Tips Tuesday – All About Using AI in Blogging and SEO

Hello Happy Site Owners and Webmasters!

Tips this week include:

• Why I’m using new tech to diversify my income
• The new tutorials coming to the Google Analytics 4 course
• Why AI writers are being included in the DIY SEO course
• What practical advice is being given by experts for content creators in 2023
• The truth about AI and the best quote I’ve heard on it
• A free download of my curated AI tools for bloggers
• Why you need to check the licensing on any AI tools you use
• The controversy of the top AI conference banning all papers written by AI
• Why there’s a whole new industry for how to write better ChatGPT prompts
• OpenAI combines with Yoast and whether we’ll be using it or not
• Microsoft Partners with OpenAI for Bing
• WPBeginner Acquires the Duplicator plugin, and a list of the others they own
• YouTube will soon open its Partner Program so you can make money on Shorts

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BlogAid Happenings

More New Music on the Podcast

Yay! I added new music to the podcast intro and exit this week.

And no, it’s not AI generated. It’s just me goofing around in my music studio.

And it’s all just for fun, not serious song writing or such.

Let me know if you like it.

Using New Tech to Diversify Income

As you can tell from the tips that are in this week’s post, I’ve gone way down the AI rabbit hole.

One of my goals this year is to diversify my income by producing evergreen content. 

Y’all know I tried that with Heartwood Art, but that particular style of blogging is not sustainable for me. However, I am still receiving income from it even though I have not produced new content in over a year now. That’s the sheer power of evergreen content and marketing it through YouTube and in woodworking groups.

Most of the summer and fall I spent working on my secret project, but had to put it on hold to create the GA4 course, which is almost finished. And then I’m starting on a complete revamp of the DIY SEO course, which I’ll have more on in a moment. 

There are 3 money streams in that secret project and I’ve got a LOT still to learn on how to do 2 of them. 

But, I’m delighted that one of those things got way easier to do by researching modern technology and apps and how one of the things is done entirely digitally nowadays.

It required that I get a newer iPad and Pencil and learn a new program or two. And that’s what I’m doing in my after hours, plus I find it a fun and relaxing way to spend my evenings.

And, y’all heard me say last week that I had a second secret project that has already launched. 

I didn’t plan to do it right now, but as all this new AI generative stuff came flying out everywhere, I embraced it and it gave me a super shortcut to make that thing happen.

It’s a new YouTube channel with artsy, entertainment videos. I launched it less than 2 weeks ago and it’s already catching on.

I’m not telling anybody what it is because this is also a test of my video SEO skills to see if I can organically grow a large audience from scratch solely on YouTube.

I will be sharing my progress on it with you.

But the point is, I had some money-making ideas on the backburner that I brought forward and started researching new tech for how to do them better and faster.

And it’s working.

And I’m having a LOT of fun doing it too.

So, this week, I want to show you just how big and helpful this AI boom is – way beyond just ChatGPT, so you’ll get inspired to give it a go too.

BlogAid Course Happenings

GA4 Course Update

Last week I was delighted to release the tutorials for how to do affiliate link click tracking directly in GA4.

However, I made the tutorials for how to do that using Google Tag Manager before Google changed it so we could do it directly in GA4.

So, I’ve had to completely revise all of my Tag Manager tutorials.

It took me a solid week to figure out how to track cloaked affiliate link clicks. But I did, I think. I’m still running those tests. But I hope to get those tutorials out this week.

This week also hope to get started on the optin click tracking in Tag Manager and have those out by the end of the week. That will finish the course.

I will also be opening up the Affiliate Program for the course as soon as I can too.

DIY SEO Course Update

I sent an email last week to all course members about how I’m totally revamping the course for this year.

And in a moment you’ll hear about just how much AI is disrupting content creation and SEO as we know it.

So, I HAVE to cover that in the course. In fact, we’ll actually be doing some AI stuff in the workshops this year to ensure you know how to and how not to use it for your content creation and SEO.

Plus, Yoast SEO changed their interface and I’ll be remaking a few of those tutorials too.

Needless to say, we’ll be starting the workshops a little later this year, likely in February.

I’ll keep you updated as we go.

