Introduction
OpenAI's language model, ChatGPT, continues to evolve, introducing two significant updates designed to streamline operations and boost productivity. These enhancements include real-time web browsing and the introduction of plugins, adding to the model's functionality and versatility.
To access these new features, users must subscribe to the premium plan at $20/month. Users without this plan will not be privy to these settings or the ability to enable these features.
In this article, we'll delve into the process of enabling both the web browsing and plugin features. We'll also explore how to install plugins, and highlight the top six plugins that can benefit marketers and small business owners.
Enabling Browsing and Plugins
Start by heading to https://chat.openai.com/ to open your ChatGPT Client Dashboard. Once there, click on the three horizontal dots next to your username.
Select 'settings', then click on 'Beta Features'. Here you can enable both the web browsing and plugin addons by clicking on the sliders next to each feature.
Once these features are activated, start a new chat to use the plugins. Click on 'ChatGPT 4' at the top of the screen and select the feature you wish to use. Please note that only one feature can be used at a time per chat, although some plugins connect to the web to deliver results.
Browsing
This feature was much awaited and a real game changer for ChatGPT in terms of its ability to compete with Google Bard in its accuracy and up to date relevance.
When using the 'browsing' feature, the queries and prompts you enter will be processed through the web before generating a response. An icon on the screen will keep you updated on what ChatGPT is doing to search for your query before it outputs the result.
Moreover, the responses will include citations to clarify the sources of information. After evaluating the results for various prompts, I found that while the findings might not always match the accuracy of Google, the provided citations significantly boost trust in the answers. Therefore, I will definitely be using this feature going forward as a key tool from ChatGPT.
Plugins
To install any plugins, once you've enabled the feature through the settings panel, open a new chat, click on 'ChatGPT 4' at the top, and select 'Plugins'. Upon selection, you will see an option to open and select available plugins through the plugin store.
A pop-up window will appear, displaying available plugins. Although there is no search box at the time of writing this article, you can filter by popular, new, and currently installed plugins. So, to find the plugins mentioned below, select 'all plugins' and scroll through until you find them. Once you locate a plugin you want to install, click on 'install' and you're set. Please note, some plugins might redirect you to their website to sign up for an account, but most will not.
You can install multiple plugins in one go. Every time you want to use a specific plugin, open a new chat, select to use the plugin feature, and choose up to three plugins for that specific chat.
To keep organized, I suggest opening new chats and adding similar plugins and then saving the chat with a name relevant to your future use as I did and you can see in the above images.
For your benefit, I have gone through the available plugins and shortlisted the top six plugins that marketers and small business owners will find beneficial:
1. AI Tool Hunt
AI Tool Hunt is a remarkably useful plugin specifically designed to help you discover the right AI tools for your business. This intelligent plugin leverages the power of ChatGPT to generate a list of AI tools relevant to your search query. This is only part of its functionality though; it goes one step further by linking you to its comprehensive platform. Here, you will find a consolidated library of AI tools, complete with descriptions and website links.
AI Tool Hunt is a valuable resource if you are actively searching for solutions to address a specific need or, perhaps, seeking to explore what kind of AI tools your competitors might be using. In other words, if you wish to stay at the cutting edge of your industry or simply wish to explore the expansive landscape of AI tools, AI Tool Hunt is a must-have.
2. SEO Plugins
Under the SEO Plugins are three plugins that work brilliantly together:
1. Website Performance
2. Bramework
3. SEO Core AI
The SEO world can be complex and intimidating, but not when you have the right tools at your disposal. The trio of Website Performance, Bramework, and SEO Core AI together offer a comprehensive SEO auditing solution. By deploying these three plugins concurrently, you can conduct an in-depth audit of your site's SEO, offering insights through a detailed report hosted on Github.io.
The plugins not only facilitate auditing your own site, but also allow you to analyze competitors' websites, providing you a comparative perspective. The combination of these three plugins can be particularly beneficial to businesses seeking to improve their SEO standings, and those wishing to enhance their site by comparing and learning from the SEO strategies of their competitors.
3. Photorealistic
Creativity needs the right tools, and the Photorealistic plugin provides exactly that for anyone in the field of image creation. Whether you're working with Midjourney or other AI imaging tools, Photorealistic can generate diverse prompts for every query. While the initial options might be extensive, they provide a broad canvas on which you can paint your ideas and quickly sharpen them to a perfect prompt.
The strength of the Photorealistic plugin lies in its versatility; the options it presents can be adjusted and refined to fit your specific vision, including details like camera settings, styles and more. This makes it an invaluable tool for creatives, as it can expedite the process of arriving at the perfect prompt for any image project.
4. Yabble
Yabble is an innovative plugin that can potentially revolutionize the way you conduct market research. The plugin's core function is to facilitate the creation of AI-driven surveys and retrieve responses for you. It doesn't stop there; it also performs analysis on the responses, presenting you with comprehensive results in a matter of minutes.
One of the key advantages of Yabble is its speed and accuracy. In a fast-paced business environment, this plugin is a game-changer, enabling you to carry out market research with unprecedented speed and precision. Moreover, you can also delve deeper into your data by accessing their platform for more detailed insights. While a free plan is available for trial, you might want to consider their paid plans for long-term usage.
Show Me
Show Me, as the name implies, is a powerful diagram-creating plugin. It has the capability to transform your text-based instructions into clear, understandable diagrams. The functionality is straightforward - you provide the instructions in plain text through ChatGPT, and 'Show Me' works its magic to render a diagram that visualizes your concept.
While mastering the art of writing effective prompts for complex diagrams may take some practice, there's no doubt that this plugin can be a significant time-saver. Once your diagram is created, you can export it in a range of file formats, including PNG, SVG, and KROKI, making it easy to integrate into your presentations or documents.
World News
While not directly work-related, the World News plugin can still be a valuable addition to your plugin arsenal. This plugin curates global news based on your specific prompts, keeping you informed about the latest developments worldwide. While it appears to be constrained by its source selection, it's the targeted nature of its searches that can be particularly beneficial when you are seeking information on specific topics.
The key to getting the best out of the World News plugin is to maintain a critical eye, as with any news platform. While it delivers a quick summary of the chosen news topic, it's important to cross-verify the information for complete accuracy. With this understanding, the World News plugin can prove to be a quick and efficient tool to stay updated about the latest happenings in your industry and beyond.
Conclusion
The constant updates to ChatGPT demonstrate its potential as a versatile tool for businesses, particularly marketers and small business owners. These new capabilities, namely web browsing and plugins, further extend the range of tasks ChatGPT can assist with, thus enhancing productivity and efficiency. While each plugin provides unique functionalities, collectively, they cater to a wide array of business needs, from SEO analysis to AI tool hunting and more.
However, it's crucial to remember that to gain access to these additional features, you must have a paid plan. With such investment, you can explore the robust features of ChatGPT and harness its capabilities to help streamline your business processes.
As AI continues to evolve and influence business operations, integrating tools like ChatGPT into your workflow can significantly improve the efficiency and productivity of your tasks. Therefore, it's worth exploring these features and plugins, and ultimately, understanding how they can be best utilized for your specific business needs.
