ChatGPT Prompts for Keyword Research: Ideas, Intent, Clusters

Keyword research is where I spend a lot of my SEO time, and ChatGPT has changed how I start it. It's brilliant at thinking like a customer: listing the questions people ask, the words they use and the worries behind a search. What it can't tell you is how many people search for anything, because it doesn't have that data. These prompts use it for the thinking, and point you to real data for the numbers.

Where ChatGPT fits, and where it doesn't

Job	ChatGPT	Real data source
Brainstorming topics and questions	Strong	Check against real queries
Search intent and grouping	Strong	Confirm by looking at the results page
Search volumes and trends	Can't give reliable numbers	Keyword tools, Google Trends
Queries your site already gets	Can't see them	Search Console Performance report

The detail most people miss is the data you already own. Google says Search Console's Performance report shows which queries bring traffic to your site, with clicks, impressions, CTR and average position, and the default view covers the past three months. Google also notes that even if a query appears in your list, you might not see your site when you search it, because results depend on time, place, device and history. Export those queries and give them to ChatGPT; that's where the best prompts start.

Prompts to brainstorm keywords

Describe the business and the customer, not just a seed word.

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I run [business] for [audience]. List the problems my customers are trying to solve, and the words they'd type into Google for each one.

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Give me forty questions people might search about [topic], grouped by stage: just learning, comparing options and ready to act.

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What words would a beginner use to search for [topic], compared with an expert? List both sets.

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Suggest long-tail variations of [keyword] that include a location, a problem, a comparison or a 'how to'.

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List the related topics a page about [topic] should cover to answer a searcher fully.

Prompts to work with your Search Console data

Paste an export of queries, clicks, impressions and position.

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Here's my Search Console query export: [paste]. Group these queries into topics and tell me which topics have many impressions but few clicks.

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From this export, list queries where my average position is on page two of Google, which are often the quickest to improve, and suggest the page each one belongs to.

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Which of these queries look like questions? Suggest how I could answer each one on my site.

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Spot queries in this list that don't match what my page is about, so I know where I'm attracting the wrong visitors.

Prompts for search intent

The searcher's goal decides what kind of page can rank.

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Classify these keywords by search intent (learn, compare, buy or find a place) and say what kind of page would satisfy each: [paste].

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For the keyword [keyword], what is the searcher most likely trying to do, and what would make them click back to Google unhappy?

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Are these two keywords the same intent or different, and should they share one page or have two? [keyword A], [keyword B].

Prompts to organise and plan content

Turn a messy list into a plan.

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Group this keyword list into clusters of the same intent, name each cluster and suggest one page for each: [paste].

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Build a simple content plan from these clusters: page title, main keyword, supporting keywords and the questions each page must answer.

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Suggest how these pages should link to each other so the most important page gets the most internal links.

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Which of these planned pages overlap so much they'd compete with each other? Suggest how to merge or separate them.

Prompts to write for the keyword

Once you've chosen it.

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Write five title options for a page targeting [keyword] that match the searcher's intent, each under sixty characters.

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Write an outline for a page targeting [keyword] that answers the main question in the first two sentences, then covers [subtopics].

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Write a meta description for this page that promises a specific detail the searcher can't get from the snippet alone.

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Suggest five FAQ questions for a page targeting [keyword], phrased the way people type them into Google, with a short answer for each.

Prompts to research competitors' topics

See the gaps without copying anyone.

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Here are the headings from the top-ranking pages for [keyword]: [paste]. Which subtopics do they all cover, and which does none of them cover well?

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Based on these competitor page titles, suggest angles for my page that would stand out while still matching the searcher's goal: [paste titles].

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List the questions a sceptical customer would still have after reading a typical page about [topic], so I can answer them better.

How to get better keyword research from ChatGPT

• Describe the customer and their problem, not just a seed keyword.
• Never trust a search volume ChatGPT gives you; check it in a keyword tool.
• Start from your own Search Console queries whenever you can.
• Check intent by looking at what ranks for the keyword today.
• Use ChatGPT to group, plan and outline, then decide with real data.

For a free trend check, my guide to using Google Trends for SEO pairs well with these prompts. If you're a local business, my local SEO checklist covers the location side, and my tips on increasing organic traffic show what to do once you've picked your keywords.

My advice on ChatGPT prompts for keyword research

Use ChatGPT as your brainstorming partner and your organiser, and use real data for every number. Its gift is thinking like your customer at speed: questions, worries, phrasing. Your Search Console export is the best thing you can feed it, because it's your actual searchers in their own words. Put the two together, check intent on the live results, and you'll build a keyword plan that's grounded and fast.

Frequently asked questions

Can ChatGPT do keyword research?

It can brainstorm keywords, map search intent, group keywords and plan content. It can't give reliable search volumes, so check those in a keyword tool.

Does ChatGPT know search volumes?

No reliable ones. Treat any number it gives as a guess, and use a keyword tool or your Search Console data instead.

What does Search Console show for keywords?

Google says the Performance report shows the queries bringing traffic to your site, with clicks, impressions, CTR and average position.

Why can't I see my site for a query in Search Console?

Google says search results depend on time, place, device and history, so you might not see your site even when a query appears in your report.

What's the best first keyword research prompt?

Describe your business and customer, then ask for the problems they're trying to solve and the words they'd type into Google for each.