How to use ChatGPT & Google Keyword Explorer to write human-readable, SEO-friendly blog posts
Yeah everyone hates content marketing, but it can be done well
Everyone loves to hate content marketing, but what if I told you that you can easily combine Google Keyword Explorer and ChatGPT to create blog posts which are both human-readable and stuffed with critical keywords for SEO? Even better, the text generated is, while not prize-winning literature, more than serviceable. It is readable by humans, it is fluid and fluent, and it has little to none of the poorly formatted SEO garbage that has become the bane of people everywhere.
So here’s our process1:
Enter a term into Google Keyword Explorer
Download its list of keywords relevant to the term to Google Sheets
Copy the keywords into ChatGPT and build a good prompt
Review ChatGPT’s output, and edit it, if necessary, in the word processor of your choice
It’s really this simple.
Let’s make this more concrete. Let’s say that you want to write a content marketing blog post about holiday gift cards. So I sign into Google Keywords Explorer, and enter “holiday gift cards”. I get a bunch of information returned, which looks something like this:
What I am interested in is those Keyword ideas. I want those keywords suffused throughout the text that ChatGPT writes for me.
So I save the data to Google Sheets, which looks something like this:
Now, I don’t care about any of this data except for what appears in Column A.
All I have to do now is select several of these key words, dump them into ChatGPT, and structure a prompt around them. Here’s the prompt I came up with: I need a blog post, about 15 paragraphs long, about holiday gift cards. I want to make sure that the text is SEO optimized, so make sure to include the following keywords & phrases: "holiday gift cards"; "holiday gift vouchers", "cyber Monday gift card deals"; "Christmas gift cards". However I also need you to make sure that the text is human-readable. Therefore, make sure you vary sentence structure, and avoid repeating words many times. Avoid cliches. The goal here is twofold: (1) make sure that Google's search crawler picks up this text with the SEO keywords; and (2) drive human engagement with interesting text which piques a human's interest.
This prompt2 does a number of important things:
It provides ChatGPT with sufficient context and information about what output I am looking for.
It provides certain critical details, such as keywords, that I want to be incorporated in the text.
I make reference to varying sentence structure, and avoiding repetition, to give ChatGPT some indication of the style of prose that I want. I want something that is readable both by bot and human. Bots don’t really care if sentence structures repeat throughout a piece of text, but humans very much care. Cadence is important. And it has to be varied for it to read fluidly.
Anyway, so what does the output look like? Well, here it is, between the section breaks.
Embrace the Festive Season with Exciting Holiday Gift Cards and Vouchers
As the holiday season approaches, the age-old question of what to give your loved ones looms large. We all know that the perfect gift captures the spirit of the season while also catering to the unique preferences of the recipient. Enter the world of holiday gift cards, a magical solution that offers an expansive realm of possibilities.
Holiday gift cards make the festive season more joyous by combining the elements of surprise, flexibility, and personal preference in a small, tangible token. Instead of scouring shops and websites for that elusive perfect gift, a well-chosen holiday gift voucher can deliver the same excitement and happiness, ensuring your loved ones get exactly what they wish for.
In the past few years, we've seen a significant shift towards online shopping, a trend that has amplified the importance of Cyber Monday gift card deals. These deals have revolutionized our holiday shopping experience by providing not just value for money but also an opportunity to explore a variety of gifting options across diverse categories.
When you think of Cyber Monday gift card deals, think of the infinite options that become accessible to the recipient. From tech gadgets to fashion accessories, from books to experiences, these deals unlock a whole new world of potential gifts. The best part? You can snag these deals from the comfort of your own home, bidding farewell to the holiday shopping rush.
Imagine a scenario where your friends and family could choose their own presents, a world where the anxiety of gift-giving is replaced with the certainty that they'll love what they receive. That's precisely the comfort and convenience that holiday gift vouchers provide. They're not just a gift; they're a passport to a personalized shopping spree.
Christmas gift cards, specifically, are a warm and festive way to share the holiday cheer. No more worrying about whether your cousin likes the sweater you picked out, or if your mom already has the new bestseller you bought. With Christmas gift cards, you can be sure that your gift will be appreciated, loved, and most importantly, used.
Moreover, Christmas gift cards can fit any budget, making them an ideal option for everyone. Whether you're a student looking for an affordable gift for your friends or a grandparent wanting to spoil your grandchildren, there's a Christmas gift card that's just right for you.
There's a certain charm in the mystery that holiday gift cards offer. Unwrapping a gift to find a card that allows you to select what you truly want, now that's a memorable holiday experience. Moreover, the flexibility that these cards offer is unparalleled. They can be used immediately or saved for later, used in part or in whole, offering complete control to the recipient.
Shopping for holiday gift vouchers can also be a fun experience in itself. Brands often offer festive-themed cards and packaging, allowing you to give a gift that carries the holiday spirit in both its form and function. Coupled with a heartfelt note, it makes for a present that is as thoughtful as it is practical.
We mustn't forget that holiday gift cards are also a savior for those last-minute shoppers among us. With instant delivery options available online, you can be sure your gift will reach on time, every time. Say goodbye to expedited shipping fees and hello to instant gifting!
In essence, holiday gift cards take the stress out of the festive season, replacing it with ease and assurance. They are the perfect fusion of thoughtfulness and practicality, ensuring that your gift is both appreciated and utilized.
So, as the holiday season rolls in, consider simplifying your shopping process and amplifying your gifting experience with holiday gift cards. With the exciting Cyber Monday gift card deals and the joyous Christmas gift cards, let's redefine the way we gift and be gifted.
You’ll notice that all the keywords are bolded. This way you can quickly scan the blog post output and see where ChatGPT inserted the keywords. The result is that you have a blog post which is eminently readable by humans and bots. And it doesn’t read like SEO garbage. Again, this isn’t literature. It’s content marketing.
Once you’ve nailed this process down, you can generate a lot of great content very quickly. And, if you learn how to automate parts of this process with APIs, then you can very rapidly generate large amounts of very readable, high quality content.
Yes, this is a manual process, and, yes, a lot of this can be automated with ChatGPT’s and Google Keyword’s APIs, but I am writing this post for a non-technical audience.
If you read this prompt carefully, you’ll note that it isn’t really well-written. Especially the last sentence. Nonetheless, ChatGPT’s execution is nearly flawless. There is an important lesson here, which is that, while structuring good prompts is important, they can have small errors and still yield great output from ChatGPT. So don’t obsess over making your prompts perfect. If ever there were a case where done is better than perfect, creating prompts for ChatGPT would be it.