Connect with us

SEO

Subdomains vs. Subfolders: Which Is Better for SEO & Why?

Published

on

Google ranks subdomains more or less the same as subdirectories (also referred to as subfolders).

But there’s a key difference, in that subdomains are considered standalone sites and distinct from the main domain.

It’s important to consider the practical impact on your SEO before choosing to place content on a subdomain or a subdirectory.

The Difference Between a Subdomain & Subdirectory

What Is a Subdirectory?

A website is typically made up of different category sections and web pages.

In the old days of HTML coding, a web designer would create folders and put the web pages into those folders.

That’s why they are called “subfolders or “subdirectories.”

This is very similar to how file storage works on a desktop computer, where you create folders and put images or spreadsheet files into the folders.

Just like your desktop folders, the online folders would have a name like /green-widgets/. That’s where all the green widget HTML pages would go.

When you navigated to those pages, you would literally be navigating to a folder and an actual HTML file:

https://www.example.com/widgets/green-widgets/big-green-widget.html

Those folders, /widgets/ and /green-widgets/ are called subdirectories or subfolders.

In typical WordPress and other PHP-based websites, those subdirectories are virtual.

They don’t exist on the server where you can navigate to them with an FTP program and see the actual folders.

Though virtual, they are still a part of the file structure of the website and are still called subdirectories.

A subdirectory is a part of the structure of the website that’s associated with the domain name.

What Is a Subdomain?

A subdomain is very different from a subdirectory; it is like an entirely different website.

The subdomain is associated with the domain, but not the website that is associated with the domain name.

A subdomain is generally considered as a standalone site that is branched off from the main domain.

This is an example of a subdomain:

support.example.com

This is an example of a subdomain that contains a subdirectory:

support.example.com/faq/

Google Considers Subdomains as Separate Standalone Sites

Google has always treated subdomains as different sites, separate from the main domain.

This is evident within Google Search Console, where subdomains have to be verified separately from the content that exists under the main domain website.

Google’s John Mueller explained this in a Webmaster Video:

“You’ll need to verify subdomains separately in Search Console, make any changes to settings and track overall performance per subdomain.

We do have to learn how to crawl them separately but for the most part that’s just a formality for the first few days.”

When to Use a Subdomain

There are technical, branding, and SEO implications as to why a publisher would choose to host content on a subdomain.

Technical Reasons to Use a Subdomain

A web developer may choose to host a staging version of a website on a password protected subdomain (a staging site is a copy of a site created by the developer in order to test a new web design template).

It’s easy to set up a new database and install a new version of a site in that subdomain that exactly replicates the production site (the version of the site that visitors visit).

As long as the subdomain is not linked from anywhere on the web, search engine crawlers will generally not find that subdomain. If they do, they won’t be able to crawl the staging site because it is password protected.

On a technical level, the staging site hosted on a subdomain can have the same directory, URL, and permalink structure as the main site that is live on the web.

Hosting a staging site on a subdirectory is trickier and errors in link structure can creep in.

For technical reasons, developers may find it easier to create a new database for a subdomain and treat that section like an independent website, keeping all database and CMS files completely separate from the rest of the main site.

Splitting out a site on a subdomain allows the developer to easily use 100% different layout templates and technologies without affecting the main site.

Branding Reasons to Use a Subdomain

Branding is another reason to use a subdomain.

For example, publishers often choose to host their support sections on a subdomain.

There, a user can find downloadable documentation, FAQs, and Q&A forums under a subdomain like support.example.com

Screenshot example of the use of a subdomain vs a subdirectoryScreenshot of a Subdomain Used to Brand a Support Section

For branding purposes, some businesses may elect to create a separate subdomain to compartmentalize and brand a section of their site such as the support pages and keep them away from the rest of the main site.

SEO Reasons to Use Subdomains

There may also be SEO reasons for hosting on a subdomain; for example, if a publisher has a content topic that is completely different from that main site.

The publisher can choose to host that section on a subdomain in order to isolate that content within its own website but still be within the brand of the main site.

Some news sites host their recipe content on a subdomain, for example.

