I've Tried 10 AI SEO Tools (Paid & Free). Here’s What Works
written by
Victoria Kurichenko
updated on
October 8, 2024
I’ve been working in the SEO field since 2019.
I remember those old-good days when most content was human-written and no one talked about using AI for SEO.
Nowadays, it’s hard to find SEOs and digital marketing professionals who don’t use AI to facilitate their work.
Without AI SEO tools, we’d probably have more tasks to handle, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the work would be done more efficiently or with better results.
In my opinion, AI tools can easily replace junior SEO specialists, copywriters, and SEO content writers hired to create content for search engines to manipulate rankings.
You’ll likely agree that people don’t need another post on “top X AI tools for SEO,” but I guarantee you’ll stumble upon thousands of similar articles written for ranking purposes.
Like it or not, AI is already an integral part of our lives, and we should learn to leverage it effectively.
As an SEO expert and content writer, I’ve been actively using AI tools since the ChatGPT introduction in November 2022.
However, I’ve used Grammarly way before ChatGPT, which is also a kind of free AI SEO tool.
Today, the number and variety of creator tools are impressive. The only challenge is to find tools suitable for your business.
In this article, I’m sharing my feedback from using the best AI SEO tools. I’ll also show how my experimental AI-written and optimized articles rank on Google.
Furthermore, I’ll share some tips on how you can effectively leverage AI tools to grow your website without fear of getting a penalty from Google.
Are you excited? Then keep reading!
Here’s a table of contents for your convenience:
Why use AI for SEO?
Statista reports that 49.1% of the 3,812 survey respondents worldwide in 2023 believe there will be a positive impact of AI on website search traffic over the next five years.
Although that’s only half of the respondents, the others probably don’t know how to effectively use AI.
Here’s what Semrush’s research says about why people decide NOT to use AI SEO tools:
As an SEO expert, I’m optimistic about the future impact of AI on SEO.
Today, AI has become a major influence in transforming a range of industries, including content marketing and SEO.
If you want to leverage the trend to your advantage, it’s time to start thinking about how AI can help your business thrive.
One of the popular ways to harness the power of AI today is by using AI tools to generate content.
Let me briefly explain what these tools are and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are AI SEO tools?
AI SEO tools are software products that use artificial intelligence to help businesses improve their search engine optimization efforts.
These tools can automate many of the tasks involved in SEO, such as keyword research, content optimization, and technical SEO. They can also provide insights into how to improve website performance and rankings.
Some people fear using AI tools since they can potentially replace their jobs. I’d say it’s already happening!
One of my former bosses fired a full-time copywriter because he couldn’t justify the costs. He claimed that her writing quality was similar to what ChatGPT could produce. So, he replaced a human content writer with AI.
I’m sure similar situations happen in many companies.
In my opinion, not every field of work is affected nowadays, but the situation can change soon. So, we must be ready to face it.
If you work in the SEO field, calm down! SEO will continue existing as long as people use Google search.
However, SEO has been transforming a lot with Google search generative experience. Therefore, you, I, and other SEO specialists should adapt to leverage AI SEO tools effectively.
10 AI SEO tools to speed up your SEO work
As an SEO expert and content writer, I’ve used various tools to speed up my work. Honestly, not every tool delivers on its promise. Most AI SEO tools provide useless advice and AI-generated content that can’t be published as it is.
That’s why I’m very selective regarding AI tools for SEO.
Some of the tools I’ve described below I use to work on my website, like Koala AI, Semrush, and ChatGPT, while others are beneficial for my client’s work.
- SEOPital — for generating and improving your content
- SE Ranking — for automating SEO tasks
- Semrush — for getting accurate data for all your SEO tasks
- Gremi — for keyword research and SEO writing
- Hypertxt — for generating content with custom writing style
- Addlly AI — for generating content tailored to your brand
- Koala AI — for creating optimized articles for free
- Leap AI — for automating your workflows with AI
- Gemini — for writing creative copy and succinct definitions
- ChatGPT — for rephrasing your drafts and locating online sources
1. SEOpital
Best for
- SEO professionals
- In-house SEO teams from small and medium-sized businesses
- SEO agencies
Alternative to
- NeuronWriter
- Writesonic
- Copy AI
Best features
- AI Article Writer
- Real-Time Web Data Integration
- Outline Customization
- Writing Style Cloner
- Image Finder
SEOpital is an AI-driven SEO tool that can help SEO professionals and agencies create optimized content.
