Generative AI has evolved from an experimental novelty into an essential asset for high-performing SEO professionals. The difference between mediocre and exceptional results lies not in the technology itself, but in how you communicate with it. A poorly constructed query yields generic, unhelpful output. A well-crafted prompt transforms ChatGPT into a powerful productivity multiplier that can accelerate research, streamline optimization, and generate structured content frameworks in seconds.
This guide provides over 40 copy-paste, expert-tested prompts across every major SEO category. These templates are designed to help you achieve better results faster, whether you’re conducting keyword research, optimizing on-page elements, or tackling technical implementation challenges.
Elements of Good ChatGPT Prompt
Before diving into specific prompts, understanding what makes them effective is crucial. The principle is straightforward: garbage in, garbage out. A great prompt provides the AI with everything it needs to deliver precisely what you want – no more, no less.
Effective prompts share common structural elements:
- Role/Persona: Establishes the AI’s perspective and expertise level
- Context: Provides background about your situation and audience
- Task: Defines the specific action you want performed
- Constraints: Sets boundaries like format, length, or tone
- Examples: Shows what good output looks like
When you invest time in crafting a detailed prompt upfront, you dramatically reduce the need for follow-up clarifications and revisions. This section breaks down each component that transforms vague requests into actionable instructions.
Tell ChatGPT What Role It’s Playing (Persona)
Starting with a persona frames how the AI approaches your request. Instead of responding as a generic assistant, it adopts the perspective, knowledge base, and communication style of a specialist.
Examples of effective personas:
- “Act as a senior SEO strategist with 10 years of experience in e-commerce”
- “Act as an expert copywriter who specializes in conversion-focused meta descriptions”
- “Act as a technical SEO specialist familiar with JavaScript rendering issues”
This simple technique influences vocabulary choices, depth of analysis, and the sophistication of recommendations.
Provide Clear Context and Your Goal
Context transforms generic advice into tailored recommendations. The AI needs to understand who your target audience is, what your product or service does, what industry you operate in, and what you’re ultimately trying to achieve.
For example, stating “My target audience is small business owners who are new to digital marketing” produces fundamentally different output than “My audience consists of experienced SaaS marketers looking for advanced technical implementations.”
Similarly, clarifying your goal – whether it’s “to rank for a specific high-volume keyword,” “to create FAQ schema that answers common customer questions,” or “to identify content gaps in a competitor’s strategy” – ensures the AI prioritizes the right aspects in its response.
Add Formatting Specifications
Control over output format eliminates the need for manual restructuring. Specify exactly how you want information presented, and ChatGPT will comply.
Effective formatting instructions:
- “Format your answer as a table with columns for keyword, search intent, and funnel stage”
- “List as bullet points with no more than 15 words per point”
- “Write in JSON-LD format following Schema.org standards”
- “Keep the meta description under 160 characters”
- “Structure this as an H2 followed by three H3 subheadings, each with a paragraph”
These specifications are particularly valuable when generating structured data markup, creating content outlines, or producing outputs that integrate directly into existing documents.
Provide Examples for Desired Output
Few-shot learning – providing one or more examples of what you want – is among the most powerful techniques for improving AI output quality. When you show rather than tell, the model can match style, tone, structure, and depth with remarkable accuracy.
For instance: “Here is an example of our brand voice: [paste example]. Write three meta descriptions that match this tone and energy level.” Or: “This is a high-quality FAQ answer from our site: [example]. Generate five similar answers for these questions: [list].”
Examples are especially valuable when you need output that aligns with existing brand guidelines, matches a specific writing style, or follows a proprietary format that would be difficult to describe in words alone.
ChatGPT Prompts for Keyword Research
Keyword research forms the foundation of any effective SEO strategy. While ChatGPT excels at brainstorming, categorizing, and expanding seed terms, it operates without access to search volume data, difficulty metrics, or competitive intelligence. This means you’ll need to pair these prompts with tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Google Keyword Planner to validate and prioritize the suggestions.
The prompts in this section accelerate the discovery phase and help organize keywords into actionable groups. They’re particularly effective for overcoming initial brainstorming blocks, identifying question-based queries, and structuring large keyword lists by strategic criteria.
