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Using AI for SEO

Improve your website's search performance using artificial intelligence tools for content creation, keyword research and strategic planning.

Grace avatar
Written by Grace
Updated this week

Overview

This article helps you harness AI tools to enhance your SEO efforts and boost your website's search engine performance. You'll discover practical ways to use AI for creating high-quality content, researching keywords, generating original images, and developing comprehensive SEO strategies that save time while improving results.

⚠️Warning: Never share sensitive business information, personal data, or confidential content when using AI tools. Many AI platforms, including ChatGPT, may use your inputs for training purposes. Always review privacy policies and use generic examples instead of real company data.


Key benefits

  • Accelerated content creation: Generate unique, keyword-optimised content faster than traditional writing methods

  • Enhanced keyword research: Discover relevant search terms and uncover new opportunities for your content strategy

  • Original visual content: Create custom images that improve user engagement and support your brand

  • Strategic planning support: Get data-driven recommendations for content clusters, internal linking, and advanced SEO tactics

  • Streamlined optimisation: Automate technical SEO tasks like metadata creation and alt text generation

πŸ€“ Tip: AI tools work best when combined with your industry knowledge and brand understanding to create authentic, valuable content.


πŸ“ŒNote: Click on the arrow ➀ to expand the section you're interested in:

Content creation and writing

AI can help you produce high-quality, SEO-optimised content more efficiently whilst maintaining your brand voice and meeting user needs.

Generate unique content

Use AI tools to create original content tailored to your website and target audience by following this structured approach:

  1. Provide clear prompts that include your target keywords

  2. Specify your brand tone and target audience details

  3. Request content that addresses specific user needs or problems

  4. Ask for natural keyword integration throughout the content

  5. Generate multiple variations to choose the best approach

Example prompts for recruitment content:

  • "Write a blog post about recruitment trends for 2025, targeting HR professionals in the UK"

  • "Create job description content for software engineer roles, including relevant technical keywords"

  • "Generate FAQ content for candidates applying to remote positions"


Streamline content optimisation

AI can help improve existing content for better search performance:

  • Rewrite content to include target keywords naturally

  • Expand thin content with relevant, valuable information

  • Optimise headings and subheadings for search intent

  • Create compelling meta descriptions and title tags

  • Suggest internal linking opportunities

⚠️ Important: Always review and edit AI-generated content to ensure accuracy, brand alignment, and genuine value for your audience.


Keyword research and targeting

AI tools excel at discovering keyword opportunities, analysing search trends, and identifying content gaps in your current strategy.

Identify target keywords

Use AI to research and analyse keywords for your content strategy:

Ask AI to:

  • Generate keyword lists based on your industry and services

  • Identify long-tail keywords with lower competition

  • Suggest related terms and synonyms

  • Analyse search intent behind specific keywords

  • Research seasonal variations in keyword popularity

Research competitor keywords

Input competitor content and ask AI to:

  • Identify their target keywords and content strategies

  • Generate alternative keywords to compete for similar search terms

  • Discover content gaps in your current keyword strategy

  • Analyse their content structure and topic coverage

Develop content clusters

AI can help you create comprehensive topic clusters:

  1. Identify pillar topics relevant to your audience

  2. Generate supporting subtopics and related keywords

  3. Plan content hierarchies and internal linking opportunities

  4. Map keywords to specific pages and content types

πŸ€“Tip: Use AI to analyse search volume trends and seasonal variations in keyword popularity to time your content creation effectively.

πŸ“ŒNote: Our Improving Your SEO Help Guide covers keyword research, topic clusters, and internal linking strategies in detail.


Image generation and optimisation

AI image tools can create unique visual content that enhances your SEO efforts and improves user engagement.

Generate original images

Create custom images that support your content and brand identity:

Benefits of AI-generated images:

  • Unique visuals that stand out from stock photography

  • Custom illustrations tailored to your specific content

  • Consistent style across your website

  • Cost-effective alternative to photography or design services

Popular AI image tools:

Tool

Platform type

Key Strengths

DALL-E (OpenAI's image generator)

Text-to-image AI

Integrated with ChatGPT workflows, high-quality artistic output

Midjourney (Independent AI platform)

Discord-based generator

Detailed artistic images with active community features

Adobe Firefly (Adobe's AI suite)

Professional design tool

Commercial-safe generation with clear licensing terms

Stable Diffusion (Open-source AI)

Customisable platform

Flexible generation options with extensive customisation

Optimise image metadata

Use AI to streamline image SEO optimisation:

  • Generate descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO

  • Create keyword-rich file names that describe image content

  • Write image captions that support your overall content

  • Suggest image titles that improve search visibility

⚠️ Warning: Always verify that AI-generated images are suitable for commercial use and don't infringe on copyrights or trademarks.

