Leveraging AI for Technical SEO
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in various fields, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The article explores whether AI can effectively perform technical SEO analysis using raw crawl data from tools like Screaming Frog and compares the results to those from professional SEO tools like Ahrefs. This comparison aims to determine if AI, specifically ChatGPT’s new model GPT-4o, can generate actionable insights for SEO.

Understanding AI's Role in SEO
Generative AI, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o, offers potential benefits for SEO analysis. However, the implementation is not straightforward. Many marketers struggle with blending OpenAI’s API, Python, and spreadsheets. They prefer clear human insights from tech data. The article highlights this challenge and seeks to understand if AI can interpret technical SEO data effectively.
ChatGPT and Screaming Frog Crawl Data
The article tests GPT-4o using crawl data from the Butcher’s Dog Food company website. Screaming Frog’s “internal all” export, which provides insights into metadata issues, canonical tag conflicts, and hreflang issues, is used for the analysis. The AI’s ability to identify these issues accurately and provide specific recommendations is evaluated.
Initial AI Recommendations: Generic Guidance
When first given the data, GPT-4o provided several generic recommendations, such as optimizing image files for web usage and ensuring correct implementation of canonical tags. These recommendations, while accurate, were disappointingly generic given the specific data available.
Pushing AI for Specific Insights
Further detailed prompts were provided to push the AI for more specific guidance. However, the recommendations remained vague and sometimes misleading. For instance, AI suggested implementing canonical tags for URLs that do not support HTML, indicating a lack of understanding of the data’s context.
Analyzing AI's Errors and Potential
Despite the inaccuracies, the AI’s mistakes showed signs of intelligence similar to an inexperienced junior SEO professional. This suggests that while the AI’s current capability may not be sufficient for detailed technical SEO analysis, there is potential for improvement.
Comparing AI and Ahrefs Technical Audit
The article also compares GPT-4o’s insights with a technical SEO audit from Ahrefs, a sophisticated cloud-based SEO tool. Ahrefs provided more accurate and actionable data, highlighting the current gap between AI and professional tools in technical SEO analysis.
Final Verdict
While GPT-4o shows promise and can handle more types of data, its ability to perform technical SEO analysis is still lacking. The AI’s recommendations were either too generic or incorrect. Thus, relying on AI for technical SEO analysis is not recommended at this stage. However, the potential for future improvements is significant, and keeping an eye on AI advancements in this field is advisable.
Conclusion
AI, specifically ChatGPT’s new model GPT-4o, is not yet capable of performing technical SEO analysis at the level required for actionable insights. While the technology shows potential, it currently falls short of replacing professional SEO tools and expertise.