How to build backlinks with ChatGPT

Key Takeaways

  • ChatGPT’s role as an assistant: You can’t build backlinks with ChatGPT directly. However, it can help brainstorm ideas, conduct research, and improve efficiency in backlink strategies.
  • Limitations in finding websites and influencers: ChatGPT struggles to identify relevant niche websites and influencers, often suggesting overly broad or unrealistic targets.
  • Content creation with ChatGPT: AI-assisted content creation can aid backlink strategies but requires significant human input to ensure quality and compliance with search engine guidelines.
  • Automating outreach: ChatGPT excels at drafting personalised outreach emails, significantly improving the efficiency of the outreach process.

The idea of AI generating backlinks automatically will have SEOs closing their eyes, swaying side to side and singing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Indeed, it is a beautiful vision. No more researching broken links and spending hours getting rejected or ignored by webmasters.

However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Using AI to build backlinks automatically won’t work. However, AI tools like ChatGPT can help you speed up the process. They are a useful assistant. So, can you build backlinks with ChatGPT?

In this article, we will review the most common methods to use ChatGPT to build backlinks. While backlinks are diminishing in importance, they are still an “important” factor, according to Google. Therefore, you need backlinks for an effective off-page SEO strategy to rank highly in search results because they signal that other websites find your content valuable.

However, as we will discover, ChatGPT still faces limitations in backlink building.

Since the launch of ChatGPT, marketers have been dreaming of new ways the platform can transform their SEO initiatives. Despite ChatGPT traffic declining, enthusiasm remains. One thing getting people exited is automated backlinks.

However, before, jumping into how you can build backlinks with ChatGPT, we need to manage expectations. AI cannot and will not ever be able to automate SEO. Moreover, AI cannot generate backlinks on its own.

If it could, there would be no point in them. After all, if ChatGPT can build backlinks, then everyone can do it. Consequently, backlinks offer no value as a signal for trust.

Instead, you need to think of it as an assistant. It can help you brainstorm when you are stuck and research for you. Moreover, for the best results, you will need access to the paid version of ChatGPT. This is because the free version, ChatGPT 3.5, is trained on data up to 2021. Subsequently, it won’t give you the latest insights.

So, let’s examine the effectiveness of the most common methods to use ChatGPT to build backlinks.

One of the most common methods to build backlinks with ChatGPT is to ask it to find websites and influencers in your niche. This can help you save time as you do not need to find websites to build relationships with.

Once you have a list of websites and influencers (who should also have a website) you can:

  • Reach out to do guest blogging
  • Analyse their content to find broken backlinks using an SEO tool like Ahrefs
  • Find content to add additional value like a niche edit

However, we found ChatGPT doesn’t do a good job. In our test, we told ChatGPT we had a start-up website that sells continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).

However, we were keen to point out that our target audience is people looking to monitor their glucose levels for health optimisation. This is because CGMs are traditionally used for diabetes management. However, in recent years, the health optimisation industry has begun using them to improve their diet, leading to a 200% increase in online interest 

Unfortunately, ChatGPT did not give us very good insights. Its suggestions included Healthline or specialist diabetes websites. Diabetes management is the wrong audience, and Healthline is one of the biggest health websites in the world. Therefore, a start-up has better targets than this.

Moreover, our efforts to build backlinks with ChatGPT faced a similar issue with influencers. We asked for influencers who have a website. Unfortunately, the suggestions included Ben Greenfield and Peter Attia.

These are great suggestions in terms of the niche we wanted. However, they are some of the biggest influencers in health optimisation, so they are not ideal for a start-up.

You can ask ChatGPT to continue refining its answers, but the process is not as efficient as we had hoped.

Verdict: 2/5

The value of building backlinks within online forums is debatable. After all, anyone can jump onto Reddit and leave a comment. Providing the community allows you to leave a link, you can build a backlink. However, to what degree do search engines like Google value these backlinks?

Assuming lots of different users leave comments with links to your content, we would suggest they offer value. This is because it’s a positive signal that people online are talking about your website. However, building them yourself is not authentic or sustainable. Therefore, the quality of such links is debatable.

However, putting our opinions aside, we looked to see if ChatGPT could help us find online forums to build backlinks. 

