentsu report as covered by ITBrief Asia, and the Google and Milieu survey published in e-Conomy SEA 2025.
About Seotal
Seotal connects small and medium enterprises with vetted freelance SEO and marketing specialists on dedicated part-time engagements. Established in November 2020, it collaborates with professionals in India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Further details are available at seotal.com.
Trivita Utami
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