Should I Use GPT for SEO Content? Here's What We Think
Work smarter, not harder. That’s how the old adage goes. So when ChatGPT and other AI tools were introduced, the thought of whether they could be used to generate SEO content surely crossed every digital marketer’s mind.
To give a brief answer: yes and no. ChatGPT and other AI platforms can be powerful tools for marketers.
However, relying on them alone can be risky, especially if the whole SEO and content marketing picture is not considered. Let’s take a look at the pros and how to avoid the cons when using tools like ChatGPT.
The Power of ChatGPT in Content Creation
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a sophisticated language model (a machine-learning model designed to represent a specific language domain) that generates human-like text based on the input it receives. Its popularity has boomed in various sectors. ChatGPT offers plenty of advantages to those looking to save time and become more efficient.
One of the best ways to utilize tools like ChatGPT in marketing is for brainstorming. It is excellent for:
Creating blog topics based on customer personas
Generating inspiration for marketing campaigns
Suggesting relevant research needed to support content
Writing SEO titles and descriptions based on best practices
Just by inputting specific questions or keywords, a list of potential blog posts, social media captions, or relevant articles appears right at your fingertips. These suggestions can then be used to further organize and create your content.
The research ChatGPT can do is incredibly time-saving and informative. It can find relevant content, summarize it, highlight and extract key information, and generate a general overview of what it finds. This saves you time and effort, allowing you to focus on creating successful content.
While these are impressive aspects of using ChatGPT to generate content, it’s important to recognize its limitations and how they affect SEO performance.
ChatGPT’s Limit Does Not Exist
AI tools can be used to produce quality research, analysis, and content at incredible speed. Although there are pros and cons to tools like ChatGPT, there are clear opportunities to create impactful content quicker than ever before. Be aware of the ways ChatGPT may struggle when creating content, know how to address them, and be able to create engaging content moving forward.
1. A Lack of Originality
AI generation stems from information and works already written and publicly available, and search engines like Google prioritize sites that provide original, unique content. To avoid regurgitating the same information found on other sites, provide ChatGPT-specific prompts or questions with as much detail as possible to get the responses you’re after. Think of it as a brainstorming session where you tweak the content until you get exactly what you want. Be prepared to reword and refine until you feel the responses ChatGPT gives you are just right. From there, AI can help you personalize the content and sprinkle in keywords, relevant data, and links.
AI tools can also plan and optimize your social media, create unique images on your sites, and optimize already existing content. Being aware that ChatGPT pulls from already-existing content should not hinder you from using it to create new, unique content that brings users to your site; it should make it easier to create more.
2. The Risk of Penalties
Since ChatGPT generates responses based on what it finds relevant online, it may unintentionally duplicate existing content on the web. Google’s algorithms are designed to detect and devalue duplicate content, leading to SEO penalties.
To avoid this risk, again you need to be sure the questions and tasks you’re inputting into ChatGPT are as specific and detailed as possible. Consider asking multiple questions relevant to what you’re looking for and sources cited, so you can review responses as needed and keep them original to your site.
3. A Diluted Voice
Relying on the standard ChatGPT voice without coaching it to replicate the tone you want to portray can lead to content that feels diluted and generic.
You always want the content to reflect your brand’s unique personality and values, so working early on to train AI to replicate your desired voice, through feedback and examples, creates less work for you in the long run. Telling ChatGPT what kind of voice or tone you want the content to have (“Make the tone clever and sarcastic, don’t overuse adjectives”) or feeding it examples of previous content you’ve created and telling it to match that voice are just some ways to guide ChatGPT in the direction you want your content to go.
By creating a strong, clear brand voice that is recognizable to your audience, you create engaging content people want to keep returning for.
4) Data and Privacy
AI tools like ChatGPT receive and often store information collected from users indefinitely. This information is then used to further train and update AI’s responses and feedback. While ChatGPT uses end-to-end encryption and 24/7 on-call coverage in the event of a privacy breach, individual users should consider what steps they take to protect their own privacy.
There are some simple, practical steps that can be taken to help protect your privacy on top of what AI tools are already doing.
Keep private information private - Do not share anything with ChatGPT or other generative AI that you would not feel comfortable sharing with other users.
Delete your chat history - ChatGPT stores users' chat history by default to help train its systems further. You can opt out of this, and ChatGPT will delete your chat history every 30 days.
Be in the know - Familiarize yourself with the data and privacy policies of whichever generative AI you choose to use. Being familiar with and staying up-to-date with this information ensures you know exactly where you and your data stand.
ChatGPT and other AI tools take in information and are always learning. This is great for users but for those with any concerns about privacy or data breaches, taking the steps to further protect your privacy, in addition to what ChatGPT already does, can help you feel at ease.
5) Accuracy
AI sometimes is not accurate, and it’s critical to fact-check. Gather information, content, and inspiration using tools like ChatGPT, but always be sure to verify the links and information it presents to you.
Working with your AI tools could lead to the type of working relationship you’re looking for.
Cracking the code to rely solely on AI for content seems like a nearly impossible feat, so be aware if you end up spending more time training the algorithm than writing the post yourself. ChatGPT is a great tool, but without a watchful eye, it can lack the aspects of your content that keep your audience engaged and wanting to come back for more: depth, originality, and a clear voice.
At the end of the day, the most critical pieces are content that is helpful, relevant, and original - you’re on the right track.
Mix Up Your Marketing
As AI technology evolves, search engines continue to become more sophisticated in evaluating and ranking content. This means relying on SEO-driven content alone will no longer be enough to connect with your target audience. Diversified marketing is part of creating relevant content that engages your audiences and makes them want to keep coming back for more.
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to engage your audience, with 83% of people saying email is their preferred method of communication with a business. Since it doesn’t rely on search engine algorithms, you can communicate directly with your audience and guide them directly where you want them to go. You can use emails or newsletters to promote content on your website, share upcoming events or news, and offer deals or promotions.
Website optimizations - sure, you may get traffic from SEO and other sources. But is your website optimized to turn those visitors into subscribers or leads? Focusing on an impeccable user experience is now more important than ever. 50% of website users expect a page to load in less than 2 seconds. Keeping stats like this in mind will make sure users stay on your site and keep coming back for more.
Video content has become a popular choice in today’s digital world. Whether embedded in blog posts or shared on platforms like YouTube or TikTok, video content can explain complex information more effectively and appeal to different learning styles and age demographics. 91% of business have adopted video marketing, and 68% of consumers say they prefer learning about new products through video. It’s time to ensure it’s part of your 2024 strategy to not fall behind.
While SEO is an important part of marketing, it is not the only tool that is needed to create a loyal, engaged audience. Emails, blogs, and video content are all ways to promote user engagement and generate leads and should be taken into consideration when creating a marketing strategy.
How to write for 2024 SEO Standards & Generative AI
If you do decide to use GPT to produce content, be aware of how search engines will scan your content to determine whether or not to serve up your result over others. Generative AI now produces responses directly in the search engine, reducing overall website traffic, especially for informational inquiries. You should start making certain adjustments to how you build your page content to pass the Generative AI check. Check out our article on ‘Why is my SEO traffic down? Generative-AI - a website killer’’
Make It Work
ChatGPT is a great tool for generating ideas and conducting research. It can also be used to create content that generates leads and revenue; it’s all about how you use it.
Keep your content strategy relevant by incorporating marketing tools like emails and blogs reduces your website’s reliance on SEO alone. This gives you a more diverse, engaging marketing strategy to build upon.
At Trueffle, we help businesses like yours develop and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes SEO, email, blogging, and more. Contact us today and we’ll help you execute a marketing strategy that makes sure you reach your marketing goals.
