I. A Journey Begins
👋 Hey, I’m Kobe Neo – a digital ranger who conquered SEO with the help of AI and coffee.
I remember the early days when keyword research felt like entering a never-ending maze.
- Open Google Trends, scroll through Ahrefs, and manually sift through keyword after keyword until I felt overwhelmed.
- Every time I analyzed a competitor, I had to stare at hundreds of data points and try to find patterns.
The result ?
- Low efficiency
- Energy overdraft
- And ultimately, failing to find the most effective keywords.
Then one day, everything changed when I started using AI tools.
It was like having a magician by my side, offering accurate keyword suggestions in seconds.
AI completely transformed the way I work.
Keyword research is no longer endless trial and error; it’s now intelligent and efficient.
Now, I focus on what I’m truly good at—content creation and optimization strategies.
Today, in the following articles, I’ll show you the step-by-step guide on how I apply AI to keyword research.
By the end, you’ll have mastered the skills to use AI for effective keyword research yourself.
2. The Entire Process of Applying AI to Keyword Research
To help you understand how AI can be applied to keyword research, here’s an overall flowchart of the process before we dive into the specific steps:
3. Step-by-Step Guide to AI-Powered Keyword Research
Step 1: Define Goals and Audience Personas
🎯 Clear Keyword research goals are essential for shaping your strategy.
Keyword research is the heart of SEO. Defining specific goals is key.
First, you need to define specific goals:
- Increase Traffic: Focus on high-search volume, low-competition “blue ocean” keywords to attract more visitors.
- Improve Conversion Rates: Focus on long-tail keywords with purchase intent to increase conversions.
- Increase Brand Exposure: Target brand-related keywords to attract users at the awareness stage.
Action Step:
Using SEOAILab as an example:
Our goal is to increase traffic, so we’ll focus on keywords with decent search volume and lower competition.
🧠 Create a User Persona with AI Tools:
Use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to gain insights into your target audience’s needs, interests, and pain points, guiding your keyword research.
Action Step:
In this step, I will leverage ChatGPT’s reasoning capabilities to create a detailed SEOAILab user persona.
This will help us deeply analyze the target audience for SEOAILab, identifying their needs, interests, and pain points.
#1: Interact with ChatGPT O1
Use the following prompt to guide ChatGPT O1 in generating a detailed user persona for SEOAILab:
Prompt:
“You are a marketing expert, and I need you to create a user portrait for the SEOAILab website. The core function of SEOAILab is to provide AI-based SEO solutions and strategies.”
In just a few seconds, ChatGPT will generate a comprehensive user persona report, which will include:
- 📊 Demographic Information
- 🧠 Background
- ⚠️ Pain Points
- ✅ Needs
This detailed user persona will serve as the foundation for our keyword research.
#2: Analyze and Refine
We can go a step further and refine the user persona by ranking the user’s needs and pain points.
By ranking these needs and pain points, we can focus our keyword research on the most important areas, ensuring that we target the most relevant keywords for our audience.
This format keeps the content clear, structured, and easy to follow, improving the experience for mobile readers while emphasizing the key steps and actions.
Step 2: Prepare Initial Keywords (Seed Keywords)
Imagine you’ve just opened a bakery. The first step is to figure out what words customers would use to find you. Some examples could be:
- 🍞 Fresh bread
- 🍞 Morning toast
- 🍰 Handmade pastries
These are your seed keywords.
Where to Start:
- Look at your store’s sign
- Product names
- Common customer questions
- Competitors’ menus
Your goal right now is to capture the words that best represent your business.
These seed keywords will serve as the foundation for expanding your keyword list later on.
Action Step:
🔑 #1: Seed Keywords should focus on core themes related to SEOAILab‘s function:
- AI SEO
- AI SEO technology
- AI SEO strategies
- AI SEO solutions
Based on the target audience we just found from the SEOAILab user profile, for example:
- SEO professionals
- Digital marketers
- Business website managers
Based on audience needs, consider the terms they are likely to use in search engines to further identify keywords.
For example:
- AI-driven SEO
- AI for SEO
- AI content optimization
- AI SEO tools
We summarized the seed keywords obtained in the table.
🛠 Of course, we can also use AI to directly generate seed keywords.
The key here is to make sure our prompt is clear and follows the TRICK method to get the best results.
