I haven’t shared many of my opinions on ChatGPT and AI programs and their impact on SEO yet, as I really wanted to have a bit of a play around with them first. However the time has come to share my thoughts, as many of our clients are asking us about using ChatGPT as part of their SEO strategies. So, the question is can we use ChatGPT for SEO articles? Or more importantly, should we be using it?
Firstly, let’s take a quick look at what ChatGPT is. In simple terms, ChatGPT is a computer program that can have conversations with people just like a human would.
It uses a type of technology called Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand what people are saying or asking and provide responses that make sense.
The information you are given by ChatGPT is from text around the internet. It can help with things like generating content and answering questions – it’s like as if Google was a person. Giving you the answers directly without citing any sources. In fact it reminds me of these hilarious clips on YouTube:
And before you ask, no I definitely don’t think SEO is dead in this new era of AI. In fact we are the gatekeepers who are going to ensure the websites we assist with are giving people the right, factual information that is unique and has that personal touch 😉
So let’s dig in:
Can I use ChatGPT for SEO articles?
Yes, you 100% can, however you need to approach the process carefully if you want the content to enhance your SEO and provide value to your audience.
I think a lot of people think using ChatGPT for SEO content is as simple as typing a prompt into the tool like “please write me a blog post on how wine is made”. Yes okay, it will spit out a lot of text in a matter of seconds which you could post on your blog. But the question is, is this content better than those webpages which are ranking at the top of Google for the search term?
I can tell you now, there is very little chance it’ll even rank on page 5 of Google.
So the question is then, how can you use ChatGPT to create really really good SEO content? Let me share my tips and by the way, it will take time. Maybe not as much time as writing a piece from scratch, but if you want it to be really really good, then you need to put the time and effort in.
Top tips on creating good SEO content with ChatGPT
Firstly, like for any piece of SEO content, you’ll want to do your research, this includes:
- Research into what keywords/phrases you want the piece to rank for (you can also use ChatGPT to help with this, although you’ll still want to use a keyword research tool to look into the raw data for the keywords)
- Research into who is currently ranking for those keywords/phrases and how you can create a piece of content which is unique and better than what’s ranking in the #1 spot
- Thinking about the images, videos and visual elements to make your piece not just boring text on a screen
- Research into people you can potentially quote, stats you might need to include and their sources!
Once you have a good plan of attack, then you can start your conversation with ChatGPT – and I mean a proper conversation. Think of it as if you are briefing a copywriter.
Instead of just writing “please write me a blog post on how wine is made”, you could start the conversation off with something like “We are a small winery in the Yarra Valley and we want to share an informative yet approachable blog post on how wine is made. In order to help with this, please let me know what information you need from me to begin”.
The more information you can give to Chat GPT, the more unique they can make the content and the more they can tailor the content specifically for you.
Once you have some content from ChatGPT I then recommend:
- Reviewing the content carefully, make sure it is correct and factual. Edit it where necessary and cite sources if needed
- Look at ways to further enhance the content, can you add quotes, statistics from studies, can you add pieces of information which make it uniquely you?
- Create unique visual aids for the post to help the text further shine and explain the ideas further
- Format the text on your page in line with SEO best practices, e.g. add subheadings, bullet points, etc
I believe the key is to use ChatGPT to help you get words onto your screen – you then need to take that content and enhance it with your own unique touch. Because after all, it’s that own unique touch which is what your audience and Google is going to love.
More ways to use ChatGPT for SEO
Through my own research and from talking with others, listening to podcasts and more, I have come across a whole host of ways to use ChatGPT for SEO. Here are just a few things you can consider – however please note, when using any sort of AI, you still need to guide it and ensure it is producing words that you would 100% say out loud and stand behind.
- Writing blog posts and content for your website (think product descriptions, category pages, etc)
- You can also ask ChatGPT to review content for any spelling or grammatical errors
- Writing headlines for articles
- Writing meta descriptions (I probably wouldn’t leave title tags up to ChatGPT but meta descriptions aren’t part of Google’s ranking factors, so I would trust it with those – don’t forget every meta description on your site should be unique!)
- Keyword research, when thinking about keywords to target, you can use it to get related keywords, synonyms, frequently asked questions around the subject, etc
I really like in the below example the ‘disclaimer’ ChatGPT gives for these keywords alongside where to go for more in-depth data. Nice one GPT!
- Ask ChatGPT to write schema for you! I love this one, as it can be tricky to do at times for some types of websites, e.g.
Honestly, the list is endless with how AI tools and ChatGPT can help with your SEO strategy. The key is that you have to remember that they are just tools and they do need that human guidance to ensure what is produced is factual and represents you and your business in the right light.
In conclusion
I am using ChatGPT more and more in regard to SEO and my business. However I approach it with caution as at the end of the day, it is a tool and it is still fairly new. It has been around for years, but it is really only in 2022 that tools like ChatGPT have really grown in popularity.
I would 100% recommend you test and trial the tool for different things when it comes to SEO and your business – because I know as a business owner myself, if I can find ways to do my job better and quicker, then it’s a win-win for not only me but my clients and my family.
