25 ChatGPT Prompts for SEO That Actually Work
Key Takeaways
- ChatGPT is a drafting and brainstorming partner for SEO, not a source of live data: it cannot see current search volume, rankings or your Search Console data unless you paste them in.
- Every prompt below uses [placeholders] for your own topic, page and data, and every output must be checked against Search Console or a keyword tool before you act on it.
- The prompts are grouped by job: keyword research, on-page optimisation, content refresh, and internal linking and technical checks.
- The best prompts state the audience, the page, the format and the constraint in one place, instead of asking an open-ended question and hoping for a usable answer.
- Never publish AI output unchecked, and never treat an AI-invented keyword, statistic or ranking claim as a fact.
ChatGPT can speed up SEO work considerably, and it can also mislead you with complete confidence. The difference is almost always the prompt. A vague prompt produces a plausible list that looks researched and is not. A specific prompt, fed with your own data, produces a draft you can check, edit and use. All 25 prompts below are original wording written for this article. Replace every [placeholder] with your own information before running them, and validate every factual claim in the output.
One warning applies to all of them: ChatGPT does not have live access to Google search volume, keyword difficulty, or your site’s rankings. If a prompt asks for “high-volume keywords” without data, the model will invent numbers that sound right. Paste your own Search Console queries, your keyword tool export, or your page content into the prompt, and ask the model to work from that data only. Where a prompt below says “from the data below”, that instruction is doing real work — do not delete it.
Keyword research prompts
Use these to turn a seed topic into a research starting point, not a final keyword list. Check every suggestion in a keyword tool before targeting it.
- “You are an SEO researcher. From the seed topic [TOPIC] and the audience [AUDIENCE], list 20 search questions a beginner would ask, grouped by whether they want a definition, a comparison, a how-to, or a price. Do not invent search volume or difficulty numbers. Mark each question as definition, comparison, how-to, or price.”
- “Here is a list of queries from my Search Console export: [PASTE QUERIES]. Group them into 5 topic clusters, name each cluster in plain language, and for each cluster suggest one article title that answers the cluster’s main question. Use only the queries provided; do not add invented queries.”
- “Act as a content strategist for [SITE TOPIC]. Suggest 10 long-tail keyword ideas around [SEED KEYWORD] that a small site could realistically cover, each phrased as a full question. For each one, write one sentence explaining what the searcher is trying to do. Do not include volume or difficulty estimates.”
- “Compare these two keyword ideas for the same article: [KEYWORD A] and [KEYWORD B]. Explain which search intent each one signals, what kind of page would satisfy it, and which one fits a [BEGINNER/ADVANCED] audience better. Do not claim either has higher volume unless I provide data.”
- “You are an SEO editor. I want to cover [TOPIC] without competing with my existing article [EXISTING TITLE AND URL]. Suggest 5 distinct angles on [TOPIC] that answer a different search intent from the existing article, and for each angle state the intent it serves.”
- “From this list of my competitors’ article titles: [PASTE TITLES], identify 5 topics they cover that I do not, and for each one explain what question a reader would still have after reading the competitor’s article. Do not copy their titles; propose new angles.”
- “Turn this broad topic into a content plan: [TOPIC]. Give me one main guide, three supporting articles, and for each supporting article the single question it answers. Keep every title under 60 characters and write each title as a plain promise of what the article delivers.”
On-page optimisation prompts
Use these on pages you already own. Paste the actual title, headings or draft into the prompt; do not ask the model to guess what your page says.
- “Here is my current title and meta description: [TITLE] / [META]. Rewrite them for the primary keyword [KEYWORD], keeping the title under 60 characters and the meta description between 150 and 160 characters. The title must contain the exact phrase [KEYWORD]. Give me 3 options and explain what each one promises the reader.”
- “Here are my current headings: [PASTE HEADINGS]. Reorganise them into a logical H2/H3 structure for a reader who wants to [READER GOAL]. Flag any heading that promises something the article does not deliver, and any section that is missing for this reader goal.”
- “Read this draft introduction and tell me whether it answers the main question in the first two sentences: [PASTE INTRODUCTION]. If it does not, rewrite the first two sentences so the answer comes first, without changing any facts in the draft.”
- “Here is a draft paragraph: [PASTE PARAGRAPH]. Rewrite it for a [BEGINNER] reader, keeping every fact the same, shortening sentences over 25 words, and removing jargon. List any fact you were unsure about instead of rewriting it confidently.”
- “I have a page targeting [KEYWORD] that also mentions [RELATED TOPIC]. Should [RELATED TOPIC] stay on this page or become its own article? Explain your reasoning from search intent, and give me the title and single question for the separate article if you recommend splitting.”
