ChatGPT for SEO: workflows and setup

ChatGPT can do keyword research, SERP review, content briefs, technical audits and Search Console quick wins when connected to live search data. On its own it guesses volume and cannot see who ranks today. This guide shows how to add SEO data to ChatGPT with a custom MCP server, which plans allow it, and four workflows with real prompts you can copy.

How to use ChatGPT for SEO

1. Open Plugins. In ChatGPT on the web, go to chatgpt.com/plugins and click Add. OpenAI has dropped the separate developer mode toggle, so you no longer need to turn anything on first.
2. Add a custom MCP server. Choose Create custom MCP server (some accounts still call it Create MCP app). Name it (such as Manifold), paste the server URL, leave Authentication on OAuth, accept the warning, and sign in when asked.
3. Ask a specific question. Name the site, market and output you want, for example "get the top 10 results for crm for small business in the US, including the AI Overview".
4. Check the source and date. When ChatGPT returns numbers, ask which tool and date each came from, because AI answers and SERPs change daily.
5. Act on the data. Make the changes, or have your agent edit the pages when you work in a coding agent.

The ChatGPT setup guide has the server URL and full steps. The rest of this guide covers which ChatGPT plans support custom MCP servers, four workflows with prompts to copy, and the limits to watch.

Which ChatGPT plans support custom MCP servers

Adding an MCP server by URL works on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, on the web only. The free ChatGPT plan cannot add one, and custom MCP servers are not available in the mobile apps.

Business, Enterprise and Edu: workspace admins control who can create custom MCP servers (the setting used to be called Developer mode). On Business, only admins and owners can create one. An admin can add the server under Workspace settings, then Apps, then Create, and publish it so the whole team can use it. On Enterprise and Edu, admins can also give the permission to chosen members.

These access rules were checked against OpenAI's help pages in October 2026: developer mode and MCP apps in ChatGPT and building MCP servers for ChatGPT.

Connect live search data first

ChatGPT does not know keyword volume, keyword difficulty, who ranks for a query today, or your Search Console data unless you give it the tools. The fastest setup is a hosted MCP server such as Manifold's SEO MCP server: hosted, with no API keys of your own, and pay per call. Every workspace starts with 250 free credits, and Pro starts at $20/mo. It covers keyword research, SERP analysis, technical crawls, backlink checks, AI answer tracking, Search Console and Bing.

To add it: open chatgpt.com/plugins, click Add, then Create custom MCP server, name it Manifold, paste the server URL from the ChatGPT setup guide, leave Authentication on OAuth, accept the warning, then sign in when ChatGPT asks.

For Search Console and Bing: open Connections in the Manifold app and sign in to Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools or both. These tools cost 0 credits because the data comes from your own accounts. The Search Console MCP page explains the setup.

If you already pay for Ahrefs or Semrush, their MCP servers are alternatives. The best SEO MCP servers guide compares the options. Manifold's advantage is one connection and one credit balance across SEO, Search Console, AI answer tracking, social, Reddit, ads and leads.

Workflow 1: keyword research and clustering

The goal here is a shortlist of keywords grouped into pages, with real volume and difficulty.

Step 1. Generate ideas from a seed keyword:

Use Manifold to find keyword ideas for project management software in the US.
Return keyword, volume, KD, intent and CPC. Drop anything with no volume data.
Sort by volume descending and show the top 50.

ChatGPT calls the keyword research tool, which returns monthly volume, keyword difficulty (0 to 100), intent, CPC and a 12-month trend for each idea.

Step 2. Check metrics for a list you already have:

Get volume, KD and intent for these keywords: [paste list].

This uses the metrics lookup tool. It is useful when you have a list from customer interviews or from scraping a competitor's ranked keywords.

Step 3. Cluster and prioritize:

Group these keywords into clusters where one page could rank for the whole group.
For each cluster: primary keyword, secondary keywords, combined volume, average KD and intent.
Rank clusters by opportunity for a site with modest authority, favouring low KD and high combined volume.

This is where ChatGPT excels. It groups keywords by semantic similarity and intent, then explains its reasoning. Challenge any cluster that mixes intents, and ask for sub-clusters if one group is too broad.

Step 4. Find gaps against a competitor (optional):

Show keywords competitor.com ranks for that oursite.com doesn't, sorted by volume descending, with KD.
Filter to keywords with at least 100 volume and KD under 30.

This uses the keyword gap tool. It surfaces the competitor's low-hanging wins you could target.

Workflow 2: SERP review to content brief

The goal is a brief based on what actually ranks today, not on what ChatGPT assumes ranks.