I don’t know if that’s done for SEO reasons but it’s an example of how to separate one section of a site that has a vastly different topic from the rest of the site, where one section is static and relatively evergreen and the rest of the site is in a constant state of change.

Screenshot of a news site hosting recipe content on a subdomainScreenshot of a News Site Hosting Recipe Content on a Subdomain

By separating the recipe section from the rest of the site, a publisher can control what that entire section is about (recipes) and not allow the rest of the site to influence or overwhelm that one section.

Whether Google can rank a subdomain section better if it’s isolated is a matter of opinion.

But this is something that is done for SEO reasons, to allow a subdomain to rank on its own without influence from the main site and vice-versa.

Below is the SERP display for The New York Times’ recipe subdomain section.

When you search for “recipes NYTimes” Google displays it in the SERPs like a standalone website, complete with a six-pack listing of subsections.

Screenshot of a subdomain being treated by Google like an independent websiteScreenshot of The New York Times Cooking Subdomain in Google’s SERPs

Subdirectory Layouts Are Useful

A site that is comprehensive can be seen as more authoritative than a site that only focuses on a granular part of a topic.

That doesn’t mean that the granular site less authoritative or useful.

But a site that can encompass the full breadth and depth of the topic can attract more links and be recognized as authoritative.

For that reason, a site might choose to use subfolders over a subdomain approach.

Another reason to use a subdirectory layout is that there is overlap between different sections.

Someone shopping online for cereal may want to pick up a pair of gym pants to use while working from home.

A site that carries both items is more useful than a site that only focuses on one or the other.

Subdirectory or Subdomain? Choose What Works Best

The most important consideration for whether to use a subdomain is if it works for users.

Even so, the SEO, branding, and technical advantages of each need to be considered.

In general, if it makes sense for users that a section belongs with the rest of the site, then using a subdirectory structure is the best way to structure a website.

But if the section is better as a standalone site because it is so different from the rest of the site and you want it to keep associating that section with the branding or name of the main site, then a subdomain might be the better approach for you.

Sometimes, there just isn’t a definitive answer as to which way is best. But by taking all these factors into consideration, the choice becomes easier to make.


Image Credits:

All screenshots taken by author, December 2020

Searchenginejournal.com

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

SEO

Why Google Can’t Tell You About Every Ranking Drop

Published

on

By

Why Google Can't Tell You About Every Ranking Drop

In a recent Twitter exchange, Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, provided insight into how the search engine handles algorithmic spam actions and ranking drops.

The discussion was sparked by a website owner’s complaint about a significant traffic loss and the inability to request a manual review.

Sullivan clarified that a site could be affected by an algorithmic spam action or simply not ranking well due to other factors.

He emphasized that many sites experiencing ranking drops mistakenly attribute it to an algorithmic spam action when that may not be the case.

“I’ve looked at many sites where people have complained about losing rankings and decide they have a algorithmic spam action against them, but they don’t. “

Sullivan’s full statement will help you understand Google’s transparency challenges.

Additionally, he explains why the desire for manual review to override automated rankings may be misguided.

Challenges In Transparency & Manual Intervention

Sullivan acknowledged the idea of providing more transparency in Search Console, potentially notifying site owners of algorithmic actions similar to manual actions.

However, he highlighted two key challenges:

  1. Revealing algorithmic spam indicators could allow bad actors to game the system.
  2. Algorithmic actions are not site-specific and cannot be manually lifted.

Sullivan expressed sympathy for the frustration of not knowing the cause of a traffic drop and the inability to communicate with someone about it.

However, he cautioned against the desire for a manual intervention to override the automated systems’ rankings.

Sullivan states:

“…you don’t really want to think “Oh, I just wish I had a manual action, that would be so much easier.” You really don’t want your individual site coming the attention of our spam analysts. First, it’s not like manual actions are somehow instantly processed. Second, it’s just something we know about a site going forward, especially if it says it has change but hasn’t really.”

Determining Content Helpfulness & Reliability

Moving beyond spam, Sullivan discussed various systems that assess the helpfulness, usefulness, and reliability of individual content and sites.

He acknowledged that these systems are imperfect and some high-quality sites may not be recognized as well as they should be.

