ChatGPT vs. Traditional SEO — Which is Best for Your Business? Discover the ideal digital strategy for your business as we analyze the battle between ChatGPT and Traditional SEO.
By Aleh Barysevich Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
With the rise of AI technology, ChatGPT has emerged as a game-changer in the world of SEO. While traditional SEO techniques have their benefits, ChatGPT offers a unique approach to search engine optimization that can help businesses achieve their goals faster.
In this article, we'll explore the differences between ChatGPT and traditional SEO to help you determine which approach is best for your business.
Methodology: We will take four basic SEO tasks — on-page optimization, keyword research, link-building and technical SEO — and compare how traditional SEO and ChatGPT handle them.
Traditional SEO
Traditional SEO needs no introduction. But as we compare the two approaches, let's briefly revise how it's usually done.
On-page optimization
On-page optimization involves optimizing a website's pages and content to ensure they are search and user-friendly.
On-page optimization is a team effort that involves SEOs, copywriters, designers, and developers. The SEO specialist takes the lead in creating content guidelines and providing recommendations for optimizing the site. Writers follow these recommendations, and web developers and designers ensure the site's HTML and metadata are properly structured for SEO.
Keyword research
Keyword research is an important aspect of SEO that involves discovering and analyzing keywords for their search intent, popularity, competition and relevance to a specific topic or industry. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, search engine autocomplete features and related searches assist in conducting effective keyword research.
Additionally, specialized software such as Rank Tracker provides additional research opportunities. These tools generate a list of relevant keywords based on seed keywords or competitor domains, along with metrics such as keyword difficulty, search volume, and CPC. This data helps build a successful SEO strategy aligned with business goals.
Link building
Improving a site's authority and credibility through building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites is a key goal for SEOs. Various methods like guest blogging, broken link building, and claiming unlinked mentions are employed for link building.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves optimizing a website's technical aspects, such as page speed, mobile-friendliness, and site architecture. SEOs and developers work together to optimize the website's technical infrastructure and code for search engines. This includes creating a website structure and architecture, optimizing site speed and performance, conducting technical site audits, implementing technical changes, and testing and tracking their effectiveness.
Related: How Can Marketers Use ChatGPT? Here Are the Top 11 Uses.
Pros and cons of using traditional SEO for your business
Pros
- Contextual understanding: Human SEO experts can consider the context of a business and its industry, as well as its unique needs and goals, and tailor SEO strategies accordingly.
- Creative problem-solving: SEO involves creative problem-solving and coming up with unique solutions to SEO challenges, which human SEO experts may excel at.
- Personalization: SEO strategies can be personalized for specific clients, considering their preferences, budgets and other unique factors.
Cons
- Limited analysis capabilities: Traditional SEO tools have limitations in functionality, requiring multiple assisting tools that can be costly.
- Time-consuming: Traditional SEO requires manual effort to analyze data, generate reports, and make recommendations, even with the use of special tools.
ChatGPT for SEO
It's important to understand that ChatGPT can't do SEO instead of you. It is a tool that can perform various SEO tasks for you. However, there are some limitations to be aware of. ChatGPT's database is limited to 2021, so it may not provide the most up-to-date information.
Keyword research
ChatGPT can assist in researching keywords and phrases based on search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and search intent. It can generate a list of relevant keywords and even cluster them based on semantics. This helps in organizing and prioritizing keywords for an effective SEO strategy.
On-page optimization
ChatGPT can generate optimized content and help optimize on-page elements such as titles, headings, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. It can provide recommendations to make these elements more search engine friendly.
Link building
While ChatGPT cannot fully automate link-building efforts, it can guide in creating a link-building strategy. It can generate a list of niche blogs for outreach and even help create an outreach template, saving time for SEOs.
Technical SEO
ChatGPT can assist in writing code, such as schema markup, and finding mistakes in HTML code. It can suggest fixes for these issues and help with tasks like creating crawl directives for robots.txt or generating an XML sitemap.
Related: The Real Threat of ChatGPT Isn't The Tool Itself — This Is.
Pros and cons of using ChatGPT for SEO
Pros
- Speed and efficiency: ChatGPT can analyze large amounts of data and provide recommendations quickly and efficiently.
- Multilingual capabilities: ChatGPT can communicate and understand multiple languages, making it useful for businesses operating in multilingual environments.
- Consistency: ChatGPT can consistently apply SEO best practices and standards across a website.
Cons
- Lack of control over generated content: ChatGPT generates content based on input, which can result in unpredictable or inappropriate content that may not align with the brand's message or values.
- Limited customization options: ChatGPT may not be able to fully customize responses to fit specific brand or industry needs, leading to a generic or impersonal user experience.
Which approach is best for your business?
When choosing between ChatGPT and traditional SEO tools, consider the following factors:
- Purpose: Determine if the tool aligns with your goals and needs. ChatGPT is best suited for generating content, while traditional SEO tools excel in keyword research, backlink analysis, and technical optimization.
- Time and resources: Assess the resources and time required to implement and maintain the tool. ChatGPT may require more resources and time compared to traditional SEO tools.
- Accuracy and reliability: Evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the tool. ChatGPT generates responses based on input, which can result in unpredictable or inappropriate content. Traditional SEO tools are based on data and algorithms and are generally more reliable.
Ultimately, the choice between ChatGPT and traditional SEO tools depends on your individual requirements and objectives. If precise data and insights are crucial, traditional SEO tools may be more suitable. Conversely, ChatGPT may be the better option if engagement and personalization are essential. A combination of both approaches may yield optimal outcomes.