As a specialist marketing agency for health brands, we work with longevity companies. Subsequently, we are aware of many of the online forums. However, ChatGPT did a good job of unearthing some new ones. For instance, LongeCity is a forum we were not aware of. Moreover, it allows you to participate and comment.

However, ChatGPT also made up some forums when we checked and some of their suggestions were not online communities. Therefore, if you want to build backlinks with ChatGPT using this method you will need to spend time fact checking.

Verdict: 3/5

In the next ten years, where people search will depend on what they are looking for. Consequently, the importance of multichannel SEO will increase, further reducing the importance of backlinks. As a result, SEO will become more complicated with new disciplines like optimising for AEO gathering momentum.

This also increases the need to build a social media strategy that works. For instance, on platforms like Instagram, your strategy must factor in everything from how the algorithms work and obtain more followers to developing techniques to increase Reel views predicated on identifying a strong niche.

Yet, that takes time. Getting your first 10k followers by only focusing on your content can be a challenge. Moreover, backlinks remain important.

Therefore, getting onto a podcast can help generate awareness amongst a new audience. Moreover, many podcasts also have a website, so you can get a backlink.

Providing you stipulate you want a backlink as part of the agreement to go on the show it can be a great way to grow your online presence. 

So, to understand if we can build backlinks with ChatGPT, we asked it to find podcasts focused on health optimisation. Yet, we didn’t want just the biggest shows. After all, if you are reading this article, we can assume you are not inundated with requests. If you are, pick up the phone! 

So, we asked ChatGPT to provide a list of podcasts with a website, that would like to hear from someone who sells NMN supplements but is not famous.  

As ChatGPT spat out its podcast list, we were half expecting Huberman Lab to be suggested. It’s in the top five podcasts globally and an unrealistic option. Thankfully, it wasn’t there. However, that didn’t stop ChatGPT from providing other unrealistic suggestions.

For instance, the suggestions included David Asprey and Ben Greenfield. While both podcasts are in the right niche – they are unlikely to accept guests who do not have a significant online following. 

Thankfully, there were a couple of suggestions which might work. So, using ChatGPT to identify podcasts for building backlinks can be a viable option. 

Verdict: 2.5/5

Similar to podcasts, speaking at industry events can be extremely effective. Not only can you get a backlink for your work but you also get to raise your profile among people in your niche. 

So, we tasked ChatGPT with uncovering some events for a company that operates a health optimisation clinic. Ideally, the event shouldn’t be too big because they will likely only use famous speakers. 

However, we found the results to be mixed. On one side it had events like the Global Wellness Summit and Biohacker Summit. While such events will still require established speakers, they are not necessarily household names. 

However, it also had suggestions like Tony Robbins Unleash the Power. We are sure our example Health clinic would love to get a backlink from Tony Robbins, but we don’t think he will be picking up the phone.

But ChatGPT gave us enough good suggestions to make it worthwhile.

Verdict: 3.5/5

5. Creating content with the help of ChatGPT

Since the launch of ChatGPT, interest in using AI to create content has skyrocketed 64% globally. However, AI content will negatively impact your search rankings. While Google doesn’t ban the use of AI to create content, it does not allow content designed to manipulate search rankings. Therefore, it won’t help you rank.

So, if you want to use AI for content creation you need to add value. You can do this by adding your insights and statistics. This will become even more important as AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews become commonplace in search engines.

While traditional search engines like Google won’t become obsolete, AI tools will impact traditional search results, meaning there is an increased need to provide original content. 

So, how can you build backlinks with ChatGPT through content creation? There are two main ways:

  • Create content for your website and ask for a backlink
  • Guest blog for another website with a backlink to your website

Whichever method you choose, you need to ensure it’s not a copy-and-paste from whatever ChatGPT has provided you. This means asking it to help create an article structure, brainstorm ideas, or improve your text. So, it’s not a silver bullet solution; you still need to write the content, but it can help improve your efficiency.

How to optimise your AI content

If you use ChatGPT to create some sections, consider how to humanise the content. This can help your content stand out. You can also use online AI content detectors to ensure your article has been sufficiently adapted. Indeed, in recent times, interest in AI content detectors has jumped by 6000%.

