“SEO is nothing without collaboration,” said Darwin Santos, senior technical SEO professional at agency Amsive. “We build on what each [person] shares.”
With OpenAI’s new GPT Store, an Apple App Store-like interface that opened earlier this month, SEO professionals can share their own custom versions of ChatGPT with premium subscribers. But these collaborative innovations aren’t without their challenges. Generative AI can’t do everything, and it can be hard to vet new tools in the store.
Still, sharing GPTs allows SEO professionals to democratize their own ability to make tools without relying on developers, according to Aleyda Solís, international SEO consultant and founder of consultancy Orainti.
What SEO work can custom GPTs do?
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Automate and aggregate existing tools: SEO tools tend to be very granular in how they present data. Using ChatGPT, you can combine multiple steps, including research, exporting spreadsheets, and aggregating and analyzing the data. The GPT user interface can combine these steps without requiring manual processes, Solís said.
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SEO reporting: Custom GPTs are useful for creating charts that a user would otherwise have to manually make. GPTs can speed up this process by using code interpreters to generate charts.
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Educate: GPTs like Orainti’s Learning SEO.io Teacher and Santos’ Web Performance Engineer can provide educated feedback based on existing information on which they’ve been trained to offer tips and guidance for users.
What SEO work can’t custom GPTs do?
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Write fully developed content: This should be standard for anyone using ChatGPT right now. The technology can ideate and draft, but it needs review. “Never ask ChatGPT or any GPT to write content that [you as] the human have not laid your eyes upon,” said Santos, warning of poor and off-brand content.
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Automate recommendations: GPTs can slice and dice data, but they can’t evaluate the specific goals of a brand or website and provide context-specific advice. “You need to have a proper understanding of all of the characteristics and goals of the company that you’re working for to be able to prioritize your recommendations accordingly,” said Solís.
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Execute implementation: GPTs are not project managers. People are still needed to ensure each area of the company implements a plan without bugs or errors, monitors progress, and makes changes as needed.
How can marketers vet GPTs in the store?
The OpenAI GPT Store is still in its infancy, which means not every custom GPT is trustworthy.
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Check the number of users: A high user count doesn’t ensure a perfect GPT, but it’s a good sign people are getting the outcomes they want.
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Beware of duplicates: The GPT Store may feature copycats. Make sure the tool you’re using is not a dupe by verifying the creator.
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Validate where data comes from: A GPT is only as good as the data it uses. Solís advised checking methodology, data sources, rules, and criteria for each tool to ensure it meets your standards.
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Work with creators you trust: A lot of SEO companies and professionals have created GPTs that accompany existing tools or mobile apps.
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Double-check the outcome: If a GPT is offering unexpected results, it’s a good indicator the user may want to cross-check that outcome. GPTs can automate processes, but they shouldn’t be completely transforming the output.
What GPT Store improvements are SEO professionals looking for?
Because the GPT Store is so new, it’s far from perfect. SEO experts are awaiting improved search functionality and better vetting for copycats and poorly made apps. More transparency and direct linking between two GPTs are also improvements OpenAI could offer.
OpenAI and all companies that work with generative AI queries also need to make sure people are still incentivized to create content. GPTs are effective transmitters of existing data, but without content creation, that data doesn’t exist.
“Websites and content creators need to raise their voices because LLMs [large language models] and AI can satisfy the user’s need [to know information],” said Santos. But if AI programs scrub existing sites and take away their impressions and ad revenues, the content’s publisher may be forced to shut down, making that—and future—content unavailable to scrub, Santos warned.
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