That’s all the happenings around here. Let’s jump into this week’s tips and news.

Monetization Tips

Practical Advice for Content Creators in 2023

The nice folks at The Tilt gathered up some of their expert content creators who are already making a full-time living to give us their best practical advice tips for 2023.

As you read the article, notice how many mention Web3, AI, and the willingness to embrace the new technologies.

They also mention how important it is to show up in person now too.

That means video, even if it’s just your voiceover while showing folks how to do something.

AI generated written and video content is going to be everywhere in 2023.

It’s more important than ever now for you to be a person making a personal connection with other people now.

And, yes, some of these experts mentioned Web3 and even the metaverse. They will be making a big comeback. So will NFTs, though I suspect that won’t be until the last half of 2023, at the earliest.

AI Tips

The Truth About AI

This is, by far, the best quote about AI that I have seen.

“AI will not replace people. People using AI will replace people who don’t.”

Let that sink in – deeply.

Now is the time to get in the know and on board with it.

Folks, my job at BlogAid has always been to keep you well ahead of the curve.

This AI train has been rolling for 2 years already. But, the power behind it has just now been released to the public.

When you grab on to this train, just know that it’s going full steam ahead already.

And you cannot afford to miss it. Reread that quote about AI.

Even if you don’t use it to generate your content or images or such, there are so many productivity tools available that other content creators are going to be able to crank out more whatevers than you can, that includes presence on all social media platforms too.

AI will make you more productive. 

It will allow you to do things that you may not have been able to do easily before, just like it has already done for me.

So, get to be friends with it sooner rather than later.

Database of AI Tools

The AI tech available to the public is already huge and getting bigger every single day.

There are several databases that list AI tools, and my favorite one is called FutureTools.io.

You need to have a look at this entire list just so you can see what I mean about how big this industry already is.

I compiled a list of the tools for you that I think will be interesting to bloggers.

It is a Google doc that you can copy.

I’m already using 3 on this list and 3 more that are not on it in my daily work.

Please do leave a comment here on the blog to let us know what AI tools you’re using already too.

FYI, if your comment has a link, it will get held for moderation. So thank you for your patience in me checking it out before allowing it to appear on the site.

Check AI Licensing

Before you decide to use any AI tool to generate something you intend to publish, check the licensing and Terms of Use first, especially on free programs.

Many of these tools have a free version for personal use that let you try it out.

But, they have a paid version if you intend to use what it generates for promoting your brand.

Make sure you’re using the commercial version of the tool, even if it is still free.

Top AI Conference Bans Papers Written by AI

Authorship is another thing you need to check, especially if you want to use AI generated written words.

The debate has already started about this. You may recall me mentioning a few weeks ago that the Copyright Office declined to issue a copyright on a graphic novel that was entirely generated by AI. The author had to prove “extensive human interaction” in the creation of it.

Well, at the top AI Conference they just announce that all papers written by AI would be banned from publication.

You may recall last week that I reported there will be a watermark on text generated by ChatGPT in the near future.

Well, folks think they are getting around that by taking the text from ChatGPT and putting it into another AI text generator and spinning it. And then putting it through an AI detection tool.

They do get it to pass the test. 

But what they end up with is junk, spun content.

So, use AI to give you content ideas.

But never just copy/paste any long-form AI generated content directly to your site.

Short content like titles, Tweets, and such will be fine, as they are too short to have the type of AI watermark of text embedded in them.

So, when you see folks selling courses to teach you how simple and easy it is to let AI doo 100% of the work for you, take that with a grain of salt.

AI detection is about to become a huge industry itself, and those folks who are using 100% AI generated content may be making money now, but it may not last.

How to Write Better Prompts

All of those AI tools being released have already spawned a brand new industry called Prompt Engineering.

Anybody who has ever formatted a database query will be very familiar with this process.

How you ask the AI to generate something for you matters – a LOT.

The more explicit you can be, the more likely you are to have it spit out what you wanted.

Plus, the order you place the description segment matters too.

Watch the TikTok I have linked for you to get a better idea of how this works.

And honestly, I think learning about this will improve the writing skills of more content creators too. After all, we are describing things for our readers, right?

See ChatGPT in action

Want to see ChatGPT in action and what you can do with it?