Here’s my example:
Set Role:
You are a marketing expert.
Task:
I need you to generate SEOAILab website torrent keywords.
Background:
The core function of the SEOAILab website is to provide artificial intelligence-based SEO solutions and strategies.
Note:
The range of seed keywords should be highly relevant to our website users.
Keywords:
Seed keywords, AI-driven SEO.
I entered this prompt into ChatGPT O1, and in seconds, it generated excellent seed keywords for me!
Step 3: Keyword Expansion
🔍 Now that you have seed keywords, it’s time to expand them.
The goal here is to uncover related long-tail keywords, synonyms, and potential search intent to broaden your understanding of user needs.
Tools:
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs
- Moz Pro
These tools provide search volume, competition, and help us identify the most promising keywords.
Action Step:
#1：Use SEMrush to expand keywords. For example, search for “AI SEO” and gather data like:
- Global search volume: 19.7K per month
- US search volume: 2.9K per month
- Keyword difficulty: 60%
#2：Then, we scroll down to find keyword ideas, and this is where we do our keyword extensions.
#3：Continue to click view all, we can see all the keyword data, and can select export in the upper right corner.
Tip: Export Region-Specific Data
You can choose to export region-specific data, such as for countries like:
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
The data exported from Semrush includes key metrics like:
- 🔍 Keyword Search Volume
- 📊 Keyword Difficulty
- 💰 CPC (Cost Per Click)
- 🧠 Search Intent
These metrics are more than enough for our keyword research.
Free keyword extension tool
If you prefer to use free keyword expansion tools for now, I’ve got you covered.
I’ll recommend a few excellent tools at the end of this article in the resources section.
Step 4: Research Competitor Keywords
🔎 We have got a lot of keywords, if you want to be more complete, or do differentiation competition, then research competitors keyword is very necessary.
Tools:
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs
- SpyFu
Action Step:
#1: Search for your core keyword on Google and review competitor pages.
#2: One by one, browsing search results, find the most relevant web pages with us and then put it on the Domain Overview of Semrush
Use SEMrush’s Domain Overview to export competitor keywords and enhance your list.
You’ll soon see a wealth of competitor data.
But for now, we just want what matters most: keywords.
#3: Click on the keyword below natural search traffic and select Export all.
It’s as simple as that.
Similarly, you can export keywords from other competitors’ web pages.
Step 5: Smart Keyword Filtering
🧹 At this point, keywords are like the clutter of books on your bookshelf — they all seem important, but not every one of them needs to be on the shelf.
With a large list of keywords, smart filtering is crucial.
Action Step:
#1: Make a preliminary arrangement of the downloaded form.
I usually keep search volume, the difficulty that 2 items, other deleted.
#2: you need to set filtering criteria:
- Search Volume > 100
- Difficulty < 30
These are the two criteria I typically use for filtering.
#3: Upload the Excel file containing your keyword data to ChatGPT.
Input the following instruction:
“Only data with more than 100 searches and less than 30 difficulties are kept.”
ChatGPT will refine your keyword list based on your set criteria.
Step 6: AI Keyword Clustering
🤖 AI can save time by grouping related keywords.
Instead of manually categorizing thousands of keywords, let AI do it for you, making optimization more efficient.
Action Step:
#1：Combine your filtered keywords into one table
#2：Upload them to ChatGPT,and input:
“Group together keywords that have similar meanings and are related.”
We will get a table of grouped keywords.
We’d better check to make sure we’re grouped correctly.
Step 7: Analyze Regional and Language Variations
Regional Optimization is essential when targeting different countries.
Account for language differences, regional preferences, and spelling variations.
🌐 When optimizing for international audiences, consider the following refinements:
📝 English Variants
Pay attention to spelling differences between:
- 🇺🇸 American English — “optimization”
- 🇬🇧 British English — “optimisation”
This matters when targeting different regions like the US vs. the UK.
🌍 Multilingual Markets
Optimize keywords in the native language of your target audience.
Examples:
- 🇫🇷 France:
“outils SEO basés sur l’IA” (AI SEO tools in French) - 🇪🇸 Spain:
“herramientas de SEO con IA” (AI-powered SEO tools in Spanish) - 🇩🇪 Germany:
“KI SEO Tools” (AI = “Künstliche Intelligenz” in German) - 🇬🇧 UK:
“AI SEO software” (British term for tools)
Considering local spelling, search behavior, and language nuances helps improve your SEO performance and user relevance across different markets.
