Is it possible to change the "view type" from a "content view" to a "search view"?
You can use Display Suite search module to use search view like content view. Display Suite module have a submodule namely search that extend the search results for Drupal core or Apache Solr.

Steps:


Install Display Suite Search Module after downloading from above
link.
Go to content type's manage display and check the search result option that you find under custom display settings on vertical tab after that save it.

Now Go to Search result display mode local tab link and configure your display of fields as you want and save it.



For Manage Core search result : 


Go to admin/structure/ds/list/search and choose option 'search result' in view mode and save it.

Go to admin/config/search/settings and chose option Display Suite
Search for ACTIVE SEARCH MODULES and Default search module.


 

Now search using core search form. This will display differently as core search result.

Now Manage Search api Search result :


Go to view of desired search index views.
Choose Format show as Rendered entity

Go to Format show setting option and choose option 'Search result'

Now save this views.


After that you can see search api result is as you configure previously on manage display.