“Some of them ranking really well. But they’ve moved down a bit in small positions enough that the traffic drop is notable. They assume they have fundamental issues but don’t, really — which is why we added a whole section about this to our debugging traffic drops page.”

Sullivan revealed ongoing discussions about providing more indicators in Search Console to help creators understand their content’s performance.

“Another thing I’ve been discussing, and I’m not alone in this, is could we do more in Search Console to show some of these indicators. This is all challenging similar to all the stuff I said about spam, about how not wanting to let the systems get gamed, and also how there’s then no button we would push that’s like “actually more useful than our automated systems think — rank it better!” But maybe there’s a way we can find to share more, in a way that helps everyone and coupled with better guidance, would help creators.”

Advocacy For Small Publishers & Positive Progress

In response to a suggestion from Brandon Saltalamacchia, founder of RetroDodo, about manually reviewing “good” sites and providing guidance, Sullivan shared his thoughts on potential solutions.

He mentioned exploring ideas such as self-declaration through structured data for small publishers and learning from that information to make positive changes.

“I have some thoughts I’ve been exploring and proposing on what we might do with small publishers and self-declaring with structured data and how we might learn from that and use that in various ways. Which is getting way ahead of myself and the usual no promises but yes, I think and hope for ways to move ahead more positively.”

Sullivan said he can’t make promises or implement changes overnight, but he expressed hope for finding ways to move forward positively.


Featured Image: Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock



Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

SEO

56 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark for 2024

Published

on

56 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark for 2024

If you’re curious about the state of Google search in 2024, look no further.

Each year we pick, vet, and categorize a list of up-to-date statistics to give you insights from trusted sources on Google search trends.

  1. Google has a web index of “about 400 billion documents”. (The Capitol Forum)
  2. Google’s search index is over 100 million gigabytes in size. (Google)
  3. There are an estimated 3.5 billion searches on Google each day. (Internet Live Stats)
  4. 61.5% of desktop searches and 34.4% of mobile searches result in no clicks. (SparkToro)
  5. 15% of all Google searches have never been searched before. (Google)
  6. 94.74% of keywords get 10 monthly searches or fewer. (Ahrefs)
  7. The most searched keyword in the US and globally is “YouTube,” and youtube.com gets the most traffic from Google. (Ahrefs)
  8. 96.55% of all pages get zero search traffic from Google. (Ahrefs)
  9. 50-65% of all number-one spots are dominated by featured snippets. (Authority Hacker)
  10. Reddit is the most popular domain for product review queries. (Detailed)

  1. Google is the most used search engine in the world, with a mobile market share of 95.32% and a desktop market share of 81.95%. (Statista)
    63.41% of all US web traffic referrals come from Google.63.41% of all US web traffic referrals come from Google.
  2. Google.com generated 84.2 billion visits a month in 2023. (Statista)
  3. Google generated $307.4 billion in revenue in 2023. (Alphabet Investor Relations)
  4. 63.41% of all US web traffic referrals come from Google. (SparkToro)
  5. 92.96% of global traffic comes from Google Search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (SparkToro)
  6. Only 49% of Gen Z women use Google as their search engine. The rest use TikTok. (Search Engine Land)

  1. 58.67% of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile phones. (Statista)
  2. 57% of local search queries are submitted using a mobile device or tablet. (ReviewTrackers)
    57% of local search queries are submitted using a mobile device or tablet. 57% of local search queries are submitted using a mobile device or tablet.
  3. 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphones. (Think With Google)
  4. 54% of smartphone users search for business hours, and 53% search for directions to local stores. (Think With Google)
  5. 18% of local searches on smartphones lead to a purchase within a day vs. 7% of non-local searches. (Think With Google)
  6. 56% of in-store shoppers used their smartphones to shop or research items while they were in-store. (Think With Google)
  7. 60% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the search results (e.g., “click to call” option). (Think With Google)
  8. 63.6% of consumers say they are likely to check reviews on Google before visiting a business location. (ReviewTrackers)
  9. 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all of its reviews. (BrightLocal)
  10. Customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if they find a complete Business Profile on Google Search and Maps. (Google)
  11. Customers are 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with a complete Business Profile. (Google)
  12. 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day. (Think With Google)
  13. 28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase. (Think With Google)
  14. Mobile searches for “store open near me” (such as, “grocery store open near me” have grown by over 250% in the last two years. (Think With Google)

