Prompts, or instructions, are how you tell a robot to get the answer that matches your needs perfectly. Those who have already used ChatGPT know that if one is not precise enough, the robot can answer off the plate. But with the right prompts, the results can be stunning. Back to the guide offered on the subject by Search Engine Land.
The 4 points to remember
- ChatGPT’s database is not up to date and it does not crawl the web
- To make a good prompt, it is necessary to be clear, complete, avoid technical language and ambiguous formulations, provide context and refine the request according to the answers of the tool
- If you need accurate data, use an SEO tool
- Proceed with caution and always check what ChatGPT is telling you before exploiting it
Things to keep in mind when creating prompts
Before offering examples, Tom Demers, the author of SEO guide on ChatGPT prompts, outlines what the general approach should be to create excellent prompts.
You must know that ChatGPT database is not up to date : it dates from the beginning of 2022. Since the tool is not designed to crawl the web, it will not crawl pages to bring you answers. He only bases himself on what he already knows. It is therefore normal that he is mistaken on certain facts, on code or on mathematical problems.
ChatGPT is not designed to be an SEO tool. It is possible to create prompts concerning keyword research, link creation, clusters… but it does not work as an SEO tool.
he is also difficult to ask him to write an article. Chances are that what he writes is inaccurate or written in an uninteresting way.
From there, Tom Demers offers some tips for creating a good prompt:
- Verify that ChatGPT has the capabilities to do what you are asking
- Be very clear and complete
- Use good grammar and punctuation
- Provide as much context as possible
- Do not use technical language
- Avoid ambiguous formulations and do not ask several questions at the same time
- Refine prompt based on ChatGPT responses
Examples of using ChatGPT for SEO
In the sequel to his guide, Tom Demers offers several examples of prompts to use for SEO. He gives good examples, but also cases where the robot was not able to provide an interesting answer.
Remember that verification is always required before using an answer from ChatGPT. For example, his answers are rather hazardous concerning the interest of a keyword. SEO tools will always be more accurate than this tool, although it can provide a good baseline.
Some good examples include: requests that can be made to ChatGPT :
- Keyword brainstorming
- Topic brainstorming
- headline ideas
- List ideas
- FAQ Ideas
- Content structure
- Keyword cluster
- Page Summary
- Code snippets
- robots.txt file
- Meta descriptions
- Instructions, code or help for Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Looker Studio
- Page translation
- Page formatting
- Coding simple tools and widgets
- Content rewrite
- Searching for information
You have a number of tasks to ask ChatGPT! But the author of the guide also pointed out some tasks that the tool fails to performat least not as well as a human.
For example, ask it for a complete process, like create a marketing strategy. You will get all-purpose advice, intended for beginners. In some cases this may be appropriate, but sometimes it is better to have human intervention!
If you’re considering using ChatGPT to make some SEO tasks easier for you, don’t hesitate. Tom Demers’ guide offers you a certain number of examples of prompts, which you can use or modify according to your requests. But above all, don’t forget to always check the information provided, in order to avoid spreading false information or creating bugs on your site (especially if you ask for code snippets). Good practice !
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