Use these templates as starting points. The more specific context you provide about your niche, audience, and goals, the more relevant and useful the output becomes.
Generate List of Seed Keywords
Prompt: “Act as an SEO expert for a [describe your niche, e.g., ‘sustainable coffee subscription service targeting environmentally conscious millennials’]. Generate 25 seed keywords that represent the core topics, products, and customer pain points in this space. Group them into 5 thematic buckets with clear labels for each category.”
This prompt helps you move from a blank slate to an organized foundation of topic areas. The thematic grouping makes it easier to identify which clusters deserve dedicated content hubs or category pages.
Identify Long-Tail Keywords
Prompt: “My head term is ‘[insert your primary keyword]’. Generate 20 long-tail, question-based keywords that a [describe persona, e.g., ‘beginner gardener with limited outdoor space’] would search for when trying to [describe intent, e.g., ‘start their first vegetable garden on a balcony’].”
Long-tail variations typically face less competition and convert better because they target more specific search intent. This prompt focuses on natural language questions that align with how real users search, making it ideal for FAQ sections and featured snippet optimization.
Cluster Keywords by Intent
Prompt: “Here is a list of 50 keywords: [paste your list]. Analyze each one and cluster them by primary search intent. Use these categories: Informational (seeking knowledge), Commercial (comparing options), Transactional (ready to purchase), and Navigational (looking for a specific site). Output as a table with columns for keyword, intent category, and a brief rationale.”
Intent clustering prevents the common mistake of targeting transactional keywords with informational content or vice versa. This organization helps you match content type to user expectations, improving both rankings and conversion rates.
Group Keywords by Funnel Stage
Prompt: “Take this keyword list: [paste list]. Group each keyword by marketing funnel stage: Top-of-Funnel (awareness and problem recognition), Middle-of-Funnel (consideration and solution comparison), and Bottom-of-Funnel (decision and purchase). Format as a table showing keyword and assigned stage.”
Understanding where each keyword falls in the customer journey allows you to create content that moves prospects from awareness to decision. Top-of-funnel terms require educational content, while bottom-of-funnel terms need product-focused pages with clear calls to action.
Create Blog Ideas for Ecommerce Categories
Prompt: “My e-commerce category page is ‘[category name, e.g., organic dog food]’. The products on this page include [briefly list 3-4 product types]. Generate 10 blog post ideas with compelling titles that target top-of-funnel informational queries related to this category. Each title should address a specific question or problem my potential customers might have before they’re ready to buy.”
This approach builds topical authority around your product categories while capturing traffic from users earlier in their research phase. These blog posts can then link to relevant category and product pages, warming up prospects before they reach commercial intent pages.
ChatGPT Prompts for SEO Content Writing
Creating high-quality written material at scale remains one of the most time-consuming aspects of SEO. These prompts help you generate structured drafts, overcome writer’s block, and maintain consistency across large content portfolios.
A critical caveat: AI-generated content requires substantial human oversight. You must fact-check every claim, inject original expertise and experience (the first “E” in E-E-A-T), and ensure the writing serves genuine user needs rather than simply targeting search engines. Think of these outputs as sophisticated first drafts that need your unique perspective to become truly valuable.
The prompts below focus on structure, frameworks, and foundational content that you’ll refine with your domain knowledge and brand voice.
Create SEO-Friendly Blog Outlines
Prompt: “Create a comprehensive, SEO-friendly blog outline for the keyword ‘[target keyword]’. The outline should include: a compelling H1 that includes the primary keyword naturally, 5-7 H2 sections that cover the topic exhaustively, and relevant H3 subheadings under each H2 that break down complex points. After each heading, add a brief note about what should be covered in that section.”
Well-structured outlines solve multiple problems simultaneously. They ensure comprehensive topic coverage, create natural internal linking opportunities, improve readability with clear hierarchy, and make it easier to distribute writing tasks across team members.
Introduction Creation
Prompt: “Write 3 different blog post introductions for an article titled ‘[your title]’. Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS) framework: start by identifying a problem the reader faces, agitate by emphasizing why it matters or the consequences of not solving it, then present this article as the solution. Make the tone [specify tone, e.g., ‘authoritative yet approachable’ or ‘casual and conversational’]. Keep each introduction under 100 words.”