Here’s how it works.
SEOpital integrates real-time web data to generate content for your target keyword. Moreover, it uses advanced algorithms for semantic optimization and incorporates necessary keywords for better SEO performance.
With customizable tone and style options, SEOpital can produce optimized and relevant content to help you increase your website’s organic traffic. This can make SEOpital a valuable asset for boosting your search engine rankings and streamlining content creation workflows.
2. SE Ranking
Best for
- SEO professionals
- In-house SEO teams from SMBs
- Small and mid-size SEO agencies
Alternative to
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Moz
Best features
- On-page SEO Checker
- Competitive and Keyword Research
- Content Marketing Tool with AI Writer
SE Ranking is a robust toolkit offering a vast range of AI tools to help SEO pros build and implement effective strategies.
The platform offers an AI Writer feature that can generate topics, outlines, paragraphs, and even drafts using your preferred tone of voice.
SE Ranking doesn’t stop there; Similar to Semrush, it provides a content editor that checks your writing against top-performing content in SERPs and offers optimization suggestions based on what works best.
Moreover, SE Ranking uses AI-powered algorithms to analyze SERPs for your target keyword, calculate potential organic traffic, and provide you with reliable data and insights.
I’ve known SE Ranking for years and used it for a while, too. It’s a trustworthy SEO platform with over 1,300 reviews on G2 with a 4.8 out of 5 user rating.
3. Semrush
Best for
- Online marketers
- SEO experts
- Agencies managing client websites
- Site owners willing to grow their websites
Alternative to
- Ahrefs
- Mangools
- Moz
Best features
- On-page SEO Checker
- SEO content template
- AI Writing assistant
Semrush is an all-in-one AI SEO tool you can use to manage every aspect of your website growth, from SEO and content marketing to social media and paid advertising.
As an SEO specialist and content writer, I use Semrush to conduct site audits, track my website performance, conduct niche keyword research, and create optimized content.
If your goal is to create optimized content for your website, you can also use Semrush SEO Content Template to speed up your work.
For example, Semrush automatically identifies semantically related keywords, minimum text length, and content optimization opportunities. It’s a big-time saver.
Besides, it’s available under the Semrush free plan. You can register and try Semrush for free by following this link.
I’ve recently discovered a new AI-powered tool developed by Semrush — ContentShake AI.
It’s basically an AI writing tool that helps content creators with
- Content ideas generation
- Checking what performs best in your target location
- Automatically generating outlines
- Picking keywords for your content
- Generating content with your custom tone of voice
- Analyzing how well your content is optimized for rankings
You can also create AI-generated posts for social media with ContentShake AI, which is a great addition for busy content creators and marketers.
4. GREMI
Best for
- Marketers
- Small businesses
- SEO professionals
- Startups
Alternative to
- Ahrefs’ AI Content Helper
- Semrush
- Koala Writer AI
Best features
- AI-Powered Keyword Research
- Automated Content Generation
- AI-Powered Progress Tracking
GREMI is an AI-powered SEO tool designed to be your co-pilot in helping your business rank higher in search results.
It starts the process by transforming your product or service description into a list of keyword suggestions without any input from your side. Then, it provides you with already-generated content to support your marketing efforts for each keyword.
Once you’re ready to start tracking your progress, GREMI’s AI-powered tracking software allows you to benchmark your current position in search engines and monitor your growth over time.
What sets GREMI apart from other AI tools is its approach to SEO SaaS products, making it a prime example of how AI can be used to develop valuable resources for the next generation of entrepreneurs and marketers.
GREMI used to be a free tool when it was launched for public usage a year ago. However, nowadays, you can try it for just $29.99 monthly.