  1. People use Google Lens for 12 billion visual searches a month. (Google)
  2. 50% of online shoppers say images helped them decide what to buy. (Think With Google)
  3. There are an estimated 136 billion indexed images on Google Image Search. (Photutorial)
  4. 15.8% of Google SERPs show images. (Moz)
  5. People click on 3D images almost 50% more than static ones. (Google)

  1. More than 800 million people use Google Discover monthly to stay updated on their interests. (Google)
  2. 46% of Google Discover URLs are news sites, 44% e-commerce, 7% entertainment, and 2% travel. (Search Engine Journal)
  3. Even though news sites accounted for under 50% of Google Discover URLs, they received 99% of Discover clicks. (Search Engine Journal)
    Even though news sites accounted for under 50% of Google Discover URLs, they received 99% of Discover clicks.Even though news sites accounted for under 50% of Google Discover URLs, they received 99% of Discover clicks.
  4. Most Google Discover URLs only receive traffic for three to four days, with most of that traffic occurring one to two days after publishing. (Search Engine Journal)
  5. The clickthrough rate (CTR) for Google Discover is 11%. (Search Engine Journal)
  1. 91.45% of search volumes in Google Ads Keyword Planner are overestimates. (Ahrefs)
  2. For every $1 a business spends on Google Ads, they receive $8 in profit through Google Search and Ads. (Google)
  3. Google removed 5.5 billion ads, suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts, restricted over 6.9 billion ads, and restricted ads from showing up on 2.1 billion publisher pages in 2023. (Google)
  4. The average shopping click-through rate (CTR) across all industries is 0.86% for Google Ads. (Wordstream)
  5. The average shopping cost per click (CPC) across all industries is $0.66 for Google Ads. (Wordstream)
  6. The average shopping conversion rate (CVR) across all industries is 1.91% for Google Ads. (Wordstream)

  1. 58% of consumers ages 25-34 use voice search daily. (UpCity)
  2. 16% of people use voice search for local “near me” searches. (UpCity)
  3. 67% of consumers say they’re very likely to use voice search when seeking information. (UpCity)
  4. Active users of the Google Assistant grew 4X over the past year, as of 2019. (Think With Google)
  5. Google Assistant hit 1 billion app installs. (Android Police)

  1. AI-generated answers from SGE were available for 91% of entertainment queries but only 17% of healthcare queries. (Statista)
  2. The AI-generated answers in Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) do not match any links from the top 10 Google organic search results 93.8% of the time. (Search Engine Journal)
  3. Google displays a Search Generative element for 86.8% of all search queries. (Authoritas)
    Google displays a Search Generative element for 86.8% of all search queries. Google displays a Search Generative element for 86.8% of all search queries.
  4. 62% of generative links came from sources outside the top 10 ranking organic domains. Only 20.1% of generative URLs directly match an organic URL ranking on page one. (Authoritas)
  5. 70% of SEOs said that they were worried about the impact of SGE on organic search (Aira)

Learn more

Check out more resources on how Google works:



Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

SEO

How To Use ChatGPT For Keyword Research

Published

on

By

How To Use ChatGPT For Keyword Research

Anyone not using ChatGPT for keyword research is missing a trick.

You can save time and understand an entire topic in seconds instead of hours.

In this article, I outline my most effective ChatGPT prompts for keyword research and teach you how I put them together so that you, too, can take, edit, and enhance them even further.

But before we jump into the prompts, I want to emphasize that you shouldn’t replace keyword research tools or disregard traditional keyword research methods.

ChatGPT can make mistakes. It can even create new keywords if you give it the right prompt. For example, I asked it to provide me with a unique keyword for the topic “SEO” that had never been searched before.

Interstellar Internet SEO: Optimizing content for the theoretical concept of an interstellar internet, considering the challenges of space-time and interplanetary communication delays.”

Although I want to jump into my LinkedIn profile and update my title to “Interstellar Internet SEO Consultant,” unfortunately, no one has searched that (and they probably never will)!

You must not blindly rely on the data you get back from ChatGPT.

