Table of Contents
How to Use These Prompts Effectively
These prompts work best in Claude or ChatGPT (GPT-4o). For most SEO tasks, Claude produces more precise outputs — especially for content briefs, editing, and structured data. ChatGPT edges ahead for creative tasks and when you need to combine web browsing with prompt execution.
The key to getting useful outputs: replace every [bracketed placeholder] with specific details before running the prompt. "AI writing tools" gets better results than "my niche." "marketing managers at SaaS companies" gets better results than "my audience." Specificity is everything.
Important limitation: AI doesn't know current search volumes or keyword difficulty scores. For that data, you need a real SEO tool — Semrush, SE Ranking, or Ahrefs. Use AI to generate and cluster ideas, then validate with real data.
Keyword Research Prompts (1–6)
Prompt 1 — Seed keyword expansion
Copy-paste prompt
You are an SEO keyword research expert. For the niche "[AI writing tools for marketers]", generate 40 keyword ideas across these categories:
- Informational (how-to, what-is, guides)
- Comparison (X vs Y, alternatives to X)
- Commercial (best, top-rated, review)
- Long-tail (specific audiences, use cases, pain points)
For each keyword, note: (1) likely search intent, (2) whether a new site could realistically rank for it, (3) content format that would work best. Group related keywords together.
Prompt 2 — Keyword clustering
Use after exporting keywords from Semrush or SE Ranking
Here are [50] keywords related to [AI SEO tools]. Group them into content clusters — each cluster should be targetable with a single URL. For each cluster:
- Name the cluster topic
- List all keywords in that cluster
- Suggest the primary keyword (highest volume, most relevant)
- Recommend content format (listicle, comparison, review, guide, etc.)
- Estimate content length needed
[paste your keyword list here]
Prompt 3 — Search intent analysis
For evaluating a keyword before you write
Analyze the search intent behind the keyword "[best AI writing tools 2026]". Tell me:
1. What is the primary intent (informational, commercial, transactional, navigational)?
2. What type of content currently dominates the SERP for this keyword?
3. What does someone searching this keyword ACTUALLY want to find?
4. What would make them leave a page immediately?
5. What would make them stay and convert?
Prompt 4 — Competitor keyword gaps
Find keywords your competitors rank for that you don't
I run a website about [AI tool reviews]. My main competitors are [site1.com] and [site2.com]. Based on what you know about these niches, suggest 20 keyword opportunities I might be missing — specifically keywords that an AI tool review site would naturally cover but often overlooks. Focus on long-tail, lower-competition angles.
Prompt 5 — People Also Ask mining
Generate FAQ content ideas
Generate 25 "People Also Ask" style questions that someone searching for "[Surfer SEO review]" might also want answered. These should cover: pricing concerns, comparisons to alternatives, use cases, limitations, and how-to questions. Format as actual questions, not topics.
Prompt 6 — Long-tail keyword ideas for featured snippets
Target position zero
Generate 20 question-format keywords related to "[how to do keyword research]" that are likely to trigger featured snippets. Focus on "how," "what," "why," and "when" questions. For each, suggest the ideal answer format (definition, numbered list, table, or paragraph) that would win the snippet.
Content Brief Prompts (7–11)
Prompt 7 — Full content brief
The most important prompt in this list
Create a detailed SEO content brief for the keyword "[best AI writing tools 2026]".
Target audience: [marketing managers at mid-size B2B SaaS companies]
Content type: [Listicle with comparisons]
Target word count: [2,500–3,000 words]
Primary keyword: [best AI writing tools 2026]
Secondary keywords: [AI writing software, ChatGPT for marketing, Jasper AI review]
Include:
1. Recommended H1 title (under 65 chars, include keyword)
2. Meta description (150-160 chars)
3. Full H2/H3 outline structure
4. Key questions the content MUST answer
5. Topics competitors likely miss (differentiation opportunities)
6. 3 angles that would make this more useful than existing results
7. CTA recommendation
Prompt 8 — SERP gap analysis brief
Find what's missing from current top results
I want to outrank the current top results for "[how to use Surfer SEO]". Based on what you know about this topic, what do you think the top-ranking articles are missing or doing poorly? Specifically:
- What questions do readers have that these articles probably don't answer?
