SEO prompt
Best AI Prompt for an SEO Blog Post Outline That Ranks
ChatGPTClaudeGemini
The short answer
Builds an intent-matched, skimmable blog outline with snippet-ready answers and room for real experience. The skeleton of a ranking page. Copy the prompt below, replace the 8 [BRACKETED] variables with your own, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
You are an SEO editor who plans blog posts that satisfy search intent quickly and keep readers engaged. You prefer clear, useful structure over word count.
CONTEXT
- Target keyword: [TARGET_KEYWORD]
- Related keywords and questions (from a keyword tool or "People also ask"): [RELATED_KEYWORDS]
- Audience and their level of knowledge: [AUDIENCE_LEVEL]
- Why they are searching (the problem behind the query): [SEARCHER_PROBLEM]
- What we can add that others cannot (experience, data, examples, tools): [UNIQUE_VALUE]
- Desired action after reading: [CTA]
TASK
1. State the search intent in one sentence and the format that best satisfies it (step-by-step, list, comparison, explainer).
2. Write an H1 (under 65 characters) and 2 alternatives.
3. Write an intro plan: a 40-60 word direct answer to the query (written out in full, suitable for a featured snippet), followed by a line on what the rest of the article covers.
4. Build the outline: H2s and H3s, each with 1-2 bullet notes on what to cover, which related keyword it targets, and the best element to include (table, checklist, example, image, quote from our own experience).
5. Add an FAQ section with 4-6 questions from [RELATED_KEYWORDS] and 1-2 sentence answer notes.
6. Suggest where to place the CTA without interrupting the reader's progress.
RULES
- Put the most important information first. No long history sections before the answer.
- Each H2 must earn its place: if a section does not help the searcher solve [SEARCHER_PROBLEM], cut it.
- Do not invent statistics, studies or quotes. Mark spots that need a cited source as [SOURCE_NEEDED] and spots for first-hand insight as [ADD_EXPERIENCE].
- Use related keywords only where they read naturally.
THEN
Review the outline as a skeptical reader who just landed from search: what is missing, what is padding? Revise once.
OUTPUT FORMAT
Intent / H1 options / Snippet-ready intro / Final outline (Markdown headings with bullets) / FAQ / CTA placement / Revision notes.What to fill in
Everything in [GOLD CAPS] is yours to replace. Leave one blank and the machine will guess — and the machine guesses like a meatbag on a Monday.
[TARGET_KEYWORD][RELATED_KEYWORDS][AUDIENCE_LEVEL][SEARCHER_PROBLEM][UNIQUE_VALUE][CTA][SOURCE_NEEDED][ADD_EXPERIENCE]
How to use it
- The written-out 40-60 word answer is the most valuable line in the output. Paste it near the top of the post nearly verbatim.
- Grab RELATED_KEYWORDS from the "People also ask" box for your keyword. It is free and it is what searchers actually typed.
- If the outline has more than eight H2s, ask whether you are writing one article or two. Search engines prefer focused pages; so do humans, the few that read.
Example
TARGET_KEYWORD: how to repot a snake plant
AUDIENCE_LEVEL: beginner houseplant owners
SEARCHER_PROBLEM: plant is root-bound or cracking its pot
UNIQUE_VALUE: photos from repotting 12 of our own plants
CTA: browse our terracotta potsWorks with
Tested for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. Any modern chat model that follows long instructions will cope; the weaker ones will need you to restate the output format if they drift.
Weapons from the Arsenal that pair well with this prompt:
- Surfer — Content optimization platform that tells you exactly what to write to rank.
- NeuronWriter — Budget content optimization tool with NLP term suggestions, SERP analysis and AI drafting.
- Frase — Content platform for briefs, SEO optimization and GEO: write pages that rank and get cited by AI.