The AI SEO Workflow: On-Page + Off-Page Steps (With Prompts)

I keep seeing the same thing happen.

Someone buys an AI writer, pumps out 40 articles in a weekend, hits publish, and then… nothing. Or worse, a tiny spike and then it flatlines.

And it is not because AI “doesn’t work for SEO”. It can work. It is just that most people are using AI like a typing machine, not like a workflow. SEO is still SEO. Pages need a reason to rank, and sites need signals outside the site that say “yeah, this is legit”.

So here’s a workflow I actually like. It is simple, a little repetitive in spots, and that is the point. It covers on page and off page, and I’m including prompts you can copy paste.

If you want the “hands off” version, I’ll also show where a platform like SEO software fits in, because it basically automates a big chunk of the boring parts (scan site, build strategy, create and schedule articles, linking, rewrites, publishing).

The basic idea (so we do not overcomplicate it)

AI helps you do four things faster:

1. Research what to target (keywords, topics, angles).
2. Create content that matches search intent and is structurally solid.
3. Optimize pages (on page SEO, internal linking, entities, schema, CTR stuff).
4. Scale promotion and link earning without sending 500 spam emails.

The trap is doing only step 2.

Ok. Let’s do the workflow.

To truly harness the power of AI in your SEO strategy, it's essential to integrate content automation. This approach allows you to streamline your content creation process while ensuring that the output remains relevant and high-quality. By automating certain aspects of content generation, you can free up valuable time and resources to focus on other critical areas of your SEO strategy.

Part 1: Setup and targeting (before you write a single word)

Step 1: Quick site scan + a “what should we even write” map

If you already have a site with content, do a quick sweep:

• What pages already get impressions but low clicks?
• What pages rank 8 to 20 (easy wins)?
• What topics are missing entirely?
• What topics you covered but weakly (thin pages, outdated, messy intent)?

If you want a structured approach, tools can speed this up. SEO software, for example, scans your site and generates a keyword and topic strategy, then turns that into a content calendar you can actually execute. That is the pitch. Less spreadsheet pain.

Prompt (site + niche targeting):

You are an SEO strategist.
Business: [describe your product/service and who it is for].
Website: [URL].
Primary goal: organic leads for [offer].
List 20 topic clusters with:

• Cluster name
• Pillar page keyword (primary + 3 variants)
• 6 supporting articles (long tail keywords)
• Recommended funnel stage (TOFU/MOFU/BOFU)
• Notes on search intent and what “good” content must include

Step 2: Pick one cluster and lock the intent

This is where most AI content fails. It chooses the wrong intent. Or it blends three intents into one page.

You need to decide what you are making:

• Informational guide (teach me)
• Comparison (help me choose)
• “Best X” (curated list)
• How to do something (steps)
• Templates (give me a copyable thing)
• Product page (sell me)

Prompt (intent check):

For the keyword: “[keyword]”
Identify the dominant search intent and the top 5 sub-intents.
Then write:

• A one sentence promise the page must fulfill
• A list of “must include” sections to compete
• A list of “do not include” sections that would dilute intent
• A suggested title tag under 60 characters and meta description under 155

If you want a more guided on page process, this is where an on page checker helps. There’s a handy page here: on-page SEO checker. Even if you do not use it, the checklist mindset matters.

Part 2: On page workflow (AI assisted, but still human controlled)

Step 3: Build a brief that does not suck

A brief is not “write 2000 words about X”. A brief is constraints.

• Who is the reader.
• What they already know.
• What they need to accomplish.
• What examples we will use.
• What the page should rank for (primary + secondary).
• What we will link to internally.

Prompt (content brief):

Create a content brief for “[primary keyword]”.
Audience: [describe].
Goal: [what reader wants].
Include:

• Primary keyword + 10 secondary keywords
• Suggested H1 + H2/H3 outline
• 8 FAQs (question format)
• Internal link targets I should include (generic anchors, not exact match spam)
• Suggested examples, mini case studies, or templates
• A “quality bar” checklist: what would make this page better than average results?

Step 4: Outline first, then draft. Always.

I know this sounds obvious, but AI drafts are where you get fluff. AI outlines are usually decent.

Prompt (outline refinement):

Here is my outline:
[paste outline]
Improve it for clarity and flow.
Requirements:

• Keep it skimmable, short paragraphs
• Add 2 sections competitors probably missed
• Add 1 “common mistakes” section
• Add a simple checklist near the end
  Return only the final outline.