- What content depth or detail is likely missing?
- What unique angle or format could differentiate a new article?
Use this to help me write a brief for a better article on this topic.
Prompt 9 — Outline generator
Fast outline from keyword + audience
Create a detailed outline for a [2,500-word] article titled "[How to Use AI for SEO in 2026: Complete Playbook]".
Target reader: [SEO professionals and content marketers who want to save time]
Tone: [Practical, direct, expert — not fluffy]
Include:
- Compelling intro hook (not "In this article...")
- 6-8 H2 sections, each with 2-3 H3 subsections
- Section on common mistakes to avoid
- FAQ section with 4-5 questions
- Actionable conclusion with next steps
- Suggested internal link opportunities
Prompt 10 — E-E-A-T enhancement brief
Add first-hand experience signals Google rewards
I have a draft article about [Surfer SEO review]. Google's E-E-A-T guidelines reward "first-hand experience." Suggest 8 specific ways I can add genuine experience signals to this article — things a real user who has tested the tool for months would naturally include. These should be things AI couldn't fabricate: specific test results, error messages encountered, workflow discoveries, pricing gotchas, etc.
Prompt 11 — Internal linking brief
Plan your internal link structure before writing
I'm writing an article about [how to use Surfer SEO]. My site covers: [AI tool reviews, SEO tools, content marketing].
List 8-10 natural internal linking opportunities I should include in this article, with:
- The anchor text to use
- What type of page it should link to (review, comparison, guide, etc.)
- Where in the article it fits naturally (intro, middle, conclusion)
Avoid over-optimization — these should feel editorial, not forced.
On-Page SEO Prompts (12–17)
Prompt 12 — Intro hook generator
Stop starting with "In this article..."
Write 5 different opening paragraphs for an article about [how to use Surfer SEO]. Each should use a different hook technique:
1. Surprising statistic or fact
2. Common misconception to debunk
3. Specific pain point scenario
4. Bold contrarian claim
5. Before/after transformation
Each intro should be under 80 words and naturally lead into the article topic. Do NOT start any with "Are you" or "In this article."
Prompt 13 — Section rewrite for clarity
Clean up AI-generated or weak sections
Rewrite this section of my article to be clearer, more specific, and more useful. Requirements:
- Remove any generic filler sentences
- Make every sentence earn its place
- Add a specific example or data point if missing
- Keep the same structure but cut word count by 20%
- Maintain a [practical, direct] tone
[paste your section here]
Prompt 14 — NLP term integration
Use after running Surfer SEO Content Editor
I'm optimizing an article about [Surfer SEO] for search. Here are the NLP terms Surfer SEO says I need to add (currently missing):
[paste your missing terms list]
Rewrite these 3 paragraphs to naturally incorporate these terms without keyword stuffing. The terms should flow naturally — if a term doesn't fit naturally in these paragraphs, tell me where in the article it would fit better:
[paste your paragraphs here]
Prompt 15 — Table of contents optimizer
Make your TOC rank in featured snippets
I have this table of contents for my article about [Surfer SEO]:
[paste your TOC]
Rewrite the H2 headings to be:
1. More specific and searchable (include relevant keywords naturally)
2. Descriptive enough that a reader knows exactly what they'll get in each section
3. Formatted correctly for heading hierarchy
4. Varied in structure (not all starting with the same word pattern)
Also suggest 2 sections I might be missing that searchers would expect.
Prompt 16 — FAQ section generator
Add FAQs that target PAA and voice search
Generate an FAQ section for an article about [Surfer SEO pricing]. Include 6-8 questions that:
- Match real searches (use question phrasing people actually use)
- Cover pricing, alternatives, limitations, and how-to questions
- Have concise answers (50-100 words each) that could win featured snippets
- Are formatted as H3 question + paragraph answer (no bullet points in answers)
Format for direct copy-paste into HTML with
and
tags.