I also discovered a subreddit where the tool’s owner explains how GREMI works and engages with its users. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to take a look—it’s possible that someone else has already asked something similar.
For instance, I learned that GREMI gathers its keyword data from Google, Bing, and Yahoo by checking what real users are searching for online regarding products and businesses like yours.
5. Hypertxt
Best for
- SEO professionals
- Content writers
- Small businesses
Alternative to
- Koala Writer AI
- Semrush SEO Writing Assistant
- Chat GPT and Gemini
Best features
- Automated content generation
- AI-powered research to collect sources for your content
- Topic clusters generation
Hypertxt is an SEO content generation tool designed to help you create articles based on your target keywords.
Here’s how you can make the most of Hypertxt:
Create content for your target keyword: Just enter your keyword, and Hypertxt will automatically research the topic and generate an optimized article for you.
Get topic ideas: If you’re looking for more content inspiration, simply input a keyword, and Hypertxt will provide you with 20 different topic suggestions. You can pick your favorites, and Hypertxt will generate the articles, which are designed to link together on your website.
Generate research-based articles: Hypertxt also features a built-in research tool that pulls information from various sources like Reddit, Quora, and other websites.
This tool is perfect for content creators who already have a good grasp of their target keywords.
The best part? You can try it out for free with three articles!
6. Addlly AI
Best for
- Content Marketers
- Enterprises
- SEO Specialists
Alternative to
- Jasper AI
- Copy.ai
- Writesonic
Best features
- Zero-Prompt Workflow
- Multiple LLM Integration
- SEO Optimization
- Social Listening
- Multi-Format Support
Addlly AI is a generative AI platform based in Singapore that offers various AI solutions for businesses.
In a nutshell, it utilizes language models and first-party data to help you simplify your content creation process without needing to use prompts.
Besides, Addlly AI aims that every piece of content fits your brand and is optimized for search engines.
With features like SEO support, social listening, and image generation, it can assist you in creating a wide range of content, including blog posts, newsletters, and social media posts.
7. Koala AI
Best for
- SEO writers
- SEO professionals
- Website owners on a budget
Alternative to
- Seona.ai
- Jasper.ai
- SEOPital
Best features
- Customize the tone of voice
- Ability to specify the word count
- Ability to customize the outline before generating content
I’ve been using Koala AI for a while to create content for my website. In fact, I even generated my Koala AI review using Koala.
Combined with my expert insights and personal opinion, this AI-generated article now ranks in the top 10 for the target keywords.
I like this tool because it’s user-friendly and provides plenty of customization options before generating content. You can select the tone of voice, set the word count, specify your target keyword for optimization, choose the target country, customize the outline, and even pick from 100 different languages for content creation!
You can generate up to 5,000 words per month for free. That’s enough for 1–2 articles. If you need more content, the Koala’s paid plans start at $9 monthly for 15,000 words.
8. Leap AI
Best for
- Content writers
- SEO writers
- Site owners
- Marketing agencies
Alternative to
- Seona AI
- Jasper AI
- Frase.io
Best features
- AI image generation
- AI content detector
- AI blog post writer
- AI text-to-speech
Leap AI is a suite of AI tools designed to help you streamline your marketing processes.
From conducting keyword research and generating AI blog posts to leads research and acquisition, Leap AI can help you manage more marketing tasks with ease.
Based on my experience, Leap AI might be a good fit for businesses or individuals who want to leverage AI to automate the content creation process.
Additionally, you can use this AI SEO tool to convert YouTube videos into blog posts, generate newsletters, convert written content into podcasts, generate tweets from blog posts, and more.
9. Gemini
Best for
- Content writers
- Editors
- Copywriters
- Online marketers
Alternative to
- ChatGPT
- Jasper AI
- Grammarly
Best features
- Gemini doesn’t offer any features. But you can upgrade to Gemini Advanced to access a new next-generation model, run and edit Python code, and use Gemini in Gmail and Google Docs.
I’ve written over 38 blog posts using Gemini. I even shared my experience using Google’s Gemini with my readers on Medium.
Gemini has become an essential tool for my SEO writing efforts. That’s because I believe Gemini generates conversational, easy-to-read, and human-like content.