Step 5: Write the first draft, but force specificity

Two rules:

• Add real steps.
• Add real examples, even if they are “generic but believable” (and you later swap in your own).

Prompt (drafting with constraints):

Write the article for this outline.
Style: conversational, slightly imperfect human flow, short paragraphs, no corporate tone.
Requirements:

• Each main section must include at least one concrete example, tool, or mini walkthrough
• Avoid vague lines like “SEO is important”
• Include a short summary at the end of every H2 section (1 to 2 sentences)
• Add “If you are doing this manually” tips and “If you want to automate it” tips where relevant
• Suggest 3 internal link anchor texts for each place an internal link makes sense
  Do not include citations unless I provide sources.

This is also where an editor tool can help you tighten on page elements. If you want a productized version, AI SEO editor is worth a look. Even if you just use it as a mental model: write, optimize, rewrite, publish.

Step 6: On page optimization pass (not the sexy part, but it moves rankings)

You want to check:

• Title tag: does it match intent and earn clicks?
• H1: clear promise, not keyword soup.
• First 100 words: confirm the promise fast.
• Internal links: point to relevant pages, not random.
• External links: 1 to 3 credible references where useful.
• Entities: do you mention the key concepts Google expects?
• Images: filename, alt text, and not just generic stock.
• Schema: FAQ schema if you have FAQs, HowTo schema if it fits.

If you want a clean checklist, there’s a page for that: improve page SEO. It is basically the practical stuff people skip because they are in a rush.

Prompt (on page checklist + suggestions):

Review this draft for on-page SEO improvements.
Keyword: [primary keyword]
Secondary keywords: [list]
Draft: [paste]
Output:

1. Title tag options (5) and meta descriptions (5)
2. Suggested internal link placements (anchor + target page type)
3. Sections that feel fluffy and how to make them specific
4. Missing entities/topics to add
5. Suggested FAQ questions that match search intent
   Keep recommendations actionable and minimal.

Step 7: Internal linking that is not random

Internal links are your easiest “off page like” lever. It is authority flow you control.

Basic moves:

• From new post to pillar page (the main cluster page).
• From pillar page back out to supporting posts.
• Link from older high traffic posts into the new one.
• Use natural anchors. Not “best ai seo workflow keyword” nonsense.

Prompt (internal link plan):

I have these URLs on my site:
[paste list of relevant URLs]
I am publishing a new post targeting: [keyword]
Create an internal linking plan with:

• 5 existing pages that should link to the new post (with suggested anchor text)
• 5 internal links the new post should include (targets + anchor suggestions)
• A short note on why each link helps (intent and topical relevance)

If you are building a lot of content, this part gets tedious fast. Automation tools often bundle this. SEO software includes auto internal and external linking, which is basically “do not make me manually sprinkle links at 1am”.

Step 8: Publish, then rewrite the intro later (seriously)

A weird trick that works: publish, wait a week or two, check Search Console queries, then rewrite your intro and headings to match the actual queries you are getting impressions for.

Prompt (query based rewrite):

Here are Search Console queries for this page:
[paste queries + impressions + position]
Page content: [paste intro + headings]
Rewrite the intro and headings to better match the highest impression queries while keeping the same intent.
Keep it natural, not keyword stuffed.

Part 3: Off page workflow (AI assisted promotion that does not feel spammy)

Off page is not “build 300 links”. Off page is “earn trust signals and mentions in places that matter”.

And yes, links still matter. But so do brand searches, mentions, and getting your content in front of people who can reference it.

Step 9: Make linkable assets on purpose

Most posts are not linkable. They are fine. Helpful. Nobody links.

You want at least one asset per cluster that is worth referencing:

• Original mini data (even small surveys).
• A template.
• A calculator or simple sheet.
• A “best practices checklist” that is genuinely useful.
• A comparison table that saves time.

Prompt (asset ideas):

For the topic cluster “[cluster]”, generate 10 linkable asset ideas that are realistic for a small team to create.
For each, include:

• What it is
• Who would link to it
• How to build it in under 4 hours
• The outreach angle (why it helps them)

Step 10: Build a prospect list, but focus on relevance not “DA”

You want:

• Blogs that have written about your topic recently.
• Resource pages that list tools or guides.
• Newsletter writers.
• YouTube creators who put links in descriptions.
• Communities (Slack groups, forums, subreddits) where rules allow sharing.