Introductions determine whether visitors stay or bounce. The PAS framework creates immediate relevance by connecting to reader pain points before presenting your content as the answer. Testing multiple versions helps you identify which approach resonates best with your audience.
FAQ Content Creation for Schema
Prompt: “Generate a list of 10 frequently asked questions and their concise, accurate answers for the topic ‘[your topic]’. Each answer should be 40-60 words and written in a direct, helpful tone. Format this content so it can be used for FAQPage schema markup. Focus on questions that real users commonly search for related to this topic.”
FAQ schema increases your chances of appearing in People Also Ask boxes and voice search results. The structured question-and-answer format also improves user experience by quickly addressing common concerns, reducing bounce rates and support inquiries.
Content Expansion
Prompt: “Take this bullet point list [paste your list] and expand it into detailed paragraphs for a blog post. Each bullet should become 2-3 sentences that explain the concept clearly and include relevant examples where appropriate. Ensure the keyword ‘[target keyword]’ appears naturally in the expanded text without forced repetition. Maintain an informative, engaging tone throughout.”
This prompt is invaluable when you have the core ideas mapped out but need help developing them into full-length content. It’s particularly effective for collaborative workflows where subject matter experts provide bullet points and writers expand them into polished copy.
ChatGPT Prompts for On-Page SEO
On-page optimization focuses on elements within your control: title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, internal linking, and semantic keyword usage. These are high-leverage activities where small improvements can yield significant ranking and click-through rate gains.
Unlike content creation, which requires substantial human editing, many on-page tasks benefit from rapid iteration and testing of multiple variations. ChatGPT excels at generating alternatives quickly, allowing you to choose the strongest options or A/B test different approaches.
The prompts below address the most common on-page optimization tasks that SEO professionals handle regularly.
Title Tag and Meta Description Generation
Prompt: “Act as an SEO copywriter with expertise in maximizing click-through rates. Write 5 unique title tags (under 60 characters) and 3 meta descriptions (under 160 characters) for an article about ‘[topic]’ targeting the primary keyword ‘[keyword]’. Each title should be compelling and include the keyword naturally near the beginning. Meta descriptions should include the keyword once, mention a key benefit, and end with a subtle call to action.”
Title tags and meta descriptions directly influence whether users click your result in search listings. Testing multiple variations helps you identify which value propositions and phrasings resonate most with your target audience. Remember that these are suggestions – validate character counts before implementation.
Analyze and Rewrite Heading Tags
Prompt: “Analyze my article’s heading structure: [paste your H1, H2s, and H3s in order]. Evaluate whether: 1) the hierarchy makes logical sense, 2) the primary keyword ‘[keyword]’ and related semantic terms appear naturally in headings, 3) each heading clearly communicates what the section covers. Then suggest specific improvements to enhance topical relevance and user experience.”
Heading structure serves both users and search engines. Clear, descriptive headings improve scannability and comprehension, while keyword-rich headings help search engines understand your content’s organization and relevance.
Featured Snippet Optimization
Prompt: “Take the following paragraph [paste text] and rewrite it as a concise definition (under 50 words) suitable for a featured snippet. Focus on directly answering the implied question in the most straightforward way possible, using clear language that a general audience can understand.”
Alternative for list-based snippets: “Convert these steps [paste text] into a numbered list with each step expressed in 8-12 words. Maintain the logical sequence and ensure each step is actionable and clear.”
Featured snippets capture position zero in search results, driving significant traffic even when you don’t rank first organically. Reformatting existing content into snippet-friendly formats (definitions, lists, tables) increases your chances of capturing these coveted spots.
Internal Linking Suggestions
Prompt: “I am writing an article about ‘[Topic A]’. Here is my draft: [paste relevant paragraphs]. Suggest 5-7 relevant internal linking opportunities from this text to other topics like [Topic B], [Topic C], and [Topic D]. For each suggestion, provide: 1) the specific phrase or sentence that should become the anchor text, 2) which topic it should link to, and 3) why this connection adds value for the reader.”