Of course, the quality of the output depends on your prompts, but Gemini is good at:
- Generating definitions
- Providing comparisons to explain complex topics
- Completing your sentences when you’re feeling stuck
Plus, the content created with Gemini performs well in search results.
For instance, here’s one of my AI-generated articles that ranks well. It could have ranked even better if I’d included more unique content, but the goal was to test out Gemini.
No matter how you plan to use it, I think it’s a powerful tool for SEOs and content writers alike.
10. ChatGPT
Best for
- Content writers
- Web and software developers
- Copywriters
- Marketing specialists
Alternative to
- Gemini
- Jasper AI
- Seona.ai
Best features
- ChatGPT does not have features. However, ChatGPT Plus has Internet access and lets you use additional tools, such as the DALLE, an AI image generation tool.
I am sure you’ve heard of ChatGPT and used it at least once. The hype around AI tools for SEO, content creation, and copywriting started with ChatGPT in November 2022.
I was against using ChatGPT for SEO because no one talked about the consequences. Google says you can use AI content generators for your website. However, creating content for search results manipulation is a policy violation.
Guess what? 99% of site owners use content generation for this purpose. That’s why we must be cautious.
After using ChatGPT for months and analyzing the AI-generated content performance, I can say with certainty that ChatGPT is suitable for:
- Definitions generation
- FAQ generation
- Outline creation
- Explaining complex concepts in a simple way
- Etc.
Google won’t penalize your website as long as you use ChatGPT and other AI tools to improve human writing rather than replace it.
You can find out more about my experiments with ChatGPT on my Medium blog.
How to write SEO content with AI
Since Google is the most popular search engine, I’ll mainly talk about it in this article.
Google has clear guidance when it comes to AI-generated content on the web. If you haven’t read their statement, here’s the link to their article on “Google’s guidance on AI-generated content” and an excerpt from it:
Basically, Google doesn’t care how you produce content if it’s helpful for people. However, using generated content purely for ranking manipulations is a serious policy violation.
Since most site owners don’t care about these warnings, Google introduced the Helpful Content algorithm updates to remove unhelpful content from top-ranking search results.
Have you seen a decline in impressions and clicks after any algorithm update?
It did not happen to me (thankfully), but I’ve talked to several website owners whose websites were severely impacted by the Helpful Content update.
Here’s just one example from Kristine Schachinger, a fellow SEO expert and consultant:
What does this story teach us?
AI for SEO can be your friend if you know how to leverage SEO tools carefully and consider users’ needs and wants while creating new content.
I use the following proven-to-work strategies to grow my website and client websites with AI.
1. Consider search intent
If your users want to compare art galleries in Toronto, but you want them to visit your landing page, it won’t work!
Google knows what users want to see and do when searching for art galleries. Therefore, Google serves them with informational content, primarily listicles.
How to check users’ search intent on Google.
How do you know what your users expect to see when they browse anything on the web?
You can check search intent manually by analyzing the top 10 organic search results, like in the example above.
Additionally, you can use AI SEO tools, like Semrush, that show search intent for every keyword. Semrush has a free plan that you can use to conduct limited keyword research for free.
2. Align your content with E-E-A-T
You may have come across the Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T) quality rater guidelines since it’s been a topic of discussion for a while.
The primary aim of this important update is to assist Google in identifying which sites possess authority and trustworthiness online.
Experts running niche websites, blogging about their areas of expertise, maintaining active social media profiles, and being referenced and quoted on other platforms likely know what they’re talking about.
As a result, Google may elevate websites where it’s evident who is behind them and what their qualifications are.
If you use AI SEO tools to create AI-generated content, and your content is optimized for E-E-A-T, it most will likely rank!
Here is what you can do to align your website with E-E-A-T:
- If you have a blog, include an author bio section, which will help readers (and Google) understand who wrote the content and whether the writer has enough expertise
- Add links to social media accounts or any other platforms featuring the author
- Mention rewards and recognitions
- Mention content editors if there are any
- Share content on your social media accounts and ask your authors to do the same
- Ask the author to