SEO
Everything You Need to Know
Not only is guest blogging well and alive, it’s still highly effective. In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about guest blogging.
But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.
Guest blogging is the practice of writing and publishing a blog post on another person’s or company’s website.
For example, I wrote a guest post for Grow & Convert several years ago:
Guest blogging is a win-win for both the writer and the publisher.
Benefits for the writer:
- Build links back to their site
- Develop relationships with editors and publishers
- Expose their brand to a new audience
- Build their reputation and position themselves as a thought leader
Benefit for the publisher:
- Leverage the expertise and experience of writers. For example, we couldn’t have written about Zapier or Pet Keen’s firsthand SEO experience without guest writers.
Getting your first guest post published can be daunting. I’ve been there. Following the steps below will make the process easier and maximize your chances of success.
1. Find guest blogging opportunities
Most people use Google search operators to find blogs with “write for us” pages. However, if everyone’s following this tactic, then everyone’s finding the same opportunities. Competition will be rife, and publishers may ignore your pitch.
You don’t have to limit yourself to this small pool of blogs. Even if they do not advertise it, most blogs will be happy to publish a guest post as long as it’s good.
So here’s how to find relevant blogs to pitch:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Content Explorer
- Enter a broad keyword or phrase related to your niche
- Select In title from the drop-down menu
- Run the search
Here, you can see more than 2 million potential opportunities. That’s too many, so let’s narrow the list down by applying these filters:
- Domain Rating (DR) from 30 to 60
- Click the One page per domain filter
- Click the Exclude homepages filter
- Click the Exclude subdomains filter
Then click on the Websites tab.
These are the potential websites you could pitch.
2. Develop guest post ideas
The blogs you pitch will want winning content ideas. So how can you come up with good guest post ideas?
Here are some techniques you can use:
Copycat Technique
Three things are true:
- Every blog wants more search traffic.
- To get search traffic, you need to target topics people are searching for.
- Every blog has more topics to write than resources to cover them.
So why not help your target blogs out? Find topics they should be ranking for and pitch them those topics.
Here’s how to find them:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Competitive Analysis tool
- Enter the domain of your target blog in the Target section
- Add the first three suggested competing domains in the Competitors section
- Click Compare
This report shows you the keywords the competing domains are ranking for, but your target blog isn’t.
Go through the report and look for keywords that are relevant to your target blog. For example, this seems like a potential topic to pitch:
Refresh Technique
Refreshing outdated content can provide a huge traffic boost, as seen when we updated our post about free SEO tools:
Your target blog will likely have outdated content that has declined in search traffic. Pitch them an update.
Here’s how to find pages with declining traffic:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter the domain of your target blog
- Go to the Top pages report
- Set the Compare filter to Previous year
- Sort the Traffic change column from lowest to highest
This will show you pages on your target blog that have the largest decline in search traffic since the previous year. Go through the report and look out for suitable topics, especially those with declines in traffic and keyword positions.
For example, SmartBlogger’s post on membership sites has dropped in both keyword positions and search traffic:
If you were writing for SmartBlogger, this would be a good topic to pitch.
Robin Hood Technique
Popular blogs are popular for one reason: They have great content. Lesser-known blogs are lesser-known for the opposite reason: They have yet to publish tons of great content.
So why not take content ideas from the top blogs and offer them to lesser-known ones?
We call this the Robin Hood Technique, named after the English folk hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.
Here’s how to execute the Robin Hood Technique:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter the domain of a high-DR blog in your niche
- Go to the Top pages report
- Toggle SERP titles on
Look through the report and see if there is any idea that resonates. Put a unique spin and pitch it to a lesser-known blog.
For example, if you’re writing for a personal finance blog, this seems like a good topic to be inspired by:
A potential idea to pitch can be “free (or cheap) things to do on a date.”
Splintering Technique
Our link building guide is so comprehensive it spans five chapters:
Each chapter could be a post on its own.