What you can rely on ChatGPT for is the topic ideation stage of keyword research and inspiration.

ChatGPT is a large language model trained with massive amounts of data to accurately predict what word will come next in a sentence. However, it does not know how to do keyword research yet.

Instead, think of ChatGPT as having an expert on any topic armed with the information if you ask it the right question.

In this guide, that is exactly what I aim to teach you how to do – the most essential prompts you need to know when performing topical keyword research.

Best ChatGPT Keyword Research Prompts

The following ChatGPT keyword research prompts can be used on any niche, even a topic to which you are brand new.

For this demonstration, let’s use the topic of “SEO” to demonstrate these prompts.

Generating Keyword Ideas Based On A Topic

What Are The {X} Most Popular Sub-topics Related To {Topic}?

Screenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024

The first prompt is to give you an idea of the niche.

As shown above, ChatGPT did a great job understanding and breaking down SEO into three pillars: on-page, off-page & technical.

The key to the following prompt is to take one of the topics ChatGPT has given and query the sub-topics.

What Are The {X} Most Popular Sub-topics Related To {Sub-topic}?

For this example, let’s query, “What are the most popular sub-topics related to keyword research?”

Having done keyword research for over 10 years, I would expect it to output information related to keyword research metrics, the types of keywords, and intent.

Let’s see.

ChatGPT keyword prompt subtopicScreenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Again, right on the money.

To get the keywords you want without having ChatGPT describe each answer, use the prompt “list without description.”

Here is an example of that.

List Without Description The Top {X} Most Popular Keywords For The Topic Of {X}chatgpt keyword research prompt for most popular keywords

You can even branch these keywords out further into their long-tail.

Example prompt:

List Without Description The Top {X} Most Popular Long-tail Keywords For The Topic “{X}”

chatgpt keyword research prompt longtail keywordsScreenshot ChatGPT 4,April 2024

List Without Description The Top Semantically Related Keywords And Entities For The Topic {X}

You can even ask ChatGPT what any topic’s semantically related keywords and entities are!

chatgpt keyword research semantic intentScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Tip: The Onion Method Of Prompting ChatGPT

When you are happy with a series of prompts, add them all to one prompt. For example, so far in this article, we have asked ChatGPT the following:

  • What are the four most popular sub-topics related to SEO?
  • What are the four most popular sub-topics related to keyword research
  • List without description the top five most popular keywords for “keyword intent”?
  • List without description the top five most popular long-tail keywords for the topic “keyword intent types”?
  • List without description the top semantically related keywords and entities for the topic “types of keyword intent in SEO.”

Combine all five into one prompt by telling ChatGPT to perform a series of steps. Example:

“Perform the following steps in a consecutive order Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, and Step 5”

Example:

“Perform the following steps in a consecutive order Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4 and Step 5. Step 1 – Generate an answer for the 3 most popular sub-topics related to {Topic}?. Step 2 – Generate 3 of the most popular sub-topics related to each answer. Step 3 – Take those answers and list without description their top 3 most popular keywords. Step 4 – For the answers given of their most popular keywords, provide 3 long-tail keywords. Step 5 – for each long-tail keyword offered in the response, a list without descriptions 3 of their top semantically related keywords and entities.”

Generating Keyword Ideas Based On A Question

Taking the steps approach from above, we can get ChatGPT to help streamline getting keyword ideas based on a question. For example, let’s ask, “What is SEO?

“Perform the following steps in a consecutive order Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, and Step 4. Step 1 Generate 10 questions about “{Question}”?. Step 2 – Generate 5 more questions about “{Question}” that do not repeat the above. Step 3 – Generate 5 more questions about “{Question}” that do not repeat the above. Step 4 – Based on the above Steps 1,2,3 suggest a final list of questions avoiding duplicates or semantically similar questions.”

chatgpt for question keyword researchScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Generating Keyword Ideas Using ChatGPT Based On The Alphabet Soup Method

One of my favorite methods, manually, without even using a keyword research tool, is to generate keyword research ideas from Google autocomplete, going from A to Z.

Generating Keyword Ideas using ChatGPT Based on the Alphabet Soup MethodScreenshot from Google autocomplete, April 2024

You can also do this using ChatGPT.

