25 ChatGPT Prompts for SEO Success (Copy & Paste)

The fastest way to waste an afternoon with AI and SEO is to ask a model for something it cannot know. Ask for search volumes and you get invented numbers that look entirely plausible. Ask it to analyse the page currently ranking first and you get a guess dressed as analysis.

The twenty-five prompts below are named and numbered so you can come back to the one you need. Each specifies an output format, and none of them asks the model to supply data it has no access to. That single constraint is what separates useful AI-assisted SEO from confident nonsense.

For the campaign layer above SEO, see our ChatGPT prompts for digital marketing, and for prompting technique across every other kind of work, the main ChatGPT prompts guide.

• A model cannot see search volume, rankings or live results. Ask for keyword volumes and you will get numbers it made up. Paste real data from your own tools and ask it to analyse that instead. Never ask it to supply the data.
• It cannot see your competitors' pages unless you paste them. Analyse the top-ranking page produces a plausible guess. Paste the actual content and the analysis becomes real.
• Specify the output format. A table with named columns, a prioritised checklist, valid JSON-LD. Anything unspecified comes back as prose you will reformat by hand.
• Give it your actual constraints. Site type, market, team size, what you cannot change. SEO advice without context is generic by construction.

A request that will get you invented data:

Give me the best keywords for my business, with search volumes.

The same intention, safely:

Here is a keyword list exported from my own tool, with volumes and difficulty. Group them into semantic clusters by search intent, and for each cluster tell me which single page should target it and what would make that page better than what currently ranks. Do not add any keyword that is not in my list.

The second one cannot invent a search volume, because every number in the answer came from you. Apply that test to any SEO prompt before you trust the output.

The first four, covering keyword discovery and on-page work. Prompts 1 and 2 are for organising keywords you already have rather than inventing new ones. For the writing that follows, our ChatGPT prompts for writing go deeper.

Prompt 1: Long-Tail Keyword Generator

Generate 20 long-tail keywords related to [main keyword] that have commercial intent and include question-based queries. Format as a table with keyword, search intent, and content type recommendations. Do not estimate search volumes.

Prompt 2: Semantic Keyword Clustering

Create semantic keyword clusters for [main topic]. Group related keywords by search intent and topical relevance. Include semantically related terms and entity variations for each cluster, and name the single page that should own each one.

Prompt 3: Meta Description Optimizer

Write 5 compelling meta descriptions for a page about [topic]. Each should be 150-160 characters, include the keyword [target keyword], and have a clear call-to-action. Highlight unique value propositions, and state the character count for each.

Prompt 4: Content Gap Analysis

Analyze the topic [your topic] and identify 10 subtopics that competitors typically cover but are often overlooked. Provide content angles that would satisfy search intent while offering unique value. Flag any subtopic where you are reasoning from general knowledge rather than from content I have supplied.

Add do not estimate search volumes to any keyword prompt. It is the single clause that stops a model filling a table with numbers nobody can verify.

Prompts 5 to 8. The technical two produce code and checklists you can verify, which is exactly what you want from a model. The outreach two produce drafts you should always edit before sending.

Prompt 5: Schema Markup Generator

Generate JSON-LD schema markup for a [type of page] about [topic]. Include all relevant properties and ensure compliance with Google's structured data guidelines. Return only valid JSON with no commentary, and list any property you left out because I have not given you the value.

Prompt 6: Core Web Vitals Optimization Checklist

Create a prioritized checklist for improving Core Web Vitals scores on a [type of website]. Include specific technical recommendations for LCP, INP and CLS, ordered by expected impact divided by effort, and note which items need a developer.

Prompt 7: Link-Worthy Content Ideas

Generate 10 linkable asset ideas for [industry/niche] that would naturally attract backlinks from authoritative websites. Include format suggestions and promotion strategies for each, and tell me which three are genuinely worth the effort and which are busywork.

Prompt 8: Outreach Email Templates

Write 3 personalized outreach email templates for link building in [industry]. Each should be under 150 words, highlight mutual benefits, and avoid common spam triggers. Mark clearly which parts I must replace with something specific before sending.

Validate every piece of generated schema before it goes live. A model produces plausible JSON-LD, and plausible is not the same as valid.

Prompts 9 to 12. Local SEO requires content that balances optimisation with authenticity, and e-commerce requires it at scale. Both fail the same way: output that reads as generated is worse than output that reads as plain.

Prompt 9: Local Business Description Writer

Create 5 unique business descriptions for [business type] in [location]. Each should be 150-200 words, include local keywords naturally, and highlight unique selling propositions without keyword stuffing. Do not invent any claim about the business that I have not given you.

Prompt 10: Google Business Profile Optimizer

Generate optimized content for a Google Business Profile for [business type]. Include business description, service descriptions, and FAQ suggestions that incorporate local SEO best practices. Flag anything that would need verifying against the current Google guidelines.

Prompt 11: Product Description Enhancer

Rewrite this product description [insert description] to be SEO-optimized while maintaining conversational tone. Include semantic keywords, benefits-focused copy, and technical specifications in scannable format. Do not add any specification or claim that is not in the original.

