Automating WordPress Article Creation Using OpenAI and Make.com

In this guide, you’ll learn how to automate the creation of WordPress articles using OpenAI and Make.com. This system pulls content from a Google Sheet, sends it to OpenAI for article generation, and automatically posts the articles to your WordPress website. Follow these steps to set up the automation and start publishing articles with minimal effort.

Step 1: Set Up a Google Sheet with Article Topics

The first part of this system requires creating a Google Sheet to serve as a content source for the automation.

1. Create a Google Sheet: Set up a Google Sheet with columns for the following:
   • Title: The title of the article.
   • Slug: A URL-friendly version of the title (auto-generated or manually input).
   • Excerpt: A brief description of the article (up to 500 characters).
   • Category: The WordPress category the article should fall under.
   • Featured Image ID: The ID of the image from your WordPress media library.
2. Prepare the Content: Gather a list of keywords or topics you want articles about. You can generate ideas using OpenAI if needed (e.g., asking for keyword ideas for a specific topic like “Litecoin”).

Step 2: Set Up OpenAI for Article Generation

Once your Google Sheet is ready, you need to configure OpenAI to create content based on the sheet’s data.

1. Use OpenAI API (Not ChatGPT): Set up an OpenAI API account and create a connection in Make.com.
   • API Setup: Use GPT-3.5 Turbo to generate articles. You’ll need your OpenAI API key to connect to Make.com.
2. Create a Prompt for Article Generation:
   • In Make.com, create a prompt to send to OpenAI. For example:
     • “Write an article about [Title from the Google Sheet].”
     • Note: Do not include an H1 title in the prompt because you’ll be using the one from your Google Sheet.
3. Use HTML for Formatting: Ensure that OpenAI outputs HTML-formatted content (e.g., H2s, H3s) so that the article will be properly structured for WordPress.

Step 3: Set Up the WordPress Integration

With your Google Sheet and OpenAI configuration ready, the next step is to set up the WordPress integration.

1. Install Make.com Plugin for WordPress: Install the Make.com plugin on your WordPress website to allow seamless integration.
2. Connect Make.com to WordPress:
   • Title: Map the article title from your Google Sheet to the WordPress post title.
   • Content: Map the content generated by OpenAI to the body of the post.
   • Excerpt and Slug: Use the excerpt and slug from your Google Sheet for these fields.
   • Category and Featured Image: Manually set the category in Make.com. For the featured image, use the media ID from your WordPress media library (you can find this by hovering over the image in WordPress and noting the post ID).

Step 4: Automate Article Posting

Now that everything is connected, you can automate the process of posting articles to your WordPress website.

1. Run the Automation: In Make.com, set the automation to run. You can either:
   • Run it Manually: Press “Run Once” to publish the articles immediately.
   • Set a Schedule: Schedule the automation to run at intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes) so it continuously pulls data from your Google Sheet and generates new articles.
2. Monitor Article Creation: As the automation runs, it will pull topics from your Google Sheet, send them to OpenAI for article generation, and then post the completed articles to WordPress. You’ll see live updates in Make.com as the process unfolds.

Step 5: Review and Adjust Article Output

Once the automation is running, you can check the articles to ensure they are properly formatted and meet your standards.

1. Check Published Articles: Review the articles in WordPress to make sure the content has the correct formatting, featured image, and is categorized properly. Articles should include proper HTML formatting like H2 and H3 headers, and have a clean, readable structure.
2. Handle Timeouts: If you’re generating many articles at once, you might encounter timeouts. In this case, try reducing the number of articles per run or spread the process over a longer time interval.

Step 6: Improve with Internal Linking and Scheduling

To further enhance the system, consider adding internal linking and scheduling features.

1. Internal Linking: You can set up internal links between articles based on keywords or topics. This helps with SEO and content discovery. You can add these links manually or set up a separate automation for linking based on the content.
2. Scheduled Posting: Instead of publishing articles immediately, you can schedule them to go live on specific dates. Set this up in the Google Sheet by adding a “Publish Date” column and mapping it to WordPress. This way, articles can be published gradually over time instead of all at once.

Step 7: Monitor Performance and Iterate

As the system runs, keep an eye on how well it performs. You can adjust the automation and optimize it for SEO.

1. Check Site Load and SEO Performance: Be cautious about publishing too many articles in one day, as it could impact your site’s SEO. Consider spreading the content out over several days.
2. Refine the Process: You can continuously improve the automation by adjusting prompts, adding new features like interlinking, or scheduling articles for strategic SEO benefits.

The Finale…

By automating article creation with OpenAI and Make.com, you can generate high-quality WordPress content quickly and efficiently. This setup is powerful for scaling content production, but it’s important to use it wisely to avoid overwhelming your site with too much content at once. If you follow the steps in this guide, you’ll have a fully automated system that keeps your site updated with fresh, SEO-friendly articles.

If you found this helpful, consider adding more automation workflows or experimenting with different article types. Happy automating!