On 30 November, OpenAI launched ChatGPT. Within five days it had one million users. It is the fastest-growing consumer product in history.
Reactions have ranged from "SEO is dead" to "it is just a tool." The truth is more nuanced, and more interesting.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a large language model that generates text based on instructions. It can write articles, summarise documents, explain complex topics, write code and much more.
It is impressively capable. It is also limited in important ways: it can hallucinate facts, it has no access to real-time information and it lacks genuine experience and professional depth.
What does it mean for content production?
Many marketers and website owners will use ChatGPT to produce more content faster. They will probably succeed, in volume.
The problem is that the Google Helpful Content Update, which we covered in September, is already aimed precisely at this type of content. Generic, AI-generated text without genuine insight and experience is exactly what Google wants to rank down.
That does not mean AI is useless in content production. It means AI tools are most valuable as an aid, not as a replacement for human expertise.
What AI is good at:
- Creating a first draft to build from
- Generating ideas and angles
- Improving sentence structure and flow in existing text
- Summarising and organising input
- Writing variations of existing content
What AI cannot replace:
- Genuine professional judgement based on experience
- Original perspectives and opinions
- Knowledge of your specific business, your customers and your market
- The trust that comes from knowing who is writing
What does it mean for search?
This is the big question nobody has a definitive answer to yet.
It is likely that search engines will integrate AI-generated answers more directly into results. Bing has already announced ChatGPT integration. That will increase zero-click searches and change what kind of content earns visibility.
What appears to become more valuable: content with a clear author, original insight, concrete examples and professional depth. The opposite of generic AI text.
What does it mean for websites?
In the short term: probably little. ChatGPT does not fundamentally change what a good website needs to do: help visitors understand what you offer and make a decision.
In the longer term: websites that are clearly structured, professionally credible and authentically human will hold up better in a world where generic content is cheap and ubiquitous.
That is a very good reason to invest in exactly that kind of website and content now.
An honest assessment
ChatGPT is an impressive tool that will change many workflows. It is not a threat to businesses that have genuine expertise and communicate it well. It is a threat to businesses that have built visibility on generic content and SEO shortcuts.
For SMBs with real knowledge and skill, the practical conclusion is simple: invest in showing what you know, in a way that is clearly human and clearly expert.
Want to discuss how AI tools can be used sensibly in content production for your business? Get in touch.