Is ChatGPT content good for SEO?

I’m sure you’ve heard of ChatGPT by now, and maybe you’ve even logged in and played around with it a bit. Have you wondered how to use it to make your life easier and if ChatGPT content is good for SEO? If so, you are not alone. I’ll admit I’ve wondered the same thing. As a longtime professional content marketer and SEO, I initially found myself very skeptical of ChatGPT.

I’ve been in the industry long enough to see other AI tools come and go. I’ve seen people buy low-quality content from offshore resources, and the thing is, you don’t win at SEO without really great content today. Sure, crummy, thin content was fine over a decade ago, but things have changed a lot over the years (thankfully!)

Google has updated the algorithm many times and even had a few significant updates, including penalties for spammy link building and low-quality or thin content. Google wants to have high-quality content on the websites that it ranks high and that its users visit. And for years, that means they’ve said no AI content.

When ChatGPT first came out, I was hesitant to use it because I was concerned it could hurt SEO performance, and I’m not willing to risk that for myself, my clients, or my students.

Since then, Google has said you could use it, but you have to work with the tool and can’t just copy/paste what it gives you. As I’ve worked with it for a while now, I’ve played around to see how it can help with SEO and content marketing without risking performance issues or penalties for doing things wrong.

Now that we’ve talked a little about the initial concerns with AI content development let's get back to the question:

Listen to the podcast episode here - 

Is ChatGPT content good for SEO? 

The answer is... it depends!

(Rachel here. By the way, ChatGPT wrote this next part for you, but I’ve edited it for factual and grammatical errors – there were quite a few.)

Watch the video on this here: 

Content Development in ChatGPT

As a language model, I'm designed to generate high-quality, informative content optimized for search engines. However, the quality of the content ultimately depends on the input and guidance of the user.

Please provide me with accurate and relevant information and clear instructions on optimizing that content for SEO. I can help you create content that is well-optimized for search engines.

(Rachel here – the quality of the generated content depends VERY heavily upon what you use as your prompts. Simply asking it to create a blog post or write sales copy for you doesn’t provide good results. You want to give insights into your audience, what they need to know, how you help them, etc. I did a whole podcast episode titled ChatGPT, a friend or foe to your SEO; check that out, too).

Using ChatGPT for SEO

However, I can help you with on-page optimization, including optimizing your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags and ensuring your content is well-written and informative.

(Rachel here – In my tests, ChatGPT did this; however, the Title Tags and Meta Descriptions didn’t meet Google’s Best Practices or use the correct keyword every time, so be wary of having the tool write them for you. If you’re unsure what the best practices are for them, that’s OK; I’ve got an SEO Content Quick Start Guide that walks you through everything you need to know to get started with SEO on your website or blog. Get your copy here.)

SEO Concerns with ChatGPT

One important thing to remember when using a language model like me for SEO is to make sure that the content you generate is original and unique. Duplicate content can harm your SEO efforts, so checking for the same content before publishing it is essential.

(Rachel here – there’s much duplicate content generated by ChatGPT in my testing. I found the same information almost any time I asked about similar subjects. You must watch closely and edit to avoid duplicate content, which is a big no-no in Google’s world).

How Can You Use ChatGPT for SEO Content?

Overall, using ChatGPT content for SEO can be a great way to save time and resources as long as you provide me with accurate information and clear instructions for optimization.

With the right strategy and approach, you can use ChatGPT and other AI tools to create high-quality content optimized for search engines and help drive traffic and conversions to your website.

(Rachel here –I don’t use ChatGPT for content on my website, blog, or clients without much editing. It’s faster for me to write myself than to use the tool and do the editing. However, some of my students are finding it’s faster for them to use it for a rough draft and then edit until they’re happy with the results.

ChatGPT for Content Brainstorming

I’ve found it’s great for brainstorming and idea generation, along with outlines. You can easily have the system give you a design for a blog post or a list of 10 blog ideas for a specific niche, allowing you to be ready to write in minutes and not have to worry about staring at a blank screen again, which is excellent).

So, don't be afraid to dive into the world of SEO and content marketing! With some knowledge and creativity, you can create engaging and well-optimized content for search engines. And who knows — you might even enjoy optimizing content for SEO. Good luck!

Rachel here – final thoughts – ChatGPT can be a fantastic tool to help speed up your SEO Content creation process. It can generate keyword ideas, title tags, meta descriptions, content topic ideas, blog post outlines, and more. It can take a piece of content you have and offer ways to update or expand upon it. It can help you repurpose content, write social media captions, and more. However, I don’t think ChatGPT content is good for SEO as it comes out of the system. You still need to edit it and be part of the process.

Final Thoughts on ChatGPT and SEO or Content Marketing

Verify the keywords it suggests and make sure you can rank for them. Use the outline to write your blog post or edit the rough draft it generates for you. Don’t simply copy/paste the blog post that GPT generates for you to rank high in Google’s search results. You will be disappointed. You still need high-quality content to win with Google, and ChatGPT isn’t there for now. It may be someday, but today, it’s not. Use it as a great tool, let it help you, and speed up the process, but don’t think you can hand all your content development over to the machine and get rankings. It won’t work.

Finally, I edited a lot of the copy from ChatGPT for grammar – there were over 100 errors. It’s a good starting point but not a complete SEO content development solution.