So we can break this post into “splinters” and create standalone articles. Each of these splintered articles can be pitched as a guest post.
Since we already did the research by creating the original piece, the “splintered” articles would likely not take much time to write.
Perspective Technique
You can easily reuse a topic by switching up the perspective.
For example, let’s say we wrote a guest post titled “Best Remote Jobs for Students.” We can cover the same topic for different publications via multiple perspectives:
3. Pitch the blogs
This step is both the easiest and the most nerve-wracking. It’s easy because it’s simply an email you send. It’s nerve-wracking because your fate is in the other party’s hands.
It doesn’t have to be that anxiety-inducing, though. Here are some tips to improve your chances of getting your pitch accepted:
Read the guidelines
If the site you’re pitching has a “write for us” page or writing guidelines, read and follow them. For example, this is what CoSchedule expects:
Find the correct email
If the publication has a “write for us” page, then it’s likely it’ll provide either an email address or a form.
Otherwise, you’ll need to find it.
Publications and blogs are typically managed by a managing editor, head of content or, if they’re a small site, the owner themself. So you want to first make sure you identify who that person is.
You can usually find them by visiting the “teams” or “about” page. For example, a quick scroll on our “team” page shows you should pitch to our head of content, Joshua Hardwick:
If the “team” page is uninformative, then a search on LinkedIn or Twitter usually suffices.
Once you’ve identified that person, use an email discovery tool like Hunter to find their email. Add their name and website, and Hunter will do its magic:
Write an amazing outreach email
Several years ago, I wrote a guest post for Grow & Convert. Benji Hyam, the co-founder, was so impressed with my outreach email that he did an analysis.
Publications get a lot of emails. You have to stand out; otherwise, your email will be ignored.
Rather than look for a template that you can copy-paste, you want to understand the principles behind what makes a good outreach email.
You can look at Benji’s analysis of my email to see what publications are expecting. You’d also do well to read the post below and follow the principles it lays out.
4. Write the guest post
If your pitch is accepted, then it’s time to write.
I recommend starting first with the outline. Some sites may request this. But even if they don’t, an outline will help flesh out your thoughts, organize the post, and prevent blank page syndrome.
To create an outline, you need to know what subtopics to cover. The easiest way to find these subtopics is to look at the common keyword rankings among top-ranking pages and eyeball the list for subtopics.
Here’s how:
- Enter your target keyword into Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Scroll down to the SERP overview
- Select the top-ranking pages you want to analyze
- Click Open in and choose Content gap
For example, if we analyze the topic “affiliate marketing,” we’ll see that the top-ranking pages also rank for:
- what is affiliate marketing
- how to become an affiliate marketer
- how to do affiliate marketing
These would make good H2s for a blog post on “affiliate marketing.”
Once you’ve created your outline, all that’s left is to fill in the “gaps,” i.e., write the actual post. If they have one, make sure you go back to the guidelines, read it carefully, and follow it to a T.
Where relevant, don’t forget to include links back to your own content. Don’t overdo it, though; one to two links should suffice.
5. Promote your guest post
You should expect some back-and-forth as the publisher edits and sends feedback about your draft. Once they’re satisfied, they’ll inform you of a publishing date.
Don’t just disappear when the post is published. Follow up! Thank the editor. And if there’s a comment section, stay around and reply.
Help promote the post by sharing it on social media too:
You can even go the extra mile by promoting the post in relevant communities. In my case, Benji did it for me by submitting it to GrowthHackers. But I stayed around to answer comments.
It was likely the reason why it got so much engagement:
It was even the #2 post in that year’s year-end roundup:
Everything above will get you 90% of the way. But guest blogging is not a bed of roses. So I’m sharing the tips below to help you overcome some of the common roadblocks.
1. Pitch more blogs than you can handle
The cruel reality of guest blogging is that even if they’re good, your emails can be rejected or ignored. That’s no fault of yours—publications are just too busy.