Prompt (prospect discovery):

Find prospect categories and search operators for link outreach for this topic: “[topic]”.
Give:

• 20 Google search footprints (operators)
• What makes a prospect “qualified”
• A simple spreadsheet column structure for tracking outreach
  Do not suggest spam tactics.

Step 11: Outreach emails that do not sound like outreach emails

This is where AI is great. You give it notes about the prospect and it writes a message that sounds human.

Two angles I like:

• “Your article is good, here is a missing section that my asset solves”
• “I used your post, here is a small improvement or updated resource”

Prompt (personalized outreach):

Write a short outreach email.
Constraints:

• 90 to 130 words
• No fake compliments
• One clear ask
• Mention a specific part of their page (I will paste it)
• Include a subject line (5 options)
  Prospect page excerpt: [paste 2 to 4 lines]
  My asset URL: [paste]
  Why it helps their readers: [one sentence]

Step 12: Digital PR light (the non agency version)

If you do not want full PR, do “micro PR”:

• Answer journalist requests (HARO alternatives, Qwoted, Featured).
• Reach out to niche bloggers with a quote or data point.
• Publish a contrarian take backed by a tiny dataset.

Prompt (pitch angles):

Create 10 micro-PR pitch angles for my company in [niche].
Product: [what it does].
Audience: [who].
Focus on angles that a niche blog or newsletter would publish.
Include a draft 3 sentence pitch for each.

Step 13: Repurpose into distribution, not “content”

Repurpose into places that can send signals and traffic:

• LinkedIn post with one strong point.
• A short “checklist” post on Medium (canonical link back).
• A YouTube script summary if you do video.
• A Reddit answer that is genuinely helpful (and sometimes no link, just build presence).
• A Quora answer for long tail questions.

Prompt (repurpose pack):

Turn this article into:

• 3 LinkedIn posts (different hooks)
• 1 newsletter version (300 to 500 words)
• 5 Twitter threads starts (just the first 3 tweets each)
• 10 community answer bullets for Reddit/Quora (no links, just value)
  Article: [paste]

Step 14: Track what actually worked (or you will repeat busywork)

Every month, track:

• New pages published.
• Indexing status.
• Impressions and clicks per page.
• Ranking movement for primary keyword.
• Links earned (even a few).
• Assisted conversions or leads.

Prompt (monthly SEO review):

You are my SEO analyst.
Here is my monthly data:

• Pages published: [#]

• Top pages by impressions: [list]

• Top pages by clicks: [list]

• Keywords gained/lost: [paste]

• Links earned: [list]
  Summarize:

1. What worked and why
2. What to stop doing
3. The 5 highest leverage actions for next month
4. Which pages to refresh vs which to leave alone

Where SEO software fits in this workflow (if you want the “do it for me” version)

If you are doing all of this manually, you can. It is just time heavy.

SEO software is positioned as the “alternative to hiring an SEO agency” style tool. The core idea is:

• Scan your site
• Generate keyword and topic strategy
• Create SEO optimized articles
• Schedule and publish them automatically
• Handle rewrites, internal links, external links, multilingual publishing, images, video embeds
• Give basic visibility and performance improvement tracking

So in the workflow above, it can cover a lot of the on page production and publishing system, especially if your bottleneck is consistency.

If you are comparing tools, these pages might help you get a feel for differences:

• SEO software vs Surfer SEO
• SEO software vs Jasper

And if you are still in the “what AI writing tools even matter” phase, this is a decent rabbit hole: AI writing tools.

The full workflow recap (so you can actually use it)

Here is the simple version you can follow weekly.

On page (every week):

1. Pick one cluster, one keyword, one intent.
2. Write a real brief.
3. Outline, then draft with specificity.
4. Do the on page pass (title, intro, entities, internal links, schema).
5. Publish.
6. After 1 to 2 weeks, refresh headings based on Search Console queries.

Off page (every week):

1. Create or improve one linkable asset inside the content.
2. Build a small list of relevant prospects (10 to 30).
3. Send genuinely personalized outreach (not templates sprayed everywhere).
4. Repurpose into distribution posts that can get attention and mentions.

If you want a more automated path, start here and poke around: SEO software. Even if you do not switch tools, seeing a “system” laid out in product form helps you think in workflows instead of random acts of content.

That is the main point, honestly.

AI does not replace SEO. It replaces the slow parts. The workflow is what makes it rank.