Prompt 17 — Conclusion with CTA
End with action, not summary
Write a conclusion for my article about [how to use Surfer SEO]. Requirements:
- Do NOT start with "In conclusion" or "To summarize"
- Do NOT repeat what was already covered
- Focus on what the reader should DO next (specific next action)
- Mention [Surfer SEO's free trial] as the logical next step
- Keep it under 120 words
- End with a question or forward-looking statement
Meta Tags & Titles (18–21)
Prompt 18 — Title tag variations
10 options to A/B test
Write 10 title tag variations for an article targeting the keyword "[Surfer SEO review 2026]". Requirements:
- All under 60 characters
- Include the primary keyword in most (but not all)
- Vary the formula: some with numbers, some with year, some with power words, some with questions
- Avoid: "Ultimate Guide," "Everything You Need to Know," "Complete Guide"
- Make each one feel specific and credible
Format as a numbered list. Mark your top 3 picks with [RECOMMENDED].
Prompt 19 — Meta description batch
Write meta descs that get clicks
Write 5 meta descriptions for an article about [Surfer SEO review 2026]. Requirements:
- Each between 140-155 characters (count carefully)
- Include the primary keyword naturally
- Each should have a different angle: benefit-focused, curiosity, social proof, urgency, and question-based
- End each with an implied or explicit CTA
- No generic phrasing like "Learn more about" or "In this article"
Format with character count after each option.
Prompt 20 — OG social title optimizer
Titles that get shared on social media
I have this SEO title tag: "[Surfer SEO Review 2026: Is It Worth $89/Month?]"
Write 3 alternative titles optimized for social sharing (Twitter/LinkedIn) rather than SEO. These can be longer (up to 70 chars), more emotive, and more specific about the value. They should make someone scroll-stop and click.
Prompt 21 — H1 vs title tag distinction
Your H1 and title tag can differ
I have this page title tag: "[Surfer SEO Review 2026: Is It Worth $89/Month?]"
Write 3 alternative H1 options for the same page. The H1 doesn't need to match the title tag exactly — it can be:
- Longer (up to 80 chars)
- More conversational
- More specific to what the article delivers
- Optimized for on-page reading rather than SERP display
Schema Markup Prompts (22–24)
Prompt 22 — Review schema
Add rich snippets to review pages
Generate valid JSON-LD Review schema markup for this page:
Product/Software: [Surfer SEO]
Rating: [9.1 out of 10]
Reviewer: [Alex Chen]
Review date: [2026-06-28]
Review URL: [https://rankertoolai.com/review/surfer-seo/]
Publisher: [RankerToolAI]
Price range: [From $89/month]
Category: [SEO Software]
Follow Schema.org Review and SoftwareApplication guidelines. Output only the complete JSON-LD script tag, ready to paste into the HTML head.
Prompt 23 — FAQ schema
Get FAQ rich snippets in search results
Convert these FAQ questions and answers into valid JSON-LD FAQPage schema markup:
Q: [Is Surfer SEO worth it?]
A: [Surfer SEO is worth it if you publish content regularly and depend on organic search traffic. The content scoring system consistently helps pages rank faster...]
Q: [How much does Surfer SEO cost?]
A: [Surfer SEO Essential plan costs $89/month for 30 Content Editor documents. The Scale plan is $219/month for 100 documents...]
[Add your other Q&A pairs]
Output only the complete JSON-LD script tag, ready to paste into HTML head.
Prompt 24 — BreadcrumbList schema
Breadcrumbs in search results
Generate JSON-LD BreadcrumbList schema for this page:
Homepage: [https://rankertoolai.com] — "RankerToolAI"
Category: [https://rankertoolai.com/blog/] — "Blog"
Current page: [https://rankertoolai.com/blog/how-to-use-surfer-seo/] — "How to Use Surfer SEO"
Output only the JSON-LD script tag, ready to paste into HTML head.
