The 7-Step AI SEO Workflow (Briefs, Clusters, Links, Updates)

I used to think “AI SEO workflow” meant one thing.

You type a keyword into a tool. It spits out an outline. You generate a post. Publish. Hope. Repeat.

And sure, that does work sometimes. Especially if your site has authority already, and your niche is forgiving, and you do not mind rewriting half the draft to make it sound like it was written by an actual person.

But once you’re trying to grow steadily, month after month, across dozens (or hundreds) of pages. The whole thing breaks. Because SEO is not a single article problem.

It’s a system problem.

So this is the workflow I keep coming back to. Seven steps. Briefs, clusters, internal links, updates, the stuff that actually compounds.

And yes, it uses AI heavily. But not in that “publish 200 posts and pray” way. More like, AI does the repetitive parts, you keep the steering wheel.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Start with a website scan (before you touch keywords)

Most people do keyword research first. I get it. It feels productive.

But if you do not understand what your site already has (and what it’s missing), you end up building content on top of a messy foundation. Duplicate angles. Cannibalization. Thin pages. Or the classic one, you write “best X” posts while your product pages are weak and your internal linking is basically random.

So the first step in my workflow is always:

1. Crawl the site (or at least scan the important sections)
2. List pages that already get impressions
3. Identify gaps (topics you should own but don’t)
4. Identify decay (pages that used to rank but slipped)

If you want a simple place to start, run an on-page scan and get a punch list. Even basic checks help. Here’s a handy one: on-page SEO checker (title issues, missing headings, thin content signals, and so on).

Also worth doing early: pick 10 pages that matter commercially and clean them up first. If you want a framework for that, this guide is solid: how to improve page SEO.

This step is not glamorous. But it prevents you from scaling content onto a site that is quietly leaking rankings.

Step 2: Build keyword clusters, not a keyword list

A keyword list is a todo list. A cluster is a strategy.

The difference matters because Google ranks pages in context. It wants to see topical coverage, internal linking, consistent intent matching, and fewer one-off posts that live alone and do nothing.

So instead of grabbing 200 keywords and assigning one per article, I do this:

• Pick a core topic (the “hub”)
• Group related queries by intent and overlap (the “spokes”)
• Decide what becomes a supporting post vs what should be merged

A simple example, let’s say your hub is “AI SEO”.

Your spokes might be:

• AI SEO tools (commercial)
• AI SEO workflow (informational)
• AI content briefs (informational)
• internal linking automation (informational/commercial)
• programmatic SEO with AI (advanced informational)
• AI SEO pitfalls (informational)

Some of those can be separate pages. Some should be sections inside a stronger guide. The goal is: fewer, better pages that reinforce each other.

If you’re using an automation platform that already generates a topic plan off your site, this clustering step gets easier because you are not brainstorming from scratch.

For example, SEO software positions itself as an AI-powered content marketing system that scans your site, generates a keyword and topic strategy, then creates and publishes content on a schedule. That scan to strategy step is basically Step 1 and Step 2 bundled together, which is why it’s a time saver if you’re building at scale.

Step 3: Create an AI-assisted content brief that a human would actually love

This is where most AI content workflows get sloppy.

People jump straight to “Write me an article about X.” And then they act surprised when the output feels generic, repetitive, and weirdly confident about facts that might not be true.

Briefs fix that.

A good brief does four things:

1. Locks the intent (what the reader actually wants)
2. Sets the angle (what makes your page different)
3. Forces structure (so the article flows)
4. Controls evidence (examples, data, screenshots, what you will and won’t claim)

Here’s what I put in most briefs, even if AI is writing the first draft:

Brief template (simple but effective)

Primary keyword:
Secondary keywords:
Search intent: (informational, commercial, navigational, transactional)
Reader: (beginner founder, SEO manager, ecommerce owner, etc)
Outcome: (what they should be able to do after reading)

Angle:

• What we believe that others are missing
• What we will show step by step

Must include sections:

• Definitions (if needed)
• Process (numbered steps)
• Mistakes and fixes
• Tools or templates (if relevant)
• FAQ (only real questions, not fluff)

Internal links to include:
(list them, with preferred anchor text)

Proof points:

• Real examples from your site
• Screenshots
• Benchmarks
• Specific features (only what’s true)

If you’re writing inside a dedicated editor, you can bake this into your workflow.

For instance, if you’re iterating on drafts and optimizing them for on-page signals, an AI editor built for SEO helps. Here’s one: AI SEO editor. The big win is not “AI wrote my post.” It’s “AI helped me structure, refine, and keep things aligned with search intent.”

Also, if you want a broader look at writing tools in general, this roundup is useful: AI writing tools. Just do not confuse “writes text” with “builds rankings.” Different game.

Step 4: Generate the draft, but do it in two passes (not one)

This is one of those tiny workflow changes that makes AI content feel way more human.

Pass 1 is the “get it on the page” draft. Messy is fine. You just need the skeleton and the key points.

Pass 2 is the “editor pass.” This is where you fix:

• repetition (AI loves repeating itself)
• vague claims (“boost your rankings”, “game changer”, you know the ones)
• missing specificity (examples, steps, constraints)
• tone (make it sound like you, not a help center article)

I also like to add a small “experience layer.” Even one paragraph that says what you tried, what surprised you, what didn’t work. It changes the entire feel.

If you’re publishing a lot, the draft and rewrite loop matters. Unlimited rewrites are not a nice-to-have. They are how you get from “AI content” to “content that performs.”

