How to create a persona GPT for SEO audience research

In a perfect world, you would call a top customer to pick their brain about a piece of content. But in reality, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to conduct interviews with the audience every time you need to create a new article or update an old piece.

A few years ago, content marketing was easy – keyword targeting and quality content was enough to rank at the top of Google’s SERP to get clicks. But in the new era of AI, the expectations are different.

Audience research is critical. However, some companies may not have the resources to do it.

Another way to better understand your target audience is to create a custom GPT in ChatGPT, prepared with your personal research. This is not a substitute for audience research or interviews, but they can help you quickly identify what is missing or incorrect in your content.

Below, I’ll explain how GPTs work so you can use them for audience research.

Conduct audience research

Now that the SEO landscape is evolving, audience research is one of your most powerful tools for understanding the “why” behind search intent.

Here are a few easy-to-use methods and tools to get you started on your research.

• SparkToro: Search by website, interest, or specific URL to segment different types of audiences. Research can be in-depth or provide insight into your audience.
• Review the mines: Create automation with various tools and scrape reviews of your company or your competitors to see what users are saying, then analyze them. What does your target customer like? Why did they like it? What didn’t they like? Why?
• Listen to calls/review leads: Listen to the sales team’s interactions with customers to hear real-time questions and what led to a call with a particular client.

Dig deep: How to do SEO audience research

Create a customer persona

After completing your research, create a persona – a representation of your target audience. Figma and FigJam are powerful tools for designing.

Your person should include:

• Name, history, and feature slide.
• Interests, influences, goals, pain points.
• User stories.
• An emotional journey through and after.
• Focus on content, trigger words, and calls to action (CTAs).
• Full steps of the customer journey.
• Updates that support data.

Create your own custom GPT

Now that you have all your research and your personality, it’s time to do the GPT.

First, log in to ChatGPT, then go to Check the GPTs in the sidebar.

In the upper right corner, click Create.

Once there, ask ChatGPT for your audience research data and personal information. You can attach screenshots of your data to make it easier.

Once all your data is in and the GPT has been created, you can start talking to it. Less than- Prepare tab, you can use conversation starters to ask it about changes, updates, and copying.

These GPTs, like all AI models, are not 100% accurate. It’s not a substitute for an actual audience survey or interview, but it can help you quickly identify problems with a piece of content and how it might not be connecting with your audience.

Here is an example of a customized page. GPT “Hank” helped make sure the stage above the barn was performing as intended.

Hank said what worked, what didn’t, and where it was improved.

But should you take his advice 100% of the time? Of course not.

But GPT helps quickly identify problems you may have missed. This is where the real benefit of using GPT comes in.

Dive deeper: 7 custom GPT ideas to automate your SEO workflow

Make sure the data from your GPT is accurate

Nothing analyzed or created by AI is definitive proof. If you are not sure that your GPT is giving you accurate information, double check by asking it to provide evidence from the sources you have provided.

GPT can correct itself if the information sounds off. If possible, ask for proof of the personal information you have provided to double-check the new information.

Update your personal GPT

You can add more information to your GPT to make it stronger.

To do this, return to Check the GPTs on ChatGPT.

Instead of CreateGo to My GPTs in the upper right corner.

Click on your person.

Click on Prepare to update, add, or delete your current information.

Remember that a persona is never just one form. The more you learn about your audience and the more information you provide to GPT, the better, to keep it up to date.

Use persona GPTs for SEO content

Personas aren’t perfect, and the AI ​​can see things that aren’t there.

But both tools can help you prepare content.

Once you’re comfortable creating personas, you can create your own custom audiences, specific segments, and individual campaigns.

SEO and marketing are always changing, and you can’t just set it and forget it. As you gain audience information or if the audience changes, update the information or remove anything that is no longer relevant from your GPT.

When used correctly, these tools can work with SEO to drive traffic and get more conversions.