Introduction
A question on the hearts and minds of almost anyone who cares about their company’s marketing these days seems to be about ChatGPT. Many SEO professionals leverage AI to enhance their SEO efforts. There is nothing wrong with looking at ways to make additional improvements.
Especially to keep up with current marketing trends. In this article by the Cindtoro team we will discuss chat GPTs effects on SEO and how to be sure you are using AI generated content safely.
We will also answer the burning question SEO professionals have been asking about. Does GPT content harm your SEO? Find out more soon.
Does ChatGPT Generated Text Hurt Your SEO?
Let’s cut straight to the chase, no beating around the bush here. Content generated by ChatGPT does not directly harm your SEO.
Issues Caused By AI Created Content
Before you jump for joy from the above paragraph we are not out of the weeds yet. There is a significant amount of information you need to know before you start making content with AI tools. There are different ways you can hurt your SEO using it. Ways that you need to know about before you fully get your hopes up.
1. Quality of Content
Outside of backlinks, quality of content is the second most important element of SEO. ChatGPT is great at generating large amounts of text quickly however that text often fails to meet expectations of both users and search engines out the gate on the first draft. This does not mean that GPT cannot be used in the content creation process, it just requires some extra steps.
If you pay close enough attention GPT will output content in one of two ways. These are the two that happen most often.
High-Quality Content
If you get lucky enough to get ChatGPT-generated content that is well-researched, engaging, and answers users’ questions comprehensively then it is possible for it to boost SEO by providing value and satisfying user intent. Content like this is more likely to be shared, linked to, and loved by visitors, which can improve rankings long term.
Low Quality Thin Content
If you get unlucky you will get an output of low quality text that is thin, repetitive, or lacks depth. This is the type of stuff that could hurt your SEO efforts.
For years Google has stressed the importance of creating “high quality and helpful content”. They prioritize this so much they updated their algorithm to specifically address this issue in their 2022 Helpful Content Update.
The important thing to note here is Google’s algorithm is designed to prioritize high-quality content that demonstrates expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). There are numerous items that go into EEAT including the images you choose to use and if done wrong can hurt your SEO
People seemed to think they could game the system using AI-generated content with the intention to “rank higher on Google” without offering any real value.
2. Duplicate Content And Plagiarism
Another myth going around in the SEO world is duplicate content. There is no penalty for this either, a review of Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines or documentation states it clearly.
However for the sake of this article If you use ChatGPT to generate content across multiple pages on your website, you run the risk of the Google ranking algorithm detecting it as duplicate content. Again, Google does not penalize exact duplicates per se but they may increase the ranking of one version of a webpage higher than the other. In a process called keyword cannibalization, content that is too similar across numerous pages can still negatively impact SEO by reducing the originality of the content.
GPT Caused Plagiarism Concerns
GPT has gotten significantly better at creating plagiarism-free quality content and for the most part artificial intelligence content creation tools typically generate unique content but there is always a chance the output might resemble existing text found somewhere else on the web. Therefore if AI-generated content is not carefully reviewed for plagiarism before being published you can unintentionally create content that closely matches a piece that is too similar to an already created piece, leading to obviously plagiarism AND low quality content issues that hurt your SEO and overall reputation.
3. Intent and Relevance
The SEO world is also obsessed with concepts like intent and relevance but what do these things actually mean in practice? Well first, search intent means exactly what it sounds like. The intent behind the search; eg finding a company or searching for more information about a subject. And relevance has to do with how well your content matches that intent.
Search Intent And Relevance – A Breakdown
Search engines like Google and others are designed to understand both the search intent and relevance of a user. For SEO purposes content that directly matches a user’s intent tends to rank better. AI driven content can generate text that aligns with search intent, but only if: the content addresses specific user queries in a meaningful way and the text is contextually relevant to the topic.
Therefore, If ChatGPT is used to generate content that’s generic or not relevant, or the content does not align with a user’s intent, you run the risk of it harming your SEO. Almost everything comes back to content quality.
As an example, producing content purely for SEO purposes without actually helping the user will lead to higher bounce rates and lower engagement, which impact rankings negatively as this signals to Google the webpage they served to a user was not what they were looking for from there, they will demote it in the rankings and reward the content that better satisfied the users search query.
4. AI and Google’s E-E-A-T Criteria & How it affects SEO
Understanding Google’s E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines are crucial to SEO. ChatGPT does a great job writing content that can mimic human language, but it lacks the ability to display expertise or real-world experience.
Here is how EEAT affects SEO:
Expertise
AI-generated content lacks subject matter expertise. As an example, if ChatGPT is used to write a blog post about medical advice or financial tips (two of Google’s most difficult categories to compete in due to YMYL (Your Money Your Life) status The content written is not qualified to provide expert opinions.
In the YMYL category Google prioritizes content created by real experts in this case (certified medical professionals or financial advisors) due to the amount of damage these people can inflict on someone’s financial well being or medical health. Google will likely flag AI-generated content on sensitive topics as less trustworthy and demote them in the rankings.
Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness
The second part of AI-generated content’s EEAT issues is it is not backed by reputable sources or doesn’t come from a recognized authority, This means it can be seen as less trustworthy. For content to perform well in SEO, it must also demonstrate authority and reliability, something ChatGPT alone cannot provide; only a true professional with real world knowledge can do that.
5. Natural Language and User Experience
Many times AI-generated content can sometimes appear as unnatural or robotic sounding. In many cases content is either too formal or it lacks personality. Google’s ranking algorithm increasingly favors content that provides a great user experience (UX) that includes items like readability and engagement.
Readability
Readability in SEO means that content that’s clear, well-structured, and easy to read. Content that is readable will tend to rank better than content that is poorly structured. If your content does not flow well or is hard to understand you are negatively impacting your user experience which will then decrease your engagement time and increase website bounce rate (number of users who visit only one page then leave) affecting SEO.
Engagement
AI Content can save time but fails to deliver an engaging experience prompting users to leave after they have read an article. Content that performs well for SEO, encourages additional engagement signals such as comments, shares and increased time on site. AI driven content fails to do this effectively because it lacks a human touch.
6. Overusing AI-Generated Content
AI is a useful tool but you should not rely heavily it for your content writing needs for several reasons:
Lack of Uniqueness
If you use ChatGPT for mass content generation across various webpages without prior editing your content will suffer in the rankings as a result this is because Google considers you content to be the same as everyone else.
The lack of lack of unique content with real world experience will harm your SEO efforts. Consider the amount of information Google has to process on a daily basis.
They are already flooded with low quality articles that don’t teach users anything. Why would they want to put your low quality article above someone who put in real time and effort.
7. Google’s Position on AI-Generated Content
Google has stated AI-generated content is not inherently bad for SEO, but it must fit intent of the user and be considered high quality. Therefore as long as the content produced by ChatGPT or any other AI tool is helpful, well-written, and valuable, it should not negatively impact SEO.
Google’s Helpful Content Update (2022) explicitly targets content that is created for ranking purposes rather than to genuinely help users So, If you want to avoid a Google penalty it is a good idea to ask yourself what are your motives for using AI-generated content? If the intent is to game the system for SEO manipulation (e.g., keyword stuffing or generating low-value content) then it could lead to penalties.
Strategies To Use ChatGPT to Enhance SEO
If you have read this far into the article we know you understand the risk of using AI to create your articles and the effect it can have when done incorrectly.
In order to avoid negative SEO impacts, we created consider the following best practices for using ChatGPT in your SEO strategy:
Human Editing
If you are going to use AI to create your content you should always review and edit any and all AI-generated content. To make your content unique, look to add additional insights, make the tone more personalized, and ensure the content aligns with your brand voice and experience level. Doing this will help improve your content’s quality and trust.
Focus on User Intent and factual information
Align your content with user intent by focusing ChatGPTs efforts on answering specific user queries or creating valuable content around your customers needs. As with all Ai driven content be sure to review the content thoroughly for usefulness and ensure the information is factually, accurate.
Supplement with Original Research
To make AI content that Google will actually love, conduct original research or provide personal experiences of you utilizing a product or service. A great way to do this is to add real data, case studies, and opinions from industry leaders to boost authority and credibility.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Like all good things when marketers get a hold of something that works abuse will follow…Keyword stuffing used to work back in the day until Google got smart. Prior to creating a piece off connect, always perform robust keywords research and never over-optimize your content with excessive keywords. A search engine, especially Google, prioritizes natural language that reads smoothly and provides clear value. Use ChatGPT to help generate keyword-rich content, but always be sure it sounds natural and not forced.
Add Internal links
Adding in internal links to your AI created article will help you increase your engagement time and lower your bounce rate. It also helps to distribute link authority from one page to another essentially powering the success of your other web pages this is key to enhancing your overall SEO ranking on Google.
Diversify Content
Relying solely on AI content for SEO is a very bad idea as you have probably guessed. Never rely on one method to get your message to users. Look to mix it in strategically with original articles, user-generated content, multimedia (videos, infographics), and contributions from industry leaders to create a better SEO strategy than your competition. It may be difficult to do but it is still the right thing to do and will help you win long term.
Conclusion: Does ChatGPT Hurt SEO? A Recap On Its Affects
So to conclude, ChatGPT-generated text will not hurt your SEO but only if used properly. Like any tool, we recommend that you be mindful of how it’s used. Keep in mind that the primary concern of Ai driven content is quality specifically AI-generated content lacking depth, expertise, and value for users can hurt your SEO.
On the other hand, well-crafted, engaging, and informative AI-generated content that also meets user intent and follows the best practices of SEO will be beneficial to your SEO and help improve rankings. To achieve the best results with AI crafted content always supplement with human editing as well as the above steps the Cindtoro team laid about above. Finally, be sure it aligns with E-E-A-T guidelines, and focuses on creating a positive long lasting user experience.