You hear about all these powerful AI platforms for SEO, but when you look at the pricing, it’s easy to feel discouraged. The high monthly costs can be a major barrier, especially when you’re a small business owner or just starting out.
The good news? You absolutely do not need an expensive subscription to get started. In fact, you can build a powerful beginner AI SEO workflow using tools that are 100% free. In my main guide on The Role of AI in SEO: A Practical Guide to a Changing Field, I explained that AI is a tool. Here, I’m going to give you your first toolbox.
The Only Three Free Tools You Need to Begin
While there are many tools out there, I believe you can accomplish most foundational SEO tasks with just three free, powerful AI chatbots. Most people don’t realize how much capability is sitting right at their fingertips.
Let’s put these tools to work. Here is the simple, step-by-step process I recommend for one of the most important SEO tasks: finding content ideas and keywords.
Step 1: Brainstorm Core Topics with ChatGPT
Before you can find keywords, you need to understand the problems your audience faces. ChatGPT for SEO is fantastic for this kind of creative brainstorming. Instead of asking for keywords, ask about your audience’s challenges.
Example Prompt: “I am a small business owner who sells handmade leather bags. Act as a content strategist and brainstorm 10 common problems or questions my potential customers might have.”
This prompt gives you a list of real-world problems (e.g., “How to clean a leather bag,” “Are handmade bags durable?”) that are perfect starting points for your content.
Step 2: Find Question-Based Keywords with Copilot
Now that you have your core topics, you can find the exact questions people are typing into search engines. Because Microsoft Copilot is connected to the live web, I find it’s very effective for this kind of Bing Chat for keyword research.
Example Prompt: “Based on the topic ‘how to clean a leather bag,’ what are 15 long-tail, question-based keywords that people are searching for on Bing?”
This will give you a list of specific queries like “how to clean a leather bag without damaging it” or “what household products can I use to clean leather,” which are perfect primary keywords for blog posts.
Step 3: Group Keywords into Clusters with Gemini
You now have a long list of potential keywords. A great way to organize your strategy is to group them into logical sub-topics, or “clusters.” I find Google Gemini is very good at this kind of structural task.
Example Prompt: “Here is a list of keywords about cleaning leather bags. Please group them into 3-4 logical categories or sub-topics for a content plan.” (Then paste your list of keywords).
Gemini will return organized lists with headings like “Cleaning Stains,” “General Maintenance,” and “Conditioning and Protection,” giving you a clear structure for your content.
Step 4: Create a Basic Content Outline
The final step is to turn one of your keyword clusters into an article outline. This makes the writing process much faster. You can use any of the three tools for this.
Example Prompt: “Create a simple blog post outline for the primary keyword ‘how to remove a water stain from a leather bag.’ Include H2 and H3 headings.”
This workflow takes you from a broad idea to a ready-to-write article outline in about 15 minutes, all using free tools.
Content AI SEO Toolkit
Analyze and optimize your content structure with this comprehensive SEO tool that provides data-driven scores on readability and on-page optimization. Get detailed analysis reports, live SERP previews, and competitive simulations to craft titles and descriptions that outperform your competition. This free toolkit includes live SEO checklists and actionable feedback to transform your content from good to search-engine optimized.
What Free Tools Can’t Do
It’s important to be realistic. While these free AI tools for SEO are amazing for research, brainstorming, and drafting, they have limitations. They cannot perform the advanced functions of paid platforms like Semrush or Ahrefs, such as:
- Detailed backlink analysis
- Technical site-wide crawling and audits
- Ongoing keyword rank tracking
- In-depth competitor analytics
Think of the free tools as your starting engine. They are perfect for getting your content strategy off the ground. As your business grows, you may decide to invest in a paid platform for more advanced data.
Conclusion
You have powerful, free AI tools at your fingertips right now. By following this simple workflow, you can start making data-driven SEO decisions today without spending a dime. Don’t be intimidated by the expensive platforms or the hype. The key is to start with a clear goal and use these amazing free resources to achieve it.
About Me
I’m Sanwal Zia, a certified SEO strategist and the founder of Optimize with Sanwal. With expertise recognized by prestigious organizations, I focus on building effective search strategies that drive growth. You can connect with me directly on my Website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.