Three months ago, a frustrated e-commerce owner showed me his keyword strategy.
He’d basically done it himself using ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is great at lots of things, but keyword research for SEO…not so much.
It was a spreadsheet of 50 keywords, all come straight from ChatGPT. Beautiful spreadsheet. Confident AI recommendations. But at least half of them had zero search volume. And the ones that had search volume…well, just quite a few were too competitive. I agreed with about ten keywords.
But 10 out of 50? Not the best SEO strategy.
He’d spent two months creating content around keywords that literally nobody was searching for.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth about using AI for SEO keyword research: ChatGPT is brilliant at suggesting ideas. Absolutely terrible at understanding what people actually type into Google.
Think of AI as your brainstorming buddy, not your SEO strategist.
I use ChatGPT regularly in my keyword research process. But it’s one tool in a toolkit that includes Ahrefs, Keywords Everywhere, manual SERP analysis, and years of understanding how search actually works. AI suggests. Humans validate. Strategy wins.
Why AI Can’t Replace Proper Keyword Research
Before we dive into prompts, you need to understand what ChatGPT can and cannot do.
What AI is genuinely good at: Generating broad topic ideas quickly, suggesting related concepts you hadn’t considered, brainstorming angles for different audiences, and helping articulate search intent.
What AI absolutely cannot do: Tell you actual search volume, assess keyword difficulty or competition, understand current SERP landscape, or predict whether a keyword will drive conversions.
According to BrightEdge, 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine. But AI doesn’t know which searches those are. It makes educated guesses based on language patterns, not actual search data.
When we helped a medical professional get ALL their local treatment pages ranking in the top three for target keywords, that wasn’t AI magic. That was proper keyword research using actual tools, manual SERP analysis, and strategic content optimization.
AI helped us brainstorm. Data helped us decide. Strategy helped us win.
Our SEO services combine AI efficiency with tools and expertise that actually understand how Google works.
Initial Brainstorming and Niche Exploration
This is where ChatGPT genuinely shines. You’re staring at a blank page thinking “what should I even create content about?” AI can unstick you fast.
I use these prompts to generate initial lists that I then validate manually:
“Generate 20 keyword ideas that someone searching for [your service/product] in [location] might use”
“What questions might someone ask before buying [your product/service]?”
Question-based keywords often have lower competition and higher intent. But validate them. Just because AI thinks someone might ask it doesn’t mean they do.
“What problems does [your product/service] solve, and what might people search when experiencing those problems?”
“I run a [specific niche business]. What are the main pain points my target customers face, and what might they search for to solve them?”
Here’s my actual workflow:
- Use these prompts to generate 30-50 ideas
- Export to spreadsheet
- Run through Keywords Everywhere to check volume
- Manually Google the top 10-15 to see actual SERPs
- Eliminate anything with zero volume or impossible competition
- Keep the winners for content planning
The AI-generated ideas. The tools and manual checks determined what was actually valuable.
I’ll be honest with you. About 60% of keyword suggestions from AI turn out to have zero search volume when I check them properly. But that 40% that do exist? I might not have thought of them on my own.
Determining Keyword Suitability and Search Intent
Sometimes you find a keyword with decent volume but you’re not sure if it’s actually relevant to your business. This is where AI provides genuine value beyond just suggestion.
“I offer [your services]. Is the keyword ‘[keyword]’ relevant to my business, and what search intent does it represent?”
AI can help you think through whether a keyword is informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional. That matters because you don’t want to waste time ranking for keywords that won’t convert.
“Compare these three keywords: [keyword 1], [keyword 2], [keyword 3]. Which is most likely to attract customers ready to buy rather than just research?”
Commercial intent matters more than search volume. I’d rather rank for a keyword with 100 high-intent searches than 1,000 tire-kickers.
“Analyze the search intent behind ‘[keyword]’. Is the searcher looking to learn, compare options, or make a purchase?”
“What type of content typically ranks for ‘[keyword]’: how-to guides, listicles, product pages, or something else?”
AI can reason about this, but then you must actually Google the keyword and see what’s on page one right now. The SERPs tell you what Google thinks satisfies this intent.
According to WordStream, the average conversion rate for search is 2.35%. But that varies wildly based on keyword intent. When we work on SEO strategy, we’re not chasing volume. We’re chasing revenue.
Ready to stop guessing and start strategizing? Book a free consultation and we’ll show you how proper keyword research drives actual business results.
Page vs Post Decisions and Content Structure
Here’s a decision that confuses people constantly. Should this keyword be a service page or a blog post? The answer affects your entire site structure.
“Should ‘[keyword]’ be targeted with a service/product page or a blog post? Consider search intent and typical SERP results.”