While ChatGPT can’t crawl your actual site structure, this prompt helps identify natural linking opportunities when you provide context about related content. Internal links distribute page authority, help search engines discover and index pages, and keep visitors engaged longer by guiding them to relevant additional resources.
Suggest Semantic Keywords and Related Entities
Prompt: “For a main topic of ‘[your topic]’, list 20 related semantic keywords, LSI keywords, and named entities I should include to demonstrate comprehensive topical coverage and expertise. Organize these into categories: core concepts, related processes, common tools or products, relevant industry terms, and entities (people, organizations, places) commonly associated with this topic.”
Modern search algorithms evaluate content based on topical depth and semantic relationships, not just keyword matching. Including related terms and entities signals thorough coverage and helps your content rank for a broader range of related queries.
ChatGPT Prompts for Technical SEO
Technical SEO involves the infrastructure and code that enables search engines to crawl, index, and understand your site effectively. ChatGPT can assist with generating markup, configuration files, and implementation code where precise syntax is critical.
Important disclaimer: Always validate AI-generated technical code with a qualified developer or SEO specialist before deploying to production. Syntax errors in robots.txt, schema markup, or hreflang tags can cause serious crawling or indexing issues. Use these prompts as starting points that save time but require expert review.
Schema Markup Creation (JSON-LD)
Prompt for FAQ schema: “Generate JSON-LD FAQPage schema using the following questions and answers: [paste your Q&As]. Ensure the markup follows the latest Schema.org FAQPage specifications and is properly formatted for implementation in the HTML head section.”
Prompt for Article schema: “Generate Article schema in JSON-LD format for a blog post with the following details: Title: ‘[title]’, Author: ‘[author name]’, Published Date: ‘[YYYY-MM-DD]’, Modified Date: ‘[YYYY-MM-DD]’, Publisher: ‘[your site name]’, Publisher Logo: ‘[logo URL]’, Image: ‘[featured image URL]’. Include all required and recommended properties according to current Schema.org Article documentation.”
Schema markup helps search engines understand your content’s structure and meaning, enabling rich results like FAQ dropdowns, article carousels, and enhanced snippets that improve visibility and click-through rates.
Generate Robots.txt File
Prompt: “Create a robots.txt file for my website that accomplishes the following: 1) Disallow all crawlers from accessing the ‘/admin/’ and ‘/staging/’ directories, 2) Disallow the ‘/search/’ directory to prevent indexing of search result pages, 3) Allow all crawlers access to ‘/images/’ and ‘/css/’ directories, 4) Reference the XML sitemap located at ‘[your domain]/sitemap.xml’. Format according to robots.txt syntax standards.”
Robots.txt controls which parts of your site search engines can access. Proper configuration prevents wasting crawl budget on low-value pages while ensuring important content remains accessible.
Create XML Sitemap
Prompt: “Generate a sample XML sitemap structure for a website with these 5 pages: [list your URLs]. Include the required XML declaration, urlset namespace, and for each URL include loc (location), lastmod (last modified date in YYYY-MM-DD format), changefreq (change frequency), and priority (0.0-1.0) elements. Format according to the Sitemap Protocol standard.”
While dedicated tools handle sitemap generation better for production sites, this prompt helps you understand sitemap structure or create quick examples for small sites or testing environments.
Proper Hreflang Tags
Prompt: “Generate the correct hreflang tags for a page at [URL] that has 3 regional variations: 1) US English (en-us) at [US URL], 2) UK English (en-gb) at [UK URL], and 3) German for Germany (de-de) at [DE URL]. Include the x-default tag pointing to the US version. Format as HTML link elements suitable for placement in the head section.”
Hreflang tags tell search engines which language and regional versions of a page to show to users in different locations. Proper implementation prevents duplicate content issues across international sites and ensures users see the most appropriate version.
ChatGPT Prompts for Competitor Analysis
While ChatGPT cannot crawl competitor websites or access proprietary competitive intelligence databases, it excels at analyzing data you provide. When you paste competitor content, keyword lists, or page structures, the AI can identify patterns, gaps, and opportunities that inform your strategy.