Step 1. Pull the live results page:

Get the top 10 Google results for best crm for small business in the US, including the AI Overview and its cited sources.

ChatGPT calls the SERP tool with the AI Overview option. You get each ranking URL, its title and snippet, SERP features like People Also Ask boxes, and the AI Overview text with its source links.

Step 2. Analyze the top pages:

For the top 5 organic results, fetch each page's headings, word count and schema.
Tell me: the content format that ranks (guide, listicle, comparison, tool page), the subtopics every page covers, what no page covers well, and what the AI Overview says.

ChatGPT uses the page snapshot tool, which returns the title, meta description, H1 to H6 headings, word count, schema markup and basic technical signals for any URL.

Step 3. Write the brief:

Write a content brief for a page targeting [primary keyword] and [secondary keywords].
Include: search intent, recommended format and length, a direct 2 to 3 sentence answer to open with, H2 and H3 outline with the subtopics to cover, the gaps we will fill that competitors miss, internal links to suggest, and schema markup to add.

If the SERP shows an AI Overview, ask for a short, direct answer at the top of your page. It helps readers scan quickly and gives Google a clean passage to cite.

Workflow 3: technical and on-page audit

The goal is a prioritized list of issues to fix.

Step 1. Run a technical crawl:

Run a technical crawl of oursite.com, up to 500 pages.
Summarize broken links, non-indexable pages, duplicate titles and descriptions, pages with thin content, and the issues affecting the most pages.
Group issues by severity: blocking (prevents indexing), high (hurts rankings), medium (nice to fix).

This uses the crawl tool, which runs in the background and returns results when done. Start with a smaller crawl if you only want a sample.

Step 2. Check AI readiness:

Check whether AI crawlers can read oursite.com and list any failing checks.

The site readiness tool checks robots rules for AI crawlers, whether the page renders, and related signals.

Step 3. Prioritize and fix:

Review the issues ChatGPT found and fix the ones blocking indexing first, then the ones affecting many pages. If your site lives in a repository and you work in a coding agent like Cursor or Claude Code, you can ask it to fix issues directly in templates, sitemaps or redirects.

Workflow 4: Search Console quick wins

The goal is to find pages already close to page one and push them over. These are often the fastest wins available.

Step 1. Pull your queries:

List my Search Console properties, then pull queries and pages for sc-domain:manifoldmcp.com for the last 28 days.
Filter to queries with an average position between 8 and 20 and at least 50 impressions.

ChatGPT calls the list properties tool, then the Search Console analytics tool. Both cost 0 credits.

Step 2. Prioritize by page:

Group these by page. For each page, list its near-miss queries, total impressions and average position.
Rank pages by the clicks they could gain if they reached the top 5 for their queries.

Step 3. Plan the updates:

For the top 3 pages by opportunity, fetch the current page and the top 5 results for its main query.
Tell me exactly what to add or change: missing subtopics, title tag wording, internal links to add, and where the query terms are weak or missing.

This combines your own data with the live SERP. For a young site, focus on the pages that already have some visibility.

Prompts to keep handy

Here are more prompts that work well with live search data:

• "Which of our pages lost the most impressions this month compared with last month, and for which queries?"
• "What does the AI Overview say for [query], and is our site cited? If not, which sites are cited and why?"
• "Compare backlinks for oursite.com and competitor.com: referring domains, dofollow share and average domain rank."
• "Write title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions between 150 and 160 characters for these five pages. Use the primary keyword naturally in each title."
• "Show the keyword difficulty trend for [keyword] over the last 12 months and explain whether now is a good time to target it."

ChatGPT versus Claude for SEO

Both ChatGPT and Claude work well once connected to search data, and the same Manifold server works in both. The practical differences:

• ChatGPT keeps the server across chats, so you add it once and every chat can use it.
• Claude Code works inside your repository, so it can fix technical issues in templates, sitemaps or redirects in the same session as the audit.
• Claude loads skills from a folder or a plugin, so a repeated audit or brief follows the same steps each time.

For a full Claude SEO guide with skills to install, see Claude for SEO: workflows, skills and setup.

Limits and tips

• Verify volume and KD numbers. Different data sources give different numbers because they run separate indexes. Pick one source and stick with it when you track trends.
• Watch cost on large requests. Bigger crawls and longer keyword lists use more credits and take longer. Start with 100 pages if you just want a sample.
• ChatGPT still hallucinates. If a claim about a ranking page or a backlink sounds too convenient, check it manually.
• Check dates. When ChatGPT cites a SERP or an AI Overview, ask when it was fetched. AI answers change from day to day.
• Keep related questions in one chat. ChatGPT can reuse data it already fetched, which saves credits and time.