However, in our analysis, these tools are only 66% correct meaning they are not a foolproof strategy. Therefore, you should evaluate how to optimise your AI content to avoid detection.

Also, consider using ChatGPT for your keyword research. You will still need to use an SEO tool to look at how competitive and popular those keywords are but it can be a great assistant if you are stuck.

Overall, using content to build backlinks with ChatGPT can be useful. However, it’s not a simple solution.

Verdict: 3/5

Once you have a list of websites to target, you should contact them for a backlink. Typically, this can take time as in your email you will need to:

  • Personalise your email
  • Highlight what you like about the article you want a backlink from
  • Inform them about what value your article provide

If you plan to do this at scale, personalisation is almost impossible. However, ChatGPT can help. 

We tasked ChatGPT with drafting an email for our article on Methylene Blue. Our article offers valuable insights and statistics on consumer interest, noting a 300% surge in demand.

Subsequently, we identified an article where our link could significantly enhance the reader’s experience. ChatGPT excelled in pinpointing key aspects it admired about the article and how our content could contribute additional value. So, you can use a prompt like this:

Draft an outreach email for a backlink request. I want a backlink from this article: [URL of the target article]. This is my article which I want the backlink for: [URL of your article]. Please make the email friendly and personalised, highlighting what I like about the target article and explaining how my article can add value.

Verdict: 4/5

One of the most difficult parts of building backlinks is finding the right person to contact. Many websites do not stipulate a contact email, offering a generic contact form instead. However, you cannot be sure your outreach message will reach the right person. 

So, we asked ChatGPT to scan some websites for an email address. Unfortunately, it was unable to do this at all.

Verdict: 0/5

From our analysis, it’s clear that building backlinks with ChatGPT is not straightforward. It offers some benefits such as:

  • Increased efficiency e.g. writing outreach emails
  • Time-saving e.g. finding websites
  • Improved creativity e.g. offering keywords and content ideas

However, there are still many manual tasks you will need to undertake. ChatGPT makes mistakes and offers suggestions that are either not appropriate or do not exist. Therefore, you still need to do a lot of work to build backlinks.

Moreover, your backlink analysis will still need to be undertaken in SEO tools. For instance, ChatGPT cannot find broken backlinks or tell you where your competitors get their links. Therefore, you must use ChatGPT as an additional tool, rather than a replacement for all your backlink systems. 

Overall verdict: 2/5

You cant automatically build backlinks with ChatGPT

In this article, we have outlined the effectiveness of some of the most popular methods. However, be warned using some of these methods can do more damage than good.

For instance, one popular YouTube channel outlined how they use ChatGPT to get more backlinks. They demonstrate how they managed to get 15k clicks per month on their website in February 2024. However, by June 2024, we found they were getting no organic traffic.

The most likely explanation is that their website had been hit by Google penalties due to using AI-generated content.

Moreover, ChatGPT will often provide false information. Known as “hallucinations” it can make up facts which had led to trust in the platform declining. Therefore, make sure you double-check its advice.

So, follow the advice in this article carefully to avoid a similar outcome.

ChatGPT is getting better. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has been busy building partnerships to give the platform more data. Consequently, it will continue to improve.

However, it’s unlikely that ChatGPT will ever analyse your entire site, identify appropriate websites for link building, and create and send outreach emails. This is because ChatGPT is designed for general intelligence and will not be trained specifically for backlink purposes.

Moreover, while such a solution may sound appealing, it’s not something we should hope for. Such a system will inevitably be abused by many SEOs leading to a significant hike in spam emails. Subsequently, it will lead to a future where website owners are sceptical about building relationships.

Unfortunately, no matter how you look at it, building backlinks requires time and effort. This is why many SEO services specialising in backlink building often provide poor-quality links. They promise you a lot of backlinks for a low cost. The only way that is achievable is by using black hat tactics.

As our Wonderland case study proves, backlinks are just one small part of an effective SEO strategy if you want results. In the future, trends such as Entity SEO and Topical Authority will increasingly be seen as necessary.

So, feel free to build backlinks using ChatGPT. Just don’t expect miracle results.

1 Comment

  1. Klenam
    Klenam on August 9, 2024 at 7:31 am

    Great content. Thanks for the information.

    Reply

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