Denise Wakeman is cohosting a free webinar on ChatGPT 101: How You Can Harness Its Power for Your Online Marketing.

Denise is a huge fan of productivity tips that make running her online business easier and more profitable. So, I know this will be a good one.

The webinar is January 17, so reserve your seat now. I’ll be there with you too.

SEO Tips

Open AI Combines with Yoast

Remember last week I said I was checking into the SEO and technical parts of AI and would be reporting when I had official news. Here’s some of the first of that research.

And it’s just one example of why I have to revamp the DIY SEO course for this year.

You can now combine OpenAI, Yoast SEO, and a web hooks plugin to have AI generate your SEO meta description.

I would strongly suggest that you don’t use this particular combination at this time. The database bloat is not worth it for something that writes a thing that Google rarely to never even uses anyway.

But, the fact is that it didn’t take long for this to be created. And I expect more AI SEO WordPress plugins to be developed this year. I’ll research all of them that I can. 

Microsoft Partners with OpenAI for Bing

I was stunned to see this news.

Microsoft is one of the financial backers of the OpenAI project. That is the parent organization for ChatGPT, DALL-E, and more AI tools.

And as you may know, Google doesn’t play well with anyone and instead invents its own version of whatever hot thing is out there. But they have yet to release their own GPT powered AI tools to the public.

So, Microsoft is taking full advantage of this lag and this March they will be incorporating a ChatGPT search mechanism into Bing, which of course Microsoft owns.

Folks, I believe this will make or break Bing as a search tool, and here’s why.

Remember I mentioned Prompt Engineering and how important it is for you to be explicit in how you word your query?

Well, the general public is pretty lazy when they input a search query. In fact, that’s why all search engines have an auto complete feature.

That’s also why Google Search has a section for People Also Asked and such.

The search engine itself helps folks be more explicit with their queries.

ChatGPT has no such helpful function and expects you to properly describe what you want.

In my list of AI tools I mentioned previously, you’ll see several tools to integrate AI with both Google and Bing, and tools that run directly in your browser, mainly Chrome extensions.

So, we’ll see how this dual query thing works in search.

My bet is that an improved ChatGPT interface will quickly emerge so that it is more like regular search is now for helping you create the type of query that gets you the results you’re looking for.

And I’m betting Google is watching what happens to Bing with this, so they can improve their own version of it before releasing too.

Plugin Tips

WPBeginner Acquires Duplicator

Yeah, I guess we need to get back to covering a little site news here, right?

The folks at WPBeginner have acquired yet another plugin. Well, their parent company bought it.

This time it is Duplicator, which a few of my Webmaster Training members use for migrating a new theme, or even a site, for their clients.

If you’re curious, WPBeginner also owns these plugins:

• OptinMonster
• MonsterInsights
• WPForms
• WP Mail SMTP
• AIOSEO
• SeedProd Coming Soon
• Smash Balloon
• PushEngage
• Easy Digital Downloads
• Affiliate WP
• WP Simple Pay
• And more

Plus, they are invested in these companies:

• MemberPress
• Pretty Links
• Thirsty Affiliates
• Easy Affiliate
• Formidable Forms
• WP Tasty

The one good thing about WPBeginner acquiring all of these plugins is that we know they are supported and keeping pace with WP.

Video Tips

YouTube Partner Program for Shorts

In an effort to pull more eyeballs off TikTok and get more creators interested in making Shorts for YouTube, in Feb they will open the Partner Program to include Shorts.

To qualify for the ad-revenue sharing, Shorts creators must have 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in a 90 day period.

While that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that the regular YouTube Partner Program runs on watchtime. And you need 10 million views on Shorts to meet that same watchtime criteria.

Shorts are 60 seconds or less. I just can’t make them work for me most of the time and need at least 1.5-2.0 minutes to inform my peeps.

So, I’m not shooting for Shorts in my short-form video content strategy, at least with BlogAid.

That may change with my other secret projects.

Wrap Up

That’s a wrap for this week’s Tips Tuesday.

Thanks for sharing this podcast and post with your blogging buddies, and for leaving comments and reviews too.

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Be sure to visit BlogAid.net for more tips and resources and I’ll see you online.