That’s part of why platforms that combine generation + rewrite + publishing are appealing. Again, using SEO software as an example, it’s built around bulk article generation, rewrites, and scheduling. Less copy paste, fewer moving parts.

Step 5: Add internal links like a strategist, not like a robot

Internal linking is where clusters become real.

And it’s also where many AI workflows quietly fail because people either:

• add zero internal links, or
• add 20 random links with exact match anchors and call it “done”

What you want instead is a map.

My internal link rules (quick and practical)

1. Every new post links up to the hub page.
Use natural anchor text, not forced keyword stuffing.

2. Every new post links sideways to 2 to 4 closely related posts.
This is what builds topical depth.

3. Every new post gets links from older relevant posts.
This is the part people skip. But it matters. A new page with zero internal links pointing to it is basically an orphan.

4. Add links where they help the reader decide or act.
Not just in the first paragraph. Not just in a “related posts” widget.

So for this article, here are internal links that actually fit naturally:

• If you want to optimize drafts and keep them aligned with on-page best practices, use an AI SEO editor.
• If you’re trying to clean up existing pages first, this guide on improving page SEO is a good checklist.
• If you want a quick health scan for common on-page problems, run an on-page SEO checker.
• If you’re currently paying for another optimization tool and wondering what the differences actually are, these comparisons are helpful: SEO Software vs Surfer SEO and SEO Software vs Jasper.
• And if you want to see the broader tool landscape for writing itself, here’s a list of AI writing tools.

One more thing. Internal link anchor text should be varied. Humans do not link the same way every time. So sometimes it’s “on-page SEO checker,” sometimes it’s “run a quick on-page check,” sometimes it’s “check your on-page basics.” Same destination, different phrasing.

Step 6: Handle external links and citations without hallucinating

AI is great at sounding right. That’s the problem.

If your workflow includes stats, studies, or claims like “X increased traffic by 43%,” you need a process for sourcing. Otherwise you’re publishing fiction, even if it reads nicely.

So I do this:

• If the claim matters, I either cite a real source or I remove the claim.
• If I cannot verify it quickly, I rewrite the sentence to be non-numeric and honest.
• If I’m referencing a tool feature, I double check the actual product page.

This does two things.

1. Your content becomes safer.
2. Your content becomes more credible, which quietly improves conversions too.

External links are also a trust signal for readers. But do not overdo it. A couple of strong references is enough.

Step 7: Build an update loop (because rankings decay is real)

This is the step that turns “content creation” into “content marketing.”

Most sites publish, then move on forever. Meanwhile:

• competitors update their pages
• SERPs shift
• your once great post slides from position 3 to position 9
• traffic drops, slowly enough that you do not notice until it hurts

So you need an update workflow.

My update loop (monthly and quarterly)

Every month:

• find pages with declining clicks or impressions
• update intros to match current intent
• refresh internal links (add links to newer posts)
• add 1 to 2 new sections that answer emerging questions

Every quarter:

• re-evaluate clusters (merge, split, redirect)
• prune or consolidate thin pages
• improve “money pages” with better supporting content
• add missing FAQs based on Search Console queries

A lot of this can be automated or at least surfaced automatically, which is where SEO automation tools can actually help beyond writing.

If you’re running a hands-off content engine, the dream setup is:

• the platform suggests what to write next based on gaps
• it publishes consistently
• and you still have an update queue, so old winners do not rot

That’s basically the positioning of SEO software, and honestly, that “alternative to hiring an SEO agency” angle makes sense when your bottleneck is consistency and execution.

However, keeping your content fresh and relevant is crucial. This involves using a content refresh checklist to optimize old posts for higher rankings.

Putting it all together (what this looks like in a real week)

If you want a more concrete picture, here’s a simple weekly cadence using the 7 steps:

Monday: Site scan and opportunity review (Step 1)
Tuesday: Cluster planning for the next 4 weeks (Step 2)
Wednesday: Write 2 to 4 briefs (Step 3)
Thursday: Draft generation + editing pass (Step 4)
Friday: Internal links + publish + add to update list (Step 5 and Step 7)

And then once a month, you do a 2 hour update sprint.

Not perfect. Not overly complicated. Just consistent.

Common mistakes I see with AI SEO workflows (so you can skip them)

1. Publishing too fast, with no link strategy

You end up with a content graveyard. Posts exist, rankings don’t.

2. Treating “clusters” as a spreadsheet exercise

Clusters need internal links and clear hub pages. Otherwise it’s just grouped keywords.

3. Ignoring existing pages

Sometimes the fastest ranking win is updating what you already have, not publishing something new.

4. Letting AI choose the angle

If AI decides the angle, it usually chooses the most generic version of the topic. Which is exactly what everyone else published.

5. Never rewriting

First drafts are rarely good. AI or human, it doesn’t matter. The rewrite is where quality shows up.

A simple way to start if you feel behind

If you’re overwhelmed, do this in order:

1. Run an on-page SEO check and fix obvious issues on your top pages.
2. Pick one cluster you want to own and map it out.
3. Write one great hub page brief.
4. Publish 4 supporting posts, each linking back to the hub and sideways to each other.
5. Add internal links from older posts to the new hub and spokes.
6. Schedule one update day per month.

If you want to automate a chunk of that, and especially if you want the scanning, strategy, writing, and publishing in one place, take a look at SEO software. It’s built for that hands-off content marketing rhythm, without the agency overhead.

Final thoughts

A good AI SEO workflow is not “AI writes articles.”

It’s briefs that control intent. Clusters that build authority. Links that connect the system. Updates that keep winners winning.

Do those seven steps consistently, and you stop relying on luck. You start compounding. That’s the whole point.