Action Step:
#1: If you are particularly familiar with the language habits of your target market, you can make changes directly in the keyword table.
#2: If you’re unfamiliar with regional language habits, use ChatGPT to generate variations for different countries:
“Analyze the different expressions of these keywords in different countries in Europe and America.”
Chatgpt will give you the corresponding different language idioms.
Step 8: Monitor Keyword Trends
📈 Keyword trends shift over time. Regular monitoring helps adjust your strategy to stay aligned with changing market demands and search behaviors.
Use Trend Analysis Tools
- Google Trends
- BuzzSumo
- SEMrush
These help you analyze how specific keywords perform over time—across different timeframes, regions, and devices.
Identify:
- 📊 Growth trends (rising interest)
- 📉 Declining trends (falling relevance)
🕒 Seasonal & Time-Sensitive Keywords
Some keywords are influenced by seasonal patterns or specific events.
Examples:
- ❄️ “Winter skincare tips” may spike during colder months
- 🎓 “Back-to-school deals” gains traction in late summer
- 🧠 “AI trend predictions” might rise at the end of the year
Understanding keyword seasonality allows you to plan content and campaigns in advance to match user intent and demand.
Action Step:
#1: Log into Google Trends: https://trends.google.com/
#2: input multiple keywords to compare trends over the past 90 days.
You’ll see how keywords have performed and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Tip: When deciding between two key keywords, trend data can be a game-changer.
4. AI Keyword Research Tools & Use Cases
By following the 8-step process above, you can already perform efficient keyword research.
But if you want to go deeper and smarter, here’s a curated list of AI tools across five categories—definitely worth saving.
A. Text Generation Tools
ChatGPT
🟢 Strengths
- Simple to use—just enter a prompt
- Great for back-and-forth ideation
🔴 Limitations
- Doesn’t show search volume or keyword difficulty
- Needs manual fact-checking
📌 Use Case: Content expansion for the keyword “Vegan Meal Prep”
a. Initial Input:
Enter the following prompt into ChatGPT:
“Please list long-tail keywords related to ‘Vegan Meal Prep’ and provide brief content creation ideas for each.”
b. Get Results:
ChatGPT responds with long-tail keywords such as:
- “Vegan Meal Prep for Busy Professionals”
- “Easy Vegan Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas”
- “Low-Calorie Vegan Meal Prep for Weight Loss”
Along with content suggestions for each keyword.
c. Deepen the Request:
Follow up with a new prompt:
“Please provide a detailed article outline and key paragraph examples for ‘Vegan Meal Prep for Busy Professionals.’”
d. Execute the Plan:
After receiving the outline, use a keyword data tool like SEMrush to verify search volume and keyword difficulty.
hen, combine ChatGPT’s suggestions with real data to write or optimize your content.
Scalenut
🟢 Strengths
- Combines AI writing with built-in keyword tools
- Real-time SEO scoring while writing
🔴 Limitations
- Keyword data less extensive
- Premium plans required for full features
📌 Use Case: Full Content Workflow
a. Initial Keyword Analysis
Enter “Vegan Meal Prep” into Scalenut’s Keyword Research panel.
Check the search volume, keyword difficulty (KD), and user intent of related long-tail keywords.
You might discover high-potential terms like:
- “Vegan Meal Prep for Weight Loss”
- “Vegan Meal Prep for Beginners”
b. Auto-Generate Content Structure
Switch to Content Creation Mode, and enter your target keyword, e.g., “Vegan Meal Prep for Weight Loss.”
Scalenut AI will automatically generate a detailed outline with suggested subheadings and content prompts such as:
- “Calorie Control Tips”
- “Essential Nutrients for Vegan Diet”
c. Real-Time SEO Guidance
As you write, Scalenut will provide an SEO score based on:
- Keyword frequency
- Semantic relevance
- Competitor page comparisons
d. Batch Creation & Scheduling
If you’re planning to publish 5 articles on the “Vegan Meal Prep” topic in the next 2 weeks:
- Add multiple keyword sets into Scalenut’s Content Planner
- Let AI generate outlines and first drafts
- Finalize them with manual editing and schedule for publishing
B. Keyword Data Tools
Ahrefs
🟢 Strengths
- Rich keyword + backlink data
- Updated frequently, wide global coverage
🔴 Limitations
- Costly for freelancers or small teams
- Some gaps in niche languages
📌 Use Case: Competitor Keyword Mining
a. Identify Competitors
Enter your competitor’s website URL into Ahrefs.