So here’s a controversial tip: pitch the same topics to multiple blogs. Then offer the article to whoever replies first or has a higher authority (if you get lots of replies).
This way, you’re never lacking for guest posts. You won’t even need to be worried about rejection, for there will be another blog willing to accept your ideas.
If you get more than one reply, simply tell the truth:
Sorry, you weren’t responding for a few days, so another blog took this idea. I’ll be in touch with more article ideas that’ll be just as good.
2. Write for blogs that have never linked to you before
Our study of 1 billion pages shows a strong correlation between organic traffic and the number of backlinks from unique websites (referring domains).
That may be one reason why you want to write for blogs that have never linked to you before.
To find unique websites, hit the Highlight unlinked dropdown and add your website as you’re following step #1:
These tools will make your guest blogging process more efficient:
- Ahrefs – Research guest post opportunities, find content gaps to pitch blogs, build your outlines, check backlinks from guest posts, and track your guest post rankings.
- Hunter – Find the email addresses of website owners and editors.
- Pitchbox – Send outreach emails at scale.
- Ahrefs’ free AI writing tools – Generate outlines, titles, and proofread your drafts.
- ChatGPT – Generate guest post ideas, create outlines, flesh out posts, proofread your work, and more.
Here are some frequently asked questions about guest blogging:
How does guest blogging help SEO?
Links are an important Google ranking factor. By writing a guest post, you can build links back to your pages and, therefore, boost their performance in search engines.
Is guest blogging bad for SEO?
In 2014, Google’s former head of web spam, Matt Cutts, published a blog post proclaiming that “guest blogging is done.” However, he was primarily referring to low-quality guest blogging published on low-quality sites for links.
Writing a valuable blog post for an established site with a relevant audience will still help your SEO and is unlikely to hurt it.
Can I get referral traffic from guest blogging?
Several years ago, our chief marketing officer, Tim Soulo, asked 500+ bloggers how much traffic they got from their guest articles.
The average referral traffic across 239 guest articles was only 50 visits.
So yes, you can get referral traffic from guest blogging—but don’t set your expectations too high.
Final thoughts
This guide contains everything our team has learned about guest blogging over the past few years. I hope it will help take your skills to a new level.
Did I miss out on anything? Let me know on Twitter or Threads.
SEO
Google’s AI Vision Driven By Panic, Not Users: Former Product Manager
A 16-year Google veteran is raising concerns about the company’s current focus on AI, labeling it a “panic reaction” driven by fear of falling behind competitors.
Scott Jenson, who left Google last month, took to LinkedIn to critique the tech giant’s AI projects as “poorly motivated and driven by this mindless panic that as long as it had ‘AI’ in it, it would be great.”
Veteran’s Criticism Of Google’s AI Focus
Jenson stated that Google’s vision of creating an AI assistant for its ecosystem is “pure catnip” fueled by the fear of letting someone else get there first.
He parallels the ill-fated Google+ product, which he calls a “similar hysterical reaction” to Facebook’s rise.
Jenson wrote:
“This exact thing happened 13 years ago with Google+ (I was there for that fiasco as well). That was a similar hysterical reaction but to Facebook.”
Lack Of User-Driven Motivation
Jenson argues that Google’s strategy lacks motivation driven by genuine user needs, a sentiment echoed by a recent Gizmodo article that described this year’s Google I/O developer conference as “the most boring ever.”
The article, which Jenson linked to in his post, criticized Google for failing to clarify how Gemini’s new AI technology would integrate into its existing products and enhance the user experience.
See Jenson’s full post below:
Can You Turn Off Google’s AI Overviews?
One prime example of Google’s AI overreach is the AI overviews feature, which generates summaries to directly answer search queries by ingesting information from across the web.
This controversial move has sparked legal battles, with publishers accusing Google of violating intellectual property rights and unfairly profiting from their content without permission.