Example prompt:

“give me popular keywords that includes the keyword “SEO”, and the next letter of the word starts with a”

ChatGPT Alphabet keyword research methodScreenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Tip: Using the onion prompting method above, we can combine all this in one prompt.

“Give me five popular keywords that include “SEO” in the word, and the following letter starts with a. Once the answer has been done, move on to giving five more popular keywords that include “SEO” for each letter of the alphabet b to z.”

Generating Keyword Ideas Based On User Personas

When it comes to keyword research, understanding user personas is essential for understanding your target audience and keeping your keyword research focused and targeted. ChatGPT may help you get an initial understanding of customer personas.

Example prompt:

“For the topic of “{Topic}” list 10 keywords each for the different types of user personas”

ChatGPT and user personasScreenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024

You could even go a step further and ask for questions based on those topics that those specific user personas may be searching for:

ChatGPT and keyword research based on personaScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

As well as get the keywords to target based on those questions:

“For each question listed above for each persona, list the keywords, as well as the long-tail keywords to target, and put them in a table”

question and longtail and user persona using a table for ChatGPT keyword researchScreenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Generating Keyword Ideas Using ChatGPT Based On Searcher Intent And User Personas

Understanding the keywords your target persona may be searching is the first step to effective keyword research. The next step is to understand the search intent behind those keywords and which content format may work best.

For example, a business owner who is new to SEO or has just heard about it may be searching for “what is SEO.”

However, if they are further down the funnel and in the navigational stage, they may search for “top SEO firms.”

You can query ChatGPT to inspire you here based on any topic and your target user persona.

SEO Example:

“For the topic of “{Topic}” list 10 keywords each for the different types of searcher intent that a {Target Persona} would be searching for”

ChatGPT For Keyword Research Admin

Here is how you can best use ChatGPT for keyword research admin tasks.

Using ChatGPT As A Keyword Categorization Tool

One of the use cases for using ChatGPT is for keyword categorization.

In the past, I would have had to devise spreadsheet formulas to categorize keywords or even spend hours filtering and manually categorizing keywords.

ChatGPT can be a great companion for running a short version of this for you.

Let’s say you have done keyword research in a keyword research tool, have a list of keywords, and want to categorize them.

You could use the following prompt:

“Filter the below list of keywords into categories, target persona, searcher intent, search volume and add information to a six-column table: List of keywords – [LIST OF KEYWORDS], Keyword Search Volume [SEARCH VOLUMES] and Keyword Difficulties [KEYWORD DIFFICUTIES].”

Using Chat GPT as a Keyword Categorization ToolScreenshot from ChatGPT, April 2024

Tip: Add keyword metrics from the keyword research tools, as using the search volumes that a ChatGPT prompt may give you will be wildly inaccurate at best.

Using ChatGPT For Keyword Clustering

Another of ChatGPT’s use cases for keyword research is to help you cluster. Many keywords have the same intent, and by grouping related keywords, you may find that one piece of content can often target multiple keywords at once.

However, be careful not to rely only on LLM data for clustering. What ChatGPT may cluster as a similar keyword, the SERP or the user may not agree with. But it is a good starting point.

The big downside of using ChatGPT for keyword clustering is actually the amount of keyword data you can cluster based on the memory limits.

So, you may find a keyword clustering tool or script that is better for large keyword clustering tasks. But for small amounts of keywords, ChatGPT is actually quite good.

A great use small keyword clustering use case using ChatGPT is for grouping People Also Ask (PAA) questions.

Use the following prompt to group keywords based on their semantic relationships. For example:

“Organize the following keywords into groups based on their semantic relationships, and give a short name to each group: [LIST OF PAA], create a two-column table where each keyword sits on its own row.

Using Chat GPT For Keyword ClusteringScreenshot from ChatGPT, April 2024

Using Chat GPT For Keyword Expansion By Patterns

One of my favorite methods of doing keyword research is pattern spotting.

Most seed keywords have a variable that can expand your target keywords.

Here are a few examples of patterns:

1. Question Patterns

(who, what, where, why, how, are, can, do, does, will)

“Generate [X] keywords for the topic “[Topic]” that contain any or all of the following “who, what, where, why, how, are, can, do, does, will”

question based keywords keyword research ChatGPTScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

2. Comparison Patterns

Example:

“Generate 50 keywords for the topic “{Topic}” that contain any or all of the following “for, vs, alternative, best, top, review”

chatgpt comparison patterns for keyword researchScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

3. Brand Patterns

Another one of my favorite modifiers is a keyword by brand.

We are probably all familiar with the most popular SEO brands; however, if you aren’t, you could ask your AI friend to do the heavy lifting.

Example prompt:

“For the top {Topic} brands what are the top “vs” keywords”

ChatGPT brand patterns promptScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

4. Search Intent Patterns

One of the most common search intent patterns is “best.”

When someone is searching for a “best {topic}” keyword, they are generally searching for a comprehensive list or guide that highlights the top options, products, or services within that specific topic, along with their features, benefits, and potential drawbacks, to make an informed decision.

Example:

“For the topic of “[Topic]” what are the 20 top keywords that include “best”

ChatGPT best based keyword researchScreenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024

Again, this guide to keyword research using ChatGPT has emphasized the ease of generating keyword research ideas by utilizing ChatGPT throughout the process.

Keyword Research Using ChatGPT Vs. Keyword Research Tools

Free Vs. Paid Keyword Research Tools

Like keyword research tools, ChatGPT has free and paid options.

However, one of the most significant drawbacks of using ChatGPT for keyword research alone is the absence of SEO metrics to help you make smarter decisions.

To improve accuracy, you could take the results it gives you and verify them with your classic keyword research tool – or vice versa, as shown above, uploading accurate data into the tool and then prompting.

However, you must consider how long it takes to type and fine-tune your prompt to get your desired data versus using the filters within popular keyword research tools.

For example, if we use a popular keyword research tool using filters, you could have all of the “best” queries with all of their SEO metrics:

ahrefs screenshot for best seoScreenshot from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, March 2024

And unlike ChatGPT, generally, there is no token limit; you can extract several hundred, if not thousands, of keywords at a time.

As I have mentioned multiple times throughout this piece, you cannot blindly trust the data or SEO metrics it may attempt to provide you with.

The key is to validate the keyword research with a keyword research tool.

ChatGPT For International SEO Keyword Research

ChatGPT can be a terrific multilingual keyword research assistant.

For example, if you wanted to research keywords in a foreign language such as French. You could ask ChatGPT to translate your English keywords;

translating keywords with ChatGPTScreenshot ChatGPT 4, Apil 2024
The key is to take the data above and paste it into a popular keyword research tool to verify.
As you can see below, many of the keyword translations for the English keywords do not have any search volume for direct translations in French.
verifying the data with ahrefsScreenshot from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, April 2024

But don’t worry, there is a workaround: If you have access to a competitor keyword research tool, you can see what webpage is ranking for that query – and then identify the top keyword for that page based on the ChatGPT translated keywords that do have search volume.

top keyword from ahrefs keyword explorerScreenshot from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, April 2024

Or, if you don’t have access to a paid keyword research tool, you could always take the top-performing result, extract the page copy, and then ask ChatGPT what the primary keyword for the page is.

Key Takeaway

ChatGPT can be an expert on any topic and an invaluable keyword research tool. However, it is another tool to add to your toolbox when doing keyword research; it does not replace traditional keyword research tools.

As shown throughout this tutorial, from making up keywords at the beginning to inaccuracies around data and translations, ChatGPT can make mistakes when used for keyword research.

You cannot blindly trust the data you get back from ChatGPT.

However, it can offer a shortcut to understanding any topic for which you need to do keyword research and, as a result, save you countless hours.

But the key is how you prompt.

The prompts I shared with you above will help you understand a topic in minutes instead of hours and allow you to better seed keywords using keyword research tools.

It can even replace mundane keyword clustering tasks that you used to do with formulas in spreadsheets or generate ideas based on keywords you give it.

Paired with traditional keyword research tools, ChatGPT for keyword research can be a powerful tool in your arsenal.

More resources:


Featured Image: Tatiana Shepeleva/Shutterstock

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

Trending