By now you’ve likely heard the buzz around ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that can offer direct, human-sounding answers to almost any question. It’s made big waves in the tech space with headlines like ChatGPT caused ‘Code Red’ at Google and Microsoft to Challenge Google by Integrating ChatGPT with Bing Search.
Beyond their everyday use, the rise of tools like ChatGPT has far-reaching implications across industries. One such implication is the effect on SEO.
The SEO team at EXCLUSIVE has been working on use cases for AI technology for some time and is implementing a formal testing framework in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know where we stand on using this powerful new technology in the form of a quick Q&A.
What is the role of AI-generated content in SEO?
There are a lot of new opportunities with the rise of AI-powered content tools.
Early reports show that ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for generating short, basic product descriptions that are created quickly and require minimal edits. But when the content gets over 100-150 words, it becomes increasingly challenging for it to sound natural and to ensure it’s unique. With longer content, we’re seeing a good chunk of repetition or sections that are almost identical to the source material the tool used.
Ultimately, the output is only as good as the input, which still requires expertise and time. To assess just how much time and expertise are needed, we’re currently running controlled experiments and tests.
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How is ChatGPT or other AI content tools currently being used?
We have several clients testing the possibilities of AI-generated content and are waiting for conclusive results. Until then, we are not integrating AI into our standard workflows just yet. Some examples of the tests we’re running include:
Rewriting short product descriptions and adding bullets outlining key features. For these tests, we’re using existing product descriptions and prompting the AI tool to rewrite them and include three bulleted ‘key features’ at the end of the product description.
Generating FAQs. Clients continue to see success with FAQ schema, and in order to create this type of content quicker, we’re using ‘generate common questions’ prompts for specific topics.
Creating outlines for long-form human-written content, like blog posts. Using ‘outline’ prompts, the AI tool can help writers generate ideas for must-include topics in long-form content formats like blog posts, whitepapers, or webinars.
How should I use ChatGPT in my SEO and content strategy?
If you want to test out the technology on your own, don’t jump in and publish a bunch of new pages just yet! We recommend only using the tool for short, simple product descriptions or for idea generation.
As with any content (either written by AI or a human), be aware of Google’s guidelines for automatically generated content. The key takeaway is to make sure you’re adding value and keeping the content original beyond what is automatically produced. The human element is something that Google has consistently espoused as imperative to developing user-centric content. Keep this in mind as you’re experimenting with various tools.
What are some of the other SEO implications we can expect from the rise of AI?
While it’s speculation at this point, some of the changes in the SEO landscape might include:
More frequent Google algorithm updates. It’s impossible to know what this will look like. More focus on verified human-generated content? More emphasis on backlinks? Social signals? Keep an eye on Google’s documentation and announcements!
More searchers moving to Bing when they roll out ChatGPT within their search engine. This possibility alone warrants that companies relying on ecommerce claim their Bing Webmaster Tools accounts to ensure their site is being properly indexed by the search engine. This will ensure that they capture any additional search traffic coming from Bing.
More emphasis on quality backlinks. Search engines may have to rely more heavily on links from reputable (human!) sources to confirm the usefulness of certain content.
Slower site crawling and indexing as the web is flooded with new content. It will be more important than ever to make sure your site has an optimized crawl budget so search engines can find more of your high-priority pages.
Larger emphasis on author bios within web content. Content that’s clearly tied to a single author through a bio and connected social media accounts could be given more weight than content that’s authored under a general name.
As AI tools and technology evolve, they will continue to disrupt more and more industries, making significant changes in the way companies approach anything from logistics to content development and SEO. Quick adoption, smart testing, and continuous process iteration will be key to taking advantage of these disruptors and building a future-proof business.
Special shout-out to Frank Tenaglia and Vlad Shvorin for their tireless research into AI technology.
We’d love to help you test these tools and incorporate them into your SEO and content strategy. Don’t hesitate to CONTACT US with any inquiries, challenges, or ideas about ways to harness AI to improve content or SEO.
Rebecca Antonellis
VP, SEO & Owned Media
Exclusive ConceptsAmidst the Q4 hustle, we've managed to get one more edition of Always Be Growing in before the new year. This edition focuses heavily on making sense of Cyber 5, wrapping up the rest of 2021 on a high sales note, and entering 2022 as prepared as possible. That said, happy holidays and see you in the new year!
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Cyber 5 Post-Mortem and Holiday Assessments
According to eMarketer:
Thanksgiving Day sales totaled $5.1 billion, on par with last year and up 21% from Thanksgiving 2019, per Adobe Analytics. Brick-and-mortar shopping was down 90.4%, as many major chains were not open, per Sensormatic Solutions.
Online sales on Black Friday hit $8.9 billion, just short of the $9 billion spent in 2020, according to Adobe Analytics. In-store shopping increased 47.5% from last year, per Sensormatic. That’s down 28.3% from 2019.
Small Business Saturday sales totaled an estimated $23.3 billion, up 18% from $19.8 billion in 2020, according to American Express. Since it started 12 years ago, consumers have spent an estimated $163 billion on Small Business Saturday.
Consumers spent $10.7 billion online for Cyber Monday, a 1.4% decrease from last year, per Adobe Analytics.
From November 1 through Cyber Monday, online sales totaled $109.8 billion, up 11.9% year over year (YoY), per Adobe Analytics. On 22 of those days, consumers purchased more than $3 billion worth of goods. Adobe predicts that sales from November 1 to December 31 will total $207 billion, a 10% increase YoY.
If you’re considering a website migration or replatforming, we can help. EXCLUSIVE clients continue to consistently elevate their website experiences by choosing BigCommerce as their website platform of choice. When it comes to website replatforming and migration, BigCommerce is a top-tier solution that integrates powerfully with EXCLUSIVE offerings. Click here to learn about kind of growth the EXCLUSIVE-BigCommerce partnership can unlock for your business.
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Resources, Help, and How-To’s
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About Always Be Growing: Your Biweekly eCommerce News Drop
So much happens so quickly in eCommerce news. It can feel overwhelming, even impossible, to keep up with the news and the changes that affect your business. But keeping up is a must for two reasons:
You need to make sound decisions based on fresh (and reliable) information.
If you miss a story, plenty of your competitors will have picked it up and left you behind.
The way to keep up and to make those sound decisions in a fast-paced noisy world is to get curated information delivered to you consistently. That’s why EXCLUSIVE provides "Always Be Growing," our biweekly Friday blog feature all about eCommerce and digital marketing.Why Always Be Growing? Becausethe EXCLUSIVE team is driven by 5 core values, the first of which is “Always Be Growing: Continuously strive to learn, share, and grow as individuals and professionals.” And that’s what this weekly Friday round-up is our way of sharing the learning in order to help you grow.