πŸ“ŒNote: For step-by-step instructions on adding alt text to images, see our Getting Started with SEO Help Guide.


Metadata and technical SEO

AI can automate many technical SEO tasks, improve consistency across your website, and enhance your site's search engine visibility.

Streamline metadata creation

Generate effective meta elements efficiently using these AI-assisted approaches:

Element type

AI Task

Quality Guidelines

Meta descriptions

Create compelling 150-160 character summaries

Include target keywords naturally, ensure uniqueness across pages

Title tags

Craft keyword-optimised page titles

Balance SEO value with user appeal, include brand name where appropriate

Alt text

Generate descriptive image descriptions

Support accessibility requirements whilst including relevant keywords

Image filenames

Create keyword-rich, descriptive filenames

Use clear, descriptive terms that match image content

Internal linking strategies

Use AI to improve your website's link structure:

  • Identify opportunities for internal links between related content

  • Generate anchor text variations for natural linking

  • Map content relationships for better site architecture

  • Suggest hub pages and topic clusters


Advanced SEO strategy

AI can provide strategic insights and recommendations for long-term SEO success and competitive advantage.

Strategic planning assistance

Get AI recommendations for comprehensive SEO improvements:

  • Content strategy:

    • Topic clusters based on your industry and audience

    • Content gaps in your current website coverage

    • Seasonal content opportunities and timing

    • Competitor analysis and differentiation strategies

  • Technical improvements:

    • Site structure recommendations for better crawling

    • URL optimisation suggestions for clarity

    • Schema markup implementation ideas

    • Mobile optimisation priorities

Performance analysis

Use AI to interpret your SEO data and identify improvement opportunities:

  • Analyse traffic patterns and user behaviour trends

  • Identify underperforming content that needs improvement

  • Suggest optimisation priorities based on impact potential

  • Generate reports that highlight key insights and actionable recommendations

πŸ€“ Tip: Combine AI insights with your SEO tools for comprehensive website optimisation and performance tracking.



Best practices and quality control

While AI is powerful, it's essential to use it responsibly and maintain high standards for your content quality.

Quality control measures

Always review and validate AI-generated content before publication:

Accuracy checks:

  • Verify facts and figures before publication

  • Ensure recommendations align with current best practices

  • Check that content reflects your brand voice and values

  • Confirm technical information is correct and up-to-date

Brand alignment:

Review AI-generated content to ensure it matches your organisation's specific communication standards.

Check that the content maintains consistent terminology usage, appropriate tone level (formal vs casual), accurate industry-specific language, and alignment with your company's established messaging guidelines and target audience expectations.

Content quality considerations:

  • Don't publish AI content without thorough human review and editing.

  • Avoid generic or templated-sounding text that lacks personalisation.

  • Ensure content provides genuine value to users through specific insights and actionable advice.

  • Check for duplicate or similar content across your site that might dilute your message.

Image usage guidelines:

  • Verify commercial use rights for AI-generated images before publication.

  • Avoid images that might be culturally insensitive, inappropriate for your audience, or misrepresentative of your content.

  • Ensure all visual content meets accessibility requirements and accurately supports your written content.

πŸ“Œ Note: AI tools continuously evolve, so stay updated on new features, best practices, and industry developments.


Try these AI tools

Choose tools that fit your specific needs, budget, and technical requirements for optimal SEO results.

⚠️Important:

  • Avoid sensitive data: Before using any AI platform, review their data privacy policies carefully. Some tools may store or use your inputs for model training. Avoid sharing confidential business information, customer data, or proprietary content.

  • Not affiliated: Access Volcanic isn't affiliated with any of these AI tools. This information is provided to help customers research which AI tools may work best for their specific requirements.

Popular AI platforms

Content creation tools:

Tool

Description

Key features

ChatGPT (OpenAI's language model)

Conversational AI for text generation

Versatile content creation, editing, and strategic planning

Claude (Anthropic's AI assistant)

Advanced analysis and reasoning

Detailed strategic insights and complex content analysis

Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft's AI suite)

Productivity-focused AI integration

Seamlessly works within Microsoft Office applications

Image generation platforms:

Tool

Description

Best for

DALL-E (OpenAI's image generator)

AI-powered image creation from text prompts

Creative visuals integrated with content workflows

Midjourney (Independent AI art platform)

High-quality artistic image generation

Detailed creative visuals with community-driven features

Adobe Firefly (Adobe's generative AI)

Commercial-safe AI image creation

Professional use with clear licensing and brand safety

Specialised SEO tools with AI features

Many established Search Engine Optimisation platforms now include artificial intelligence capabilities for enhanced functionality. Consider these established options:

  • Ahrefs (SEO research platform): AI Content Helper for content optimisation, automated keyword suggestions, and intelligent meta description generation

  • Semrush (digital marketing toolkit): ContentShake AI for streamlined content creation and comprehensive SEO visibility tracking across search engines

  • Surfer SEO (content optimisation platform): AI-powered content auditing with intelligent internal linking recommendations and rapid search analysis

  • Clearscope (content strategy tool): Advanced keyword research platform with AI-driven content optimisation and performance analytics

  • Frase (SEO writing assistant): Comprehensive AI-powered platform covering research, content outlining, and search optimisation workflows

πŸ€“ Tip: Check if your current SEO tools offer AI-powered insights before investing in separate AI platforms to maximise your existing subscriptions.

