How to use artificial intelligence for SEO

Keyword research is the first step in any SEO strategy: you need to know what your audience is searching for before you write.

1. Go to https://chatgpt.com and sign in (or create a free account).
2. Open a new conversation and use a prompt like this:

Act as an SEO expert. Generate 15 long-tail keywords about [your topic] for a beginner English-speaking audience. Sort them from lowest to highest difficulty. For each one, indicate: search intent (informational/transactional/navigational) and a suggested article title.

3. Review the list. Long-tail keywords (phrases of more than 3 words) are the easiest to rank for when you’re starting out because they have less competition.
4. Save the best ones in a spreadsheet; they’ll become your editorial calendar.

Tip: verify real search volume in Google Trends (free) or in Google Search Console if you already have a site with some traffic.

To learn how to write better AI instructions, check out the tutorial How to write effective prompts for artificial intelligence.

Before writing, you need to understand what the user expects to see when they search that keyword: a guide, a comparison, a product page, or a quick answer. If your format doesn’t match the intent, Google won’t rank you even if the content is excellent.

1. Search your keyword on Google in an incognito window.
2. Look at the first 5 results: are they blog articles, lists, tutorials, product pages, or videos?
3. Go back to ChatGPT and ask it to analyze the intent:

I searched "[your keyword]" on Google. The first results are [describe what you saw]. What is the main search intent? What format (article, list, step-by-step guide, comparison) should I use to compete? Give me an 800-word article outline optimized for that intent.

4. Use the outline it proposes as a starting point for your article.

Golden rule of SEO: if the top results are “lists of 10”, don’t write a narrative article. Format matters as much as content.

With your keyword and outline ready, it’s time to write. You have two paths depending on your budget:

Option A: free with ChatGPT

1. Pass the outline from the previous step to ChatGPT and ask it to expand each section.
2. Review and edit in your own voice: AI gives a draft, you provide the personality and original data.
3. Make sure the keyword appears in: the title (H1), the first paragraph, at least one subheading (H2), and the meta description.
4. Ask ChatGPT to write 5 frequently asked questions about the topic to add at the end of the article (FAQs help you appear in AI Overviews and rich snippets).

Option B: with Surfer SEO (from $79/mo annual, confirm on the official page)

1. Go to https://surferseo.com and create a document in the Content Editor.
2. Enter your target keyword and wait for the analysis: Surfer reads the top 10-20 Google results and gives you a Content Score and a list of terms to include.
3. Write (or paste your ChatGPT draft) and push the Content Score above 70.
4. If you prefer, Surfer AI can generate a complete draft from scratch.

The Content Score isn’t magic: it indicates whether your text covers the topics that well-ranked articles cover. A 70-80 is a good target.

Since 2025, Google has been showing AI-generated answer blocks (AI Overviews) for many searches. Appearing there is the new goal of modern SEO because you provide useful information even if the user doesn’t click on your article.

Free check (manual)

1. Search your keywords on Google in an incognito window.
2. Observe whether an AI Overview block appears (a gray or blue box with an AI-generated answer).
3. If it does, check which sources it cites: are your competitors there? Are you?
4. If you don’t appear, check whether your article answers the question directly and concisely in the first 100-150 words; AI answers usually come from there.

With Semrush (from $139.95/mo, confirm on the official page)

1. Go to https://www.semrush.com and open Position Tracking.
2. Add your keywords and enable the AI Overviews filter to see which ones you appear in.
3. Semrush also offers an AI Visibility tool that tracks how often ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini mention your brand.

To appear in AI Overviews: answer the question directly in the first paragraphs, use clear headings with the question as text (H2/H3), and add a FAQ section at the end. Pages with FAQPage schema are more likely to be cited.

Problem	Fix
ChatGPT invents data or statistics	Always ask for sources or verify the data on Google before publishing
My article hasn’t moved up after 2 months	Check if you have external backlinks; content alone isn’t enough without domain authority
Surfer SEO asks me to include keywords that sound forced	Use them naturally in the text; prioritize meaning over score
I don’t appear in any AI Overview	Restructure the article with a direct answer in the first 150 words and add a FAQ section at the end