These prompts help you extract actionable insights from competitive research, transforming raw data into strategic recommendations.
Competitor Content Gap Analysis
Prompt: “Here is my article outline for ‘[topic]’: [paste your outline]. Here is my competitor’s outline for the same topic: [paste competitor outline]. Perform a thorough gap analysis identifying: 1) all unique topics and sub-topics they cover that I am missing, 2) areas where their coverage appears more comprehensive or detailed than mine, 3) specific questions or user needs they address that my outline overlooks. Organize findings by priority based on relevance and comprehensiveness.”
Content gaps represent opportunities. When competitors rank well with topics you haven’t covered, adding those sections improves your comprehensiveness and competitive positioning. This prompt systematizes what would otherwise be a tedious manual comparison.
Competitor Keyword Identification
Prompt: “Analyze this competitor article text: [paste article text or key sections]. Based on the content, language patterns, and emphasis, identify: 1) the likely primary keyword they’re targeting, 2) 3-5 secondary keywords they’re optimizing for, 3) 10-15 LSI keywords or semantic terms they’ve included to demonstrate topical depth. Explain your reasoning for each identification.”
Reverse-engineering competitor keyword targeting reveals what they consider important and helps you understand the terms you need to include for competitive parity or advantage.
Competitor E-E-A-T Analysis
Prompt: “Analyze this competitor article: [paste article text]. Evaluate it for signals of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust). Identify: 1) specific elements that demonstrate strong E-E-A-T (author credentials, citations, original research, case studies, etc.), 2) areas where their E-E-A-T seems weak or absent (unsupported claims, lack of sources, generic advice), 3) opportunities where I could differentiate by providing stronger E-E-A-T signals in my own content.”
E-E-A-T assessment helps you understand why certain content ranks well and where you can strengthen your own credibility signals. This analysis is particularly valuable in YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics where trust signals significantly impact rankings.
Advanced and Unconventional SEO Prompts
Beyond standard optimization tasks, these advanced prompts address emerging SEO challenges and specialized use cases. They’re designed for experienced practitioners looking to push beyond conventional tactics and explore cutting-edge approaches.
Backlink Building and HARO Response
Prompt for broken link outreach: “Write a personalized, professional email for a broken link-building campaign. Context: I found a broken link on [their website] pointing to [broken URL]. My resource at [my URL] covers [topic] comprehensively and would be an excellent replacement. The email should: 1) be under 150 words, 2) lead with the value I’m providing them (fixing a broken link), 3) briefly explain why my resource is a suitable replacement, 4) include no pushy sales language. Tone should be helpful and collegial.”
Prompt for HARO responses: “Draft a 150-word expert response to this HARO query: [paste HARO query]. My credentials are: [briefly describe your expertise]. The response should: 1) directly answer the journalist’s question, 2) include one concrete example or statistic, 3) be quotable and provide clear value, 4) subtly establish my authority without being promotional.”
Link building requires personalized outreach at scale. These prompts help you generate templates that sound authentic rather than automated, increasing response rates while saving time.
Generate Programmatic SEO Templates
Prompt: “Create a content template for a programmatic SEO page targeting ‘[service] in [city]’ variations. The template should include: 1) an H1 structure using variables for [CityName] and [Service], 2) an intro paragraph incorporating [CityName], [Service], and [LocalStat] variables, 3) three H2 sections that would remain consistent across all pages, 4) a location-specific section using [NeighborhoodName] variables, 5) a clear system for where dynamic content should be inserted versus what remains static.”
Programmatic SEO allows you to create hundreds or thousands of location or product-specific pages by combining templates with databases. This approach is particularly effective for local service businesses, real estate, and marketplaces.
Optimizing Content for AI Overviews (GEO)
Prompt: “Rewrite this paragraph: [paste text] to make it more suitable for appearing in Google AI Overviews. The rewrite should: 1) be more concise and fact-driven while remaining complete, 2) use clear, unambiguous language that directly answers an implicit question, 3) include one specific statistic or concrete detail, 4) be easily citable with attribution, 5) remove all marketing fluff, hedging language, and unnecessary adjectives. Aim for 60-80 words maximum.”