- “Write 5 frequently asked questions for an article about [TOPIC] that are not already answered in the article text below: [PASTE ARTICLE SUMMARY]. Each question must be one a real reader would ask after reading the article, and each answer must be under 60 words.”
Content refresh prompts
Use these on existing articles that have gone stale. The model can help you spot gaps, but only you can verify what has actually changed since publication.
- “This article was published on [DATE] about [TOPIC]. List the specific facts most likely to have changed since then — prices, features, model names, availability, dates — as questions for me to verify. Do not state new facts; only list what needs checking.”
- “Here is my old article’s outline: [PASTE OUTLINE]. Suggest 3 new sections that would help a reader in 2026, and 2 sections that should be removed or shortened because they repeat information elsewhere. Explain each suggestion in one sentence.”
- “Compare this article against the search intent for [KEYWORD]: [PASTE ARTICLE SUMMARY]. Does it answer the question, compare options, or teach a skill? Identify the one intent it serves worst and suggest one new section that would fix that gap.”
- “Rewrite this article’s conclusion so it gives the reader one clear next step instead of a summary: [PASTE CONCLUSION]. The next step must follow from the article’s own advice, and must not promise a result the article does not support.”
- “Here are the queries this page gets in Search Console: [PASTE QUERIES]. Which 3 queries does the page answer poorly, based on its current headings: [PASTE HEADINGS]? For each one, suggest a new heading and a one-sentence description of what the new section should cover.”
- “Turn this long article into a 150-word summary for a reader who only wants the decision: [PASTE ARTICLE]. The summary must include the recommendation, the main limitation, and the one thing to check before acting. Do not add facts that are not in the article.”
Internal linking and technical check prompts
- “Here are my article titles and URLs: [PASTE LIST]. For the new article [NEW TITLE], suggest 5 internal links from this list, with the exact anchor text and one sentence explaining why each link helps the reader. Do not suggest links to articles that answer the same question as the new article.”
- “Read this draft and flag every claim that needs a source before publishing: [PASTE DRAFT]. For each flagged claim, say whether it needs an official source, a reputable report, or my own clearly labelled analysis. Do not invent sources.”
- “Here is a page’s title, headings and first paragraph: [PASTE]. Identify any keyword stuffing, repeated phrases, or headings that repeat the title without adding information. Suggest a cleaner heading structure that keeps the primary keyword [KEYWORD] natural.”
- “Write alt text for an image showing [DESCRIBE IMAGE IN PLAIN WORDS]. The alt text must describe what is visible in under 125 characters, must not repeat the article title, and must not claim the image shows a real product if it is a conceptual illustration.”
- “I want to add a table comparing [OPTION A], [OPTION B] and [OPTION C] for [READER GOAL]. Draft the table with rows for price approach, best for, main limitation, and who should avoid it. Leave price cells as ‘check the provider’s current page’ unless I paste verified prices below: [PASTE PRICES OR LEAVE BLANK].”
- “Act as a sceptical editor. Read this SEO draft and list its 3 weakest points: [PASTE DRAFT]. For each weakness, say whether it is a factual gap, an unclear explanation, or a claim stronger than the evidence. Do not rewrite the draft, only diagnose it.”
How to use these prompts without fooling yourself
Three habits separate useful AI-assisted SEO from confident fiction. First, always paste your own data into the prompt: your Search Console queries, your page text, your keyword export. A prompt without data gets a performance, not research. Second, check every number, date and claim in the output before it reaches your site, because the model will present invented figures in the same tone as verified ones. Third, keep the human decision: which keyword to target, which angle to take, and what to publish are editorial judgments, not outputs to outsource.
If a prompt returns something that looks too neat — a perfect keyword list with volumes, a competitor gap analysis with exact traffic figures, a ranking prediction — that neatness is the warning sign. Real SEO data is messy, incomplete and dated. Treat any output that hides that messiness as a draft to verify, not a finding to quote.
For the framework behind these prompts, see AI tutorials for beginners and an honest beginner’s guide to learning AI. For the verification habit itself, see how cost tools make AI spend visible — the same discipline, applied to money instead of keywords.
Limitations
These prompts are original wording written for this article, not copied from a prompt library, and they have not been tested against a live campaign for this article. Their usefulness depends on the data you paste in and the checks you run afterwards. ChatGPT’s knowledge, limits and features change over time, so a prompt that works today may behave differently after a model update. Nothing here guarantees rankings, traffic or indexing.