Prompt 12: Category Page Optimization

Create SEO-optimized category page content for [product category]. Include H1, introductory paragraph, buying guide elements, and internal linking suggestions. Maximum 300 words, and no filler sentences that exist only to hold a keyword.

Add do not invent any claim about the business to every local and product prompt. Fabricated specifications and invented years in business are the most common way this work goes wrong.

Prompts 13 to 18, and the most valuable group here. Strategic planning is where a model genuinely helps, because you are asking it to organise thinking rather than to supply facts. The competitor prompts only work if you paste the actual pages.

Prompt 13: Editorial Calendar Builder

Create a 3-month editorial calendar for [website niche] targeting [audience]. Include content topics, target keywords, search intent, and publication frequency optimized for consistent organic growth. Tell me what to drop first if we publish less than planned.

Prompt 14: Topical Authority Map

Develop a topical authority map for [main topic]. Create a hierarchical structure of pillar pages and supporting content that demonstrates expertise and comprehensive coverage. Mark which pages we already have and which are new, based on the list I give you.

Prompt 15: Competitive Content Audit

Here is the content of the pages currently ranking for [keyword]. Identify unique angles, missing information, and opportunities for better user experience. Work only from what I have pasted, and say so if the pages do not support a conclusion.

Prompt 16: SERP Feature Optimization

For the keyword [target keyword], suggest content optimizations to capture featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and other SERP features. Provide specific formatting recommendations, and be explicit that you cannot see the current results for this query.

Prompt 17: Search Intent Classifier

Classify the search intent for these keywords [list keywords] as informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial investigation. Suggest optimal content formats for each, and flag any keyword where the intent is genuinely ambiguous rather than guessing.

Prompt 18: User Journey Mapping

Map the user journey for someone searching for [product/service]. Identify touchpoints, content needs at each stage, and SEO opportunities throughout the funnel. Include the stages where search plays no part at all.

Paste the competitor content rather than naming the competitor. It is the difference between an audit and a horoscope, and it takes two minutes of copying.

Prompts 19 to 22. One honest note on voice search: a good deal of the advice circulating about it is speculative, and voice results largely come from the same rankings as everything else. Writing in natural question form is sound practice regardless, which is what these two actually produce.

Prompt 19: Hreflang Implementation Guide

Create an hreflang implementation strategy for a website targeting [list of countries/languages]. Include tag examples and common pitfall warnings, and tell me which parts I should verify against current documentation before implementing.

Prompt 20: Cultural Localization Advisor

Adapt this content [insert content] for [target market]. Consider cultural nuances, local search behaviors, and regional keyword variations while maintaining SEO value. List everything you changed and why, so a native speaker can check it.

Prompt 21: Conversational Keyword Generator

Generate 15 conversational, voice-search-optimized keywords for [topic]. Focus on natural language patterns, question formats, and local intent modifiers. Format as a table with the question and the one-sentence answer a page should give.

Prompt 22: FAQ Schema Generator

Create FAQ schema markup based on common questions about [topic]. Include natural, conversational answers. Return valid JSON-LD only, and do not include any question we do not actually answer on the page.

Have a native speaker read any localised copy before it publishes. A model will produce fluent text in a market it has no current knowledge of, and fluency is not accuracy.

The last three. Prompt 25 is the one most people end up using weekly, and it works best with the raw numbers pasted in. Our ChatGPT prompts for data analysis go deeper on the analytical side, and ChatGPT prompts for social media cover distribution once the content exists.

Prompt 23: YouTube SEO Optimizer

Optimize this YouTube video about [topic] for search. Provide title options, description template, relevant tags, and timestamp suggestions for improved engagement. Give me five titles labelled by the angle each uses so I can test them.

Prompt 24: Video Script SEO Enhancement

Review this video script [insert script] and suggest SEO improvements while maintaining natural delivery. Include keyword placement recommendations and engagement optimization tips. Do not rewrite the script - list the changes so I can choose.

Prompt 25: SEO Report Summary Generator

Create an executive summary for an SEO report showing [metrics/changes]. Highlight key wins, areas for improvement, and actionable next steps in non-technical language. Under 400 words, and do not attribute a change to a cause the data does not support.

The clause that matters in prompt 25 is the last one. A model asked to explain a traffic change will always find a reason, whether or not the data contains one.

Two models are useful here for different jobs. GPT-5.2 is quick at generating the volume this work needs - twenty keyword clusters, five meta descriptions, eight title options. Claude Sonnet 5 tends to be more willing to say the data does not support a conclusion, which is what you want for the audit and reporting prompts. For the drafting that follows, an AI blog writer handles the long-form.

One habit worth forming, and it is not in the list above: after any SEO recommendation, ask which part of this depends on something you cannot verify. It takes one message and it catches the invented statistic, the assumed ranking and the guideline that changed last year. Chat Smith is free to try if you want to run a few of these first.

And one thing no prompt can do for you: check anything technical against current official documentation before you implement it. Guidelines change, model training data does not, and a confident answer about a deprecated metric costs more time than looking it up would have.