As search evolves toward AI-generated summaries and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), content needs to be exceptionally clear, factual, and citation-worthy. This prompt helps adapt existing content for this new paradigm.
Benefits and Limitations of Using ChatGPT in SEO
Understanding both the advantages and constraints of AI-assisted SEO helps you deploy these tools effectively while avoiding common pitfalls. This balanced perspective ensures you leverage ChatGPT’s strengths without overrelying on its capabilities.
Benefits: Structured Content Planning and Speed
The most significant advantages of using ChatGPT for SEO revolve around velocity and structure. Tasks that previously consumed hours – creating detailed outlines, brainstorming keyword variations, drafting multiple meta description options, structuring schema markup – now take minutes.
This acceleration doesn’t just save time; it removes friction from creative processes. When you can instantly generate ten variations of a title tag, you’re freed to focus on strategic evaluation rather than manual production. Writer’s block becomes less paralyzing when you have AI-generated outlines as starting points.
The technology excels at repetitive tasks that require consistency. Generating fifty meta descriptions following the same format, creating location-specific content templates, or drafting internal linking anchor text across a large site becomes trivial rather than tedious.
Limitations: No Real-Time Data or Metrics
ChatGPT’s most critical limitation for SEO work is its lack of access to live search data. It cannot tell you search volume, keyword difficulty scores, current rankings, competitor metrics, or backlink profiles. These quantitative inputs remain essential for strategic decision-making.
The model’s knowledge cutoff date means it cannot know about algorithm updates, industry changes, or current events that occurred after its training. For rapidly evolving topics or news-related SEO, this limitation is particularly significant.
You must combine ChatGPT with dedicated SEO platforms like Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics. The AI handles ideation, drafting, and analysis of data you provide. The tools supply the data itself.
Limitations: Factual Accuracy and “Hallucinations”
AI models can generate information that sounds authoritative but is completely fabricated. This phenomenon – commonly called “hallucinations” – is particularly dangerous in SEO content where factual accuracy directly impacts user trust and E-E-A-T signals.
Statistics, dates, study references, and technical specifications generated by ChatGPT must be verified against primary sources. Never publish AI-generated factual claims without verification. The confident tone of AI output can mask complete inaccuracies.
This limitation reinforces why AI should accelerate your work, not replace your expertise. Your domain knowledge, fact-checking, and editorial judgment remain irreplaceable components of high-quality SEO content.
FAQs: Best ChatGPT Prompts for SEO
Yes, ChatGPT serves as an excellent assistant for SEO professionals when used appropriately. It significantly accelerates time-consuming tasks like keyword clustering, content outlining, meta tag variations, and technical markup generation. The technology helps overcome creative blocks and maintains consistency across large projects.
However, it functions as a tool that amplifies human expertise rather than replacing it. Strategic thinking, data analysis, fact verification, and understanding of your specific audience and industry context remain human responsibilities. The most effective SEO workflows combine AI efficiency with human judgment and domain knowledge.
No, these serve fundamentally different purposes and complement rather than compete with each other. ChatGPT is a language model and analysis engine capable of generating text, analyzing content you provide, and following complex instructions. SEO platforms are data infrastructure systems with massive, continuously updated indexes of the web, backlinks, rankings, and search volume statistics.
You need both to execute effective SEO. Use dedicated SEO tools to identify opportunities, gather competitive intelligence, track performance, and validate strategy with real-world data. Use ChatGPT to accelerate execution of the tasks those tools reveal – writing content, generating variations, analyzing competitor material, and creating technical implementations.
Verification processes vary by task type. For technical code like schema markup, robots.txt, or hreflang tags, use specialized validators: Google’s Rich Results Test for schema, robots.txt testers, and hreflang validation tools. These catch syntax errors before they cause production issues.
For factual claims and statistics, trace information back to primary sources. If the AI references a study or statistic, find the original research and confirm accuracy. Never trust AI-generated numbers or citations without verification.
For strategic recommendations and content quality, apply your own expertise. Does the keyword targeting align with your understanding of your audience? Does the content structure make logical sense? Would this genuinely help your users? Your professional judgment remains the final quality gate that determines whether AI output is fit for implementation.