You’ll get access to their top-ranking keywords and traffic source pages.
b. Discover Keyword Opportunities
Look for high-ranking keywords that you haven’t covered yet, such as:
- “Vegan Weekly Meal Plan For Beginners”
c. Validate Keyword Potential
Analyze key metrics including:
- Search Volume
- Keyword Difficulty (KD)
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Select low-competition, high-volume keywords to add to your content plan.
d. Backlink Strategy
Study your competitor’s high-quality backlink sources.
Reach out to similar platforms or publish related content to earn backlinks and boost your site authority.
SEMrush + AI Extensions
🟢 Strengths
- Strong keyword intent analysis
- Integrates with AI writing assistants
🔴 Limitations
- Mixed performance in niche markets
- Still needs editorial judgment
📌 Use Case: Fast SEO Content Optimization
a. Keyword Analysis
Enter the primary keyword “Vegan Meal Prep” into SEMrush.
Check the following:
- 🔍 Search volume
- 📊 Keyword difficulty (KD)
- 🧠 Search intent (informational or commercial)
Then explore related long-tail keywords.
b. Generate Writing Suggestions
Import both your main keyword and long-tail keywords into SEO Writing Assistant.
You’ll get real-time suggestions for:
- ✍️ Article length
- 📑 Paragraph structure
- 🔁 Keyword usage frequency
c. Monitor in Real Time
Write your content directly in the tool while watching your SEO score and readability indicators update live.
Adjust as needed to reach optimal performance.
d. Post-Publish Tracking
After publishing, track keyword rankings using SEMrush or Google Search Console.
Make additional keyword or content updates based on performance data.
C. Keyword Clustering Tools
KeywordInsights.ai
🟢 Strengths
- Groups keywords by relevance and search intent
- Great for building content clusters
🔴 Limitations
- May miss uncommon or low-volume gems
- Non-English grouping less accurate
📌 Use Case: Content Topic Clustering
a. Keyword Collection
Export a large keyword list (e.g., 1,000 keywords) from SEMrush, including terms like:
- vegan
- meal prep
- recipe
- healthy
b. AI-Based Clustering
Upload the keyword list to KeywordInsights.ai.
The tool will automatically group keywords based on semantic meaning and search intent into clusters such as:
- 🥣 Breakfast Recipes
- 🥗 Weight Loss Meal Prep
- 💪 High-Protein Recipes
- 🍱 Pre-made Meals
c. Content Planning
Use the clustering results to plan content hubs or sections on your website.
For example, create a dedicated topic like “Vegan Breakfast Meal Prep”, then publish related articles and interlink them to build a strong content cluster.
ClusterAI
🟢 Strengths
- Uses Google SERPs to group similar keywords
- Prevents overlapping content
🔴 Limitations
- Optimized for English
- Requires some SEO know-how
📌 Use Case: Optimize Page Strategy
a. Keyword Import
Upload a list of highly similar keywords, such as:
- “Vegan Meal Prep Ideas”
- “Vegan Meal Prep Tips”
- “Best Vegan Meal Prep Recipes”
b. Automatic Clustering
ClusterAI analyzes the SERP overlap and groups these keywords into one or multiple content clusters based on how search engines treat them.
c. Page Strategy
- If the tool groups them together ➜ Create one comprehensive page that covers all the keywords.
- If they’re split ➜ Develop separate subtopics, each with its own focused page.
d. Reduce Keyword Conflict
After clustering, your content will be strategically divided—avoiding internal competition between similar pages for the same keyword rankings.
D. Intent & Competitor Analysis Tools
MarketMuse
🟢 Strengths
- Maps out keyword intent and topical gaps
- Content depth suggestions based on top performers
🔴 Limitations
- Geared toward English
- Expensive for startups
📌 Use Case: Long-Form Content Optimization
a. Input Existing Content
Import your current draft of “Vegan Meal Prep Ultimate Guide” into MarketMuse.