Link Building Prompts (25–28)
Prompt 25 — Outreach email (cold)
Short, specific, not spammy
Write a cold outreach email for link building. Details:
My site: [rankertoolai.com — AI tool reviews and comparisons]
Target site: [contentmarketinginstitute.com]
Their recent article: ["AI Writing Tools for Content Teams 2026"]
My relevant resource: ["Surfer SEO Review: 6 Months of Testing" — rankertoolai.com/review/surfer-seo/]
Personalization: [They cited Clearscope as a content optimization tool but didn't mention Surfer SEO, which is a popular alternative]
Requirements:
- Under 120 words
- Specific value case: why linking to my resource improves their article
- No "I hope this email finds you well"
- No "I'm a big fan of your work"
- Clear, direct ask in last line
Prompt 26 — Resource page pitch
Get listed on curated resource pages
Write an email pitch to get my [Surfer SEO beginner guide] listed on resource pages about SEO tools. The email should:
- Be under 80 words
- Explain what the resource is and why it's useful
- Make a direct request
- Include one specific reason why it fits their resource page
Site details: [My guide at rankertoolai.com/blog/how-to-use-surfer-seo/ is a 3,000-word step-by-step tutorial with screenshots and workflow examples]
Target: [Site curators who maintain "SEO resources" or "content marketing tools" pages]
Prompt 27 — HARO / journalist pitch
Get quoted in press coverage
A journalist asked: "[What are the best AI tools for SEO in 2026?]"
Write a 150-word expert response I can pitch as a HARO/Qwoted source. Requirements:
- Sound like a genuine expert with hands-on experience
- Make a specific, opinionated recommendation (not "it depends")
- Include one data point or specific observation from real use
- Natural place to mention my site (rankertoolai.com) without it feeling promotional
- End with a quotable sentence
Prompt 28 — Broken link outreach
Replace dead links with your content
I found a broken link on [website.com] pointing to a dead page about [Surfer SEO]. I have a live, comprehensive resource at [rankertoolai.com/blog/how-to-use-surfer-seo/] that covers the same topic.
Write a short (under 100 words) email to notify them about the broken link and suggest my resource as a replacement. Tone: helpful, not sales-y. Make it easy for them to say yes.
Technical SEO Prompts (29–30)
Prompt 29 — Crawl error prioritization
Make sense of technical audit results
Here are the results from a technical SEO audit of my site. I have limited dev resources (about 5 hours per week). Prioritize these issues by likely impact on rankings and user experience. For each issue, give: (1) brief explanation of why it matters, (2) estimated fix difficulty (easy/medium/hard), (3) whether to fix now or schedule later.
[paste your crawl errors / audit results]
Prompt 30 — Redirect strategy
Consolidate and clean up URLs
I need to consolidate these URLs into a single canonical version. For each group, tell me: (1) which URL should be the canonical destination, (2) what type of redirect to use (301 permanent or 302 temporary), (3) any SEO risks to watch for.
[paste your URL groups]
My site is on [Cloudflare Pages / WordPress / etc.]
Tools to Pair With AI SEO Prompts
AI prompts supercharge your SEO workflow — but they can't replace tools that provide real data and on-page scoring. Here's what to use alongside these prompts:
- Surfer SEO ($89/mo) — Use after writing your draft. The Content Editor scores your article against top competitors and tells you exactly which NLP terms are missing. Prompt 14 (NLP term integration) works best when you have real data from Surfer.
- Semrush ($129.95/mo) — Use for Prompts 1–6 (keyword research). Export keyword lists from Semrush, then use Prompt 2 (keyword clustering) to group them with AI. Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool gives you search volume and difficulty that AI can't provide.
- Frase ($45/mo) — An alternative to Surfer for content briefs. Use Frase to auto-generate a brief from SERP data, then refine it with Prompt 7. Good budget option if $89/mo for Surfer is too steep.
- SE Ranking ($52/mo) — Full SEO platform (keyword research, rank tracking, site audit) at 60% less than Semrush. Use for keyword data to feed into Prompts 1–6 and for technical audits to feed into Prompt 29.
The bottom line: AI prompts handle the thinking and writing. SEO tools provide the data those prompts need to produce useful outputs. Neither works as well alone as they do together.