πŸ“ŒNote: Try Access Volcanic's built-in AI Digital Assistant for SEO guidance, best practices, and technical support specific to your website features.

Tool selection advice

Consider these factors when choosing AI tools for your SEO strategy:

  • Research considerations include comparing features and pricing across different platforms, testing free trials to find tools that suit your workflow, checking integration capabilities with your existing systems, and considering user interface and learning curve requirements.

  • Implementation strategy involves starting with one or two tools rather than multiple platforms, focusing on your most time-consuming SEO tasks first, gradually expanding AI usage as you become more comfortable, and monitoring results to measure AI tool effectiveness.

  • Many online tools now include built-in AI features, so explore your existing software before adding new subscriptions.


FAQs

Q1: Can AI completely replace human SEO work?

  • Answer: No. AI should complement human expertise rather than replace it. AI excels at data analysis, content generation, and repetitive tasks, but human insight remains essential for strategy, quality control, and brand alignment.

Q2: How do I ensure AI-generated content is accurate and valuable?

  • Answer: Always review AI content for factual accuracy, brand voice alignment, and relevance to your audience. Cross-check information with reliable sources and add your industry expertise to enhance the content's value.

Q3: Are AI-generated images safe to use commercially?

  • Answer: It depends on the tool and its terms of service. Always check licensing agreements and consider potential copyright issues. Some AI image tools specifically offer commercial-use licences with clear usage rights.

Q4: Which AI tool should I start with for SEO?

  • Answer: Begin with a general-purpose tool like ChatGPT or Claude for content creation and keyword research. These platforms offer versatility and don't require significant investment to test their effectiveness for your needs.

Q5: How can AI help with keyword research?

  • Answer: AI can analyse search trends, suggest related keywords, identify long-tail opportunities, and help you understand search intent behind specific terms. It can also analyse competitor content to identify keyword gaps in your strategy.

Q6: Can AI help with technical SEO tasks?

  • Answer: Yes. AI can assist with meta description generation, alt text creation, internal linking suggestions, and content optimisation. However, technical implementation still requires human oversight and expertise for proper execution.

Q7: How do I avoid AI content that sounds generic or robotic?

  • Answer: Provide specific prompts that include your brand voice, target audience details, and unique value propositions. Always edit AI content to add personal insights, industry-specific expertise, and authentic examples.

Q8: Will using AI for SEO content hurt my search rankings?

  • Answer: Not if used properly. Search engines evaluate content quality and user value rather than how content is created. Focus on producing helpful, accurate content that serves your audience's needs, regardless of AI assistance.

Q9: Should I use AI for all my SEO tasks?

  • Answer: Start small by focusing on your most time-consuming SEO tasks first. Gradually expand AI usage as you become comfortable with the results and develop quality control processes. Always maintain human oversight for strategic decisions.

Q10: How do existing SEO tools compare to standalone AI platforms?

  • Answer: Many established SEO tools now include AI features that integrate seamlessly with their existing functionality. Check if your current tools offer AI capabilities before investing in separate platforms for better workflow efficiency.

Q11: What's the best way to get started with AI for SEO?

  • Answer: Start by identifying your most time-consuming SEO tasks, then choose one AI tool to test with a specific use case. Create a small pilot project, develop quality control processes, and use Access Volcanic's AI Digital Assistant for platform-specific guidance.

Q12: How do I create effective prompts for AI content creation?

  • Answer: Be specific about your target keywords, brand tone, audience demographics, and content goals. Include examples of your preferred style, specify the content type needed, and request multiple variations to choose from for best results.

Q13: Can AI help with competitor analysis for SEO?

  • Answer: Yes. AI can analyse competitor content to identify their target keywords, suggest alternative terms for you to target, and discover content gaps in your current strategy. This helps you find new opportunities and differentiate your approach effectively.

Q14: Is it safe to share my business information with AI tools?

  • Answer: No, avoid sharing sensitive business data, customer information, or confidential content with AI platforms. Many tools, including ChatGPT, may use your inputs for training purposes. Always use generic examples and review each platform's privacy policy before sharing any business information.

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