The tool will scan your content and compare it with top-ranking competitor pages.
b. Get AI Suggestions
MarketMuse will identify missing subtopics such as:
- “Vegan Snack Prep”
- “Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Tips”
It will also highlight areas where your content lacks depth or needs additional references.
c. Match Intent & Optimize
Use the AI insights to:
- Add relevant sections and supporting points
- Include internal links and external authority sources
- Strengthen overall coverage for your target keyword
Surfer SEO
🟢 Strengths
- SEO scoring in real time
- Google Docs + WordPress integration
🔴 Limitations
- Best for single-page optimization
- Limited features on free plan
📌 Use Case: Real-Time Blog Optimization
a. Choose Your Keyword
Select “Vegan Meal Prep for Weight Loss” as your target keyword for the blog post.
b. Launch Surfer SEO Editor
Open the Surfer SEO editor, enter your title and a basic content outline.
The tool will analyze the top 10–20 ranking pages and provide suggestions for:
- Ideal word count
- Keyword frequency
- Content structure
c. Optimize in Real Time
Write while monitoring your Surfer SEO score.
Adjust keyword usage and section formatting as you go, aiming for a balanced SEO score and high readability.
d. Publish & Track
Once published, use Surfer SEO or other rank tracking tools to monitor your page’s performance and ranking growth over time.
Semrush Intent
🟢 Strengths
- Auto-detects keyword search intent
- Competitor-based content suggestions
🔴 Limitations
- Full features require premium plan
- Manual review may be needed for niche terms
📌 Use Case: Multi-Intent Keyword Layout
- Build a content matrix:
- Informational = How-to guides
- Commercial = Product comparisons
- Transactional = Landing pages
E. Trend Forecasting Tools
Exploding Topics
🟢 Strengths
- Spot trends before they go mainstream
- Ideal for startups & niche content
🔴 Limitations
- Doesn’t show keyword difficulty or volume
- Region/language filters limited
📌 Use Case: Trend Topic Content Creation
- Find rising terms like “Plant-Based Seafood”
- Publish ahead of curve
- Validate demand via SEMrush
Google Trends API
🟢 Strengths
- Free, official data
- Useful for seasonal and geographic patterns
🔴 Limitations
- No exact volume or SEO competition data
- Limited insights for very niche topics
📌 Use Case: Seasonal Content Planning
- Compare interest over time (“Vegan Meal Prep” vs. “Healthy Meal Prep”)
- Align with seasonal peaks (e.g. post-holiday diet trends)
- Target regions with highest demand
5. Neo’s Insight
① Combine Generative and Analytical AI
The most effective approach I’ve found is to:
- 🧠 Start with generative AI (like ChatGPT) for initial keyword brainstorming.
- 📊 Then, validate those ideas using analytical tools (such as SEMrush or Ahrefs).
This method combines creativity and data-driven accuracy, maximizing your content’s innovation and SEO potential.
② AI Clustering + Intent Alignment
By integrating:
- 🔗 KeywordInsights.ai for automatic keyword clustering.
- 🎯 SEMrush Intent for identifying clear user intent.
I efficiently organize large keyword sets into focused content clusters and map them directly to user intentions.
This approach significantly saves time and ensures highly targeted content.
③ Trend Forecasting Enhanced by Keyword Validation
My winning strategy includes:
- 📈 Using Exploding Topics for early trend detection.
- ✅ Immediately verifying keyword viability with SEMrush.
This helps me produce relevant, timely content ahead of competitors, effectively capturing early-stage traffic and growth opportunities.
6. FAQ
The best AI tool depends on your needs: ChatGPT is great for creatively brainstorming keywords, SEMrush and Ahrefs are good at analytical validation, and KeywordInsights is ideal for organizing keywords into clusters.
For beginners, ChatGPT and Scalenut are good starting points. They are intuitive, easy to use, and provide clear, actionable insights.
No, AI significantly improves efficiency, but human judgment is critical to interpreting results, validating keyword relevance, and ensuring alignment with the overall strategy.
Ideally, revisit and update your keyword strategy every quarter.
AI tools can quickly identify keywords with high potential. For example, tools such as SEMrush and Ahrefs can provide detailed metrics such as search volume, search intent, keyword difficulty, and competition level. You can quickly spot trends and pinpoint low-competition, high-traffic opportunities.