AI can reason through this based on the keyword structure and implied intent. But then you absolutely must manually check the actual SERPs to see what’s ranking.
“These keywords are related: [list 3-5 keywords]. Should they be separate pages, or can they be combined into one comprehensive resource?”
This is crucial for avoiding keyword cannibalization. You don’t want five pages competing with each other for similar terms.
“I have a service page about [topic]. What blog post keywords could support and link to this page?”
This is content cluster strategy. Your service pages are the hub. Blog posts are spokes that link inward. AI can suggest the spoke topics, you validate them with real tools.
When we restructured content strategy for The UTS fitness center, this page-versus-post decision making was critical. Service pages for conversions. Blog content for traffic and authority. Each serving a specific purpose in the customer journey.
See how strategic content structure drove their results: The UTS case study.
Finding Adjacent and Related Keywords
You’ve identified a good primary keyword. Now you need to find related terms to create comprehensive content or build out a content cluster.
“I’m targeting the keyword ‘[primary keyword]’. What are 15 related keywords or subtopics I should cover in comprehensive content about this?”
“Suggest long-tail variations of ‘[keyword]’ that might have lower competition”
According to Ahrefs, 92.42% of keywords get ten monthly searches or fewer. Long-tail keywords often convert better because they’re more specific.
“I rank well for ‘[keyword]’. What adjacent keywords might the same audience be searching for?”
Once you own one keyword, expanding to adjacent territory is often easier than starting from scratch in a new topic area.
My process with adjacent keywords:
- Use AI to generate 20-30 suggestions
- Cluster them by topic or intent
- Check volume and difficulty in Ahrefs
- Manually review SERPs for the best 10
- Map them to existing or planned content
AI suggests the connections. I validate whether those connections exist in real search behavior.
The Brutal Truth About AI and SEO Keywords
I see business owners every week who’ve been sold on the idea that AI can do their entire SEO strategy. It can’t.
What AI actually does: Speeds up brainstorming by 10x, suggests angles you might miss, helps articulate intent and structure, makes the research process less tedious.
What AI does not do: Replace tools like Ahrefs or Keywords Everywhere, understand current SERP competition, know actual search volume or trends, make strategic decisions about what to prioritize.
According to Backlinko, the average top-ranking page also ranks for about 1,000 other relevant keywords. That’s not luck. That’s strategic keyword research combined with comprehensive content.
When Moreton Hills Golf Centre needed to improve their search visibility, we didn’t ask ChatGPT for a keyword list and call it done. We used AI for initial exploration, then did proper keyword research with real tools, manual SERP analysis, and strategic prioritization.
The result? Substantial increases in website traffic and improved rankings for key terms. See the complete strategy: Moreton Hills case study.
My Actual Keyword Research Workflow
Step 1: Business goals and audience definition (human strategy) Step 2: Initial keyword brainstorming with AI (using prompts from this article) Step 3: Expand list with Ahrefs, Keywords Everywhere, and Google’s suggestions (real data) Step 4: Check search volume and difficulty (tools, not AI) Step 5: Manual SERP analysis of top candidates (human judgment) Step 6: Prioritize based on business value, not just volume (human strategy)
AI makes steps 2 and 6 faster. Humans are essential for literally everything else.
The businesses that succeed with SEO aren’t using AI to replace strategy. They’re using AI to think faster so they can execute better strategy.
When to DIY and When to Call Professionals
Use these ChatGPT prompts if you’re doing initial exploration, want to understand a niche better, need help articulating what you’re looking for, and have the tools to validate AI suggestions properly.
Call in professional SEO when you need rankings that actually drive revenue, your market is competitive and mistakes cost money, you don’t have time to manually validate hundreds of keywords, or you want strategic prioritization based on commercial value.
Our SEO services combine AI efficiency with professional tools, manual SERP analysis, and years of understanding how search actually works.
Ready to stop experimenting and start ranking? Book a free consultation and let’s build an SEO strategy that actually drives business results.
The Bottom Line
ChatGPT is a brilliant research assistant. It can help you think faster, explore wider, and articulate better. But it’s not an SEO strategist.
Use AI to generate ideas. Use real tools to validate them. Use human judgment to turn them into strategy.
The businesses winning with SEO right now aren’t the ones using AI alone. They’re the ones combining AI speed with professional expertise, proper tools, and strategic thinking.
That’s the difference between having a keyword list and having a keyword strategy that actually drives growth.
Written by Martin Williams — Martin has worked in SEO for 8+ years, building and selling multiple websites that attracted millions of visitors. Now the SEO Lead at Phantom Digital, he shares proven strategies for growing traffic and creating long-term online value. You can check out his author page here.
