So even though this has nothing to do with CustomGPT, I am having too much fun with Code Interpreter this weekend – so I thought about this simple use case for analyzing SEO data.
The goal of this exercise was to start with data from ahrefs on some keyword research and then get a content plan of 10 blog posts to write based on that keyword research.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
How To Activate The ChatGPT Code Interpreter?
Before we start any ninja competitive analysis, let’s see how to activate the Code Interpreter.
Please note: You need to be on the ChatGPT Paid Plan to get this.
Step 1 : Click on the 3 dots (…)
Step 2: Enable the “Code Interpreter” in the “Settings”
Step 3: Activate the Code Interpreter Plugin
Click on the “GPT-4” tab and activate the plugin.
ALERT: If this does not work, you might need to logout and re-login and do a Hard refresh of the browser (Control-R)
Step 4 : Code Interpreter Activated
If all is good, a Plus sign “+” icon should appear in your inbox box. This is where you would upload your data.
How To Get SEO Data For Analysis?
For the purpose of this exercise, I am using ahrefs to get my keyword research data. I am using their “Keyword Explorer” tool to do some keyword research.
Using this tool is outside the scope of this blog post, but there are many articles on that and you can also use their fantastic documentation and blog.
Step 1: Conduct your keyword research and Export
For my use case, I started with some list of keywords of interest to my company and then click on “Export”
Step 2: Make sure you use “Excel” export
While Code Interpreter seems to be able to handle many formats, I saw that using Excel had the best results for analyzing spreadsheets.
How to Analyze Excel Data In Code Interpreter?
Now that we have Code Interpreter enabled and have our data, let’s get started, informed by expert Code Interpreter insights.
Step 1 : Upload the data using the “+” icon
Notice how the Code Interpreter loads the data and even auto-corrects some data cleanliness issues.
For us data analysts, this is a huge time saver – since data cleanliness and dealing with data issues usually takes the most time.
In my specific use case here, it automatically went through 3 rounds of auto-corrections before the data was loaded.
Step 2 : Examine the summary
Now that the data is loaded, code interpreter will provide a summary of the data. Take a look and confirm that it has successfully understood it.
Step 3: Run your prompt
Now that the data is loaded, you can give it your awesome prompts. In my case, my prompt was pretty simple:
Excellent -- now based on this data, act as a expert SEO analyst and do a full SEO analysis and let me know what blog posts I should write -- give me the 10 article ideas based on this analysis.
Step 4 : Re-prompt or Chain-Of-Thought
If you don’t like what it has given you, you can do your “Chain of Thought” prompting and revise the output as needed.
Step 5 : Review your output
And here is the final output as markdown. For this, I just did this:
excellent - please give this to me as a markdown table and also add other columns like slug and 160-char meta description I will need to write my blog posts. 
Is this a replacement for Excel?
I would NOT recommend that. While code interpreter and ChatGPT is great at text analysis, it is NOT a replacement for good old numerical analysis.
You are better off doing your secret sauce numerical analysis in Excel or Google Sheets and then using Code Interpreter for the parts that need text analysis.
So what is this Code Interpreter good for ?
Code interpreter is mind-numbingly amazing at working with text fields. Check out this analysis I did for a different use case where it was able to run advanced text classification techniques like thematic analysis or sentiment analysis or even synthesizing patterns.
Do I need to copy-paste data into ChatGPT ?
No .. use the “+” icon to upload your data. It can take files upto 100MB.
Notice that this is different from copy-pasting into the ChatGPT box.
But wait – ChatGPT only has a small context window. How can it analyze 100MB of data?
Code interpreter is different from the traditional ChatGPT where it looks at a small context window of 8K or 32K tokens.
In this case, your data (upto 100MB) is actually loaded and analyzed using python code.
You can see it working :
But wait – it says “Code Interpreter” – is it only for “code” ?
No – it can analyze data too – as evidenced by this use case. Yeah – OpenAI probably needs better naming – but it can do data analysis just fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ChatGPT Code Interpreter actually help with SEO keyword analysis and content planning?
Barry Barresi described a strong AI workflow this way: u0022Powered by my custom-built Theory of Change AIM GPT agent on the CustomGPT.ai platform. Rapidly Develop a Credible Theory of Change with AI-Augmented Collaboration.u0022 You can use ChatGPT Code Interpreter in a similar planning role for SEO by uploading an Ahrefs Keyword Explorer export, reviewing the spreadsheet summary, and asking for 10 blog post ideas based on the keyword data. It works best as an analysis layer on exported SEO data, not as the original source of search volume or difficulty metrics.
How accurate is ChatGPT Code Interpreter for large SEO spreadsheets?
The Kendall Project said, u0022We love CustomGPT.ai. It’s a fantastic Chat GPT tool kit that has allowed us to create a ‘lab’ for testing AI models. The results? High accuracy and efficiency leave people asking, ‘How did you do it?’ We’ve tested over 30 models with hundreds of iterations using CustomGPT.ai.u0022 That same testing mindset matters for large SEO spreadsheets. ChatGPT Code Interpreter is strongest at summarizing, cleaning, calculating, and spotting patterns inside the file you upload, but you should still validate final keyword priorities against the original spreadsheet before using them in a content plan.
Do you need coding skills to use ChatGPT Code Interpreter for SEO analysis?
Joe Aldeguer of the Society of American Florists said, u0022CustomGPT.ai knowledge source API is specific enough that nothing off-the-shelf comes close. So I built it myself. Kudos to the CustomGPT.ai team for building a platform with the API depth to make this integration possible.u0022 For basic SEO analysis, though, you do not need coding skills. The standard workflow is to enable Code Interpreter, upload the spreadsheet with the plus icon, review the summary, and ask plain-English prompts about topics, clusters, or keyword opportunities. Coding only becomes relevant if you want custom integrations or automation beyond the upload-and-analyze workflow.
Can ChatGPT Code Interpreter do a full SEO audit, or only analyze exported data?
ChatGPT Code Interpreter is best at analyzing the data you upload, not independently discovering every SEO issue across a site. In the demonstrated workflow, the input is an Ahrefs keyword research export in Excel and the output is a list of 10 article ideas. That makes it useful for interpreting keyword research and similar SEO spreadsheets you already have, while the original SEO platform still provides the underlying dataset.
Is it safe to upload SEO keyword research or client spreadsheets into an AI tool?
Safety depends on the provider’s controls. A strong standard to look for is GDPR compliance, a clear statement that customer data is not used for model training, and SOC 2 Type 2 certification. Before uploading SEO spreadsheets, check those controls and use the tool only for the analysis task you need.
What prompt gets better SEO content ideas from ChatGPT Code Interpreter?
Bill French said, u0022They’ve officially cracked the sub-second barrier, a breakthrough that fundamentally changes the user experience from merely ‘interactive’ to ‘instantaneous’.u0022 Fast feedback matters because prompt quality improves when you iterate. A strong starting prompt for SEO is: u0022Based on this data, act as an expert SEO analyst and do a full SEO analysis and let me know what blog posts I should write u002du002d give me the 10 article ideas based on this analysis.u0022 If the first output is too broad, ask for a data summary first and then re-prompt to refine the article ideas.
Related Resources
These articles expand on how AI can support research, SEO, and content workflows.
- ChatGPT Research Innovations — Explore practical ways ChatGPT-driven research can speed up analysis, discovery, and content planning.
- CustomGPT.ai for SEO — See how CustomGPT.ai supports marketing and SEO with streamlined content creation, optimization, and campaign workflows.
Founder @ CustomGPT.ai , Husband & Father of 4, Avid cricket wicket-keeper