Related: Google’s AI Overviews Documentation: Key SEO Insights
Turning Off AI Overviews
While Google doesn’t provide an official setting to turn off AI overviews, a viral article from Tom’s Hardware suggests using browser extensions.
Alternatively, you can configure Chrome to go directly to web search results, bypassing the AI-generated overviews.
Here are the steps:
- Open Chrome settings by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner and selecting “Settings” from the menu.
- In the Settings window, click on the “Search Engine” tab on the left side.
- Under the “Search Engine” section, click “Manage search engines and site search.”
- Scroll down to the “Site search” area and click “Add” to create a new entry.
In the new entry, enter the following details:
- Name: Google (Web)
- Shortcut: www.google.com
- URL: {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s
- Click “Add“
Lastly, click the three dots next to the new “Google (Web)” entry and select “Make default.”
Screenshot from: chrome://settings/searchEngines, May 2024.After following these steps, Chrome will now default to showing regular web search results instead of the AI overview summaries when you perform searches from the address bar.
Tensions Over Data Usage
The controversy surrounding AI overviews creates tension between tech companies and content creators over using online data for AI training.
Publishers argue that Google’s AI summaries could siphon website traffic, threatening independent creators’ revenue streams, which rely on search referrals.
The debate reflects the need for updated frameworks to balance innovation and fair compensation for content creators, maintaining a sustainable open internet ecosystem.
FAQ
What concerns has Scott Jenson raised about Google’s AI focus?
Scott Jenson, a former Google product manager, has expressed concerns that Google’s current AI focus is more of a “panic reaction” to stay ahead of competitors rather than addressing user needs. He critiques Google’s AI initiatives as poorly motivated and driven by a fear of letting others get ahead.
How does Scott Jenson compare Google’s AI strategy to past projects?
Jenson parallels Google’s current AI focus and the company’s response to Facebook years ago with Google+. He describes both as “hysterical reactions” driven by competition, which, in the case of Google+, resulted in a product that failed to meet its objectives.
Why are content creators concerned about Google’s AI overviews?
Content creators worry that Google’s AI overviews, which generate summaries by ingesting web content, could reduce site traffic. They argue that this practice is unfair as it uses their content without permission and impacts their revenue streams that rely on search referrals.
How can users turn off Google’s AI overviews in Chrome?
Although no official setting exists to disable AI overviews, users can use a workaround by enabling a specific Chrome setting or using a browser extension.
Here are the steps:
- Open Chrome settings by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner and selecting “Settings” from the menu.
- In the Settings window, click on the “Search Engine” tab on the left side.
- Under the “Search Engine” section, click “Manage search engines and site search.”
- Scroll down to the “Site search” area and click “Add” to create a new entry.
In the new entry, enter the following details:
-
- Name: Google (Web)
- Shortcut: www.google.com
- URL: {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s
- Click “Add“
This will force Chrome to skip AI-generated overviews and show the classic list of web links.
Featured Image: Sira Anamwong/Shutterstock
SEO
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}?
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.
Screenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024Again, 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}
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}”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4,April 2024List 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!
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024Tip: 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.”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024Generating 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.
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Screenshot 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”
Screenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024Tip: 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”
Screenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024You could even go a step further and ask for questions based on those topics that those specific user personas may be searching for:
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024As 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”
Screenshot from ChatGPT 4, April 2024Generating 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].”
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Screenshot 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.
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Screenshot 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”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 20242. Comparison Patterns
Example:
“Generate 50 keywords for the topic “{Topic}” that contain any or all of the following “for, vs, alternative, best, top, review”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 20243. 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”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 20244. 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”
Screenshot ChatGPT 4, April 2024Again, 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:
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Screenshot 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;
Screenshot 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.
Screenshot from Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, April 2024But 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.
-
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Screenshot 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
SEO
Google Hints At Improving Site Rankings In Next Update
Google’s John Mueller says the Search team is “explicitly evaluating” how to reward sites that produce helpful, high-quality content when the next core update rolls out.
The comments came in response to a discussion on X about the impact of March’s core update and September’s helpful content update.
In a series of tweets, Mueller acknowledged the concerns, stating:
“I imagine for most sites strongly affected, the effects will be site-wide for the time being, and it will take until the next update to see similar strong effects (assuming the new state of the site is significantly better than before).”
He added:
“I can’t make any promises, but the team working on this is explicitly evaluating how sites can / will improve in Search for the next update. It would be great to show more users the content that folks have worked hard on, and where sites have taken helpfulness to heart.”
What Does This Mean For SEO Professionals & Site Owners?
Mueller’s comments confirm Google is aware of critiques about the March core update and is refining its ability to identify high-quality sites and reward them appropriately in the next core update.
For websites, clearly demonstrating an authentic commitment to producing helpful and high-quality content remains the best strategy for improving search performance under Google’s evolving systems.
The Aftermath Of Google’s Core Updates
Google’s algorithm updates, including the September “Helpful Content Update” and the March 2024 update, have far-reaching impacts on rankings across industries.
While some sites experienced surges in traffic, others faced substantial declines, with some reporting visibility losses of up to 90%.
As website owners implement changes to align with Google’s guidelines, many question whether their efforts will be rewarded.
There’s genuine concern about the potential for long-term or permanent demotions for affected sites.
Recovery Pathway Outlined, But Challenges Remain
In a previous statement, Mueller acknowledged the complexity of the recovery process, stating that:
“some things take much longer to be reassessed (sometimes months, at the moment), and some bigger effects require another update cycle.”
Mueller clarified that not all changes would require a new update cycle but cautioned that “stronger effects will require another update.”
While affirming that permanent changes are “not very useful in a dynamic world,” Mueller adds that “recovery” implies a return to previous levels, which may be unrealistic given evolving user expectations.
“It’s never ‘just-as-before’,” Mueller stated.
Improved Rankings On The Horizon?
Despite the challenges, Mueller has offered glimmers of hope for impacted sites, stating:
“Yes, sites can grow again after being affected by the ‘HCU’ (well, core update now). This isn’t permanent. It can take a lot of work, time, and perhaps update cycles, and/but a different – updated – site will be different in search too.”
He says the process may require “deep analysis to understand how to make a website relevant in a modern world, and significant work to implement those changes — assuming that it’s something that aligns with what the website even wants.”
Looking Ahead
Google’s search team is actively working on improving site rankings and addressing concerns with the next core update.
However, recovery requires patience, thorough analysis, and persistent effort.
The best way to spend your time until the next update is to remain consistent and produce the most exceptional content in your niche.
FAQ
How long does it generally take for a website to recover from the impact of a core update?
Recovery timelines can vary and depend on the extent and type of updates made to align with Google’s guidelines.
Google’s John Mueller noted that some changes might be reassessed quickly, while more substantial effects could take months and require additional update cycles.
Google acknowledges the complexity of the recovery process, indicating that significant improvements aligned with Google’s quality signals might be necessary for a more pronounced recovery.
What impact did the March and September updates have on websites, and what steps should site owners take?
The March and September updates had widespread effects on website rankings, with some sites experiencing traffic surges while others faced up to 90% visibility losses.
Publishing genuinely useful, high-quality content is key for website owners who want to bounce back from a ranking drop or maintain strong rankings. Stick to Google’s recommendations and adapt as they keep updating their systems.
To minimize future disruptions from algorithm changes, it’s a good idea to review your whole site thoroughly and build a content plan centered on what your users want and need.
Is it possible for sites affected by core updates to regain their previous ranking positions?
Sites can recover from the impact of core updates, but it requires significant effort and time.
Mueller suggested that recovery might happen over multiple update cycles and involves a deep analysis to align the site with current user expectations and modern search criteria.
While a return to previous levels isn’t guaranteed, sites can improve and grow by continually enhancing the quality and relevance of their content.
Featured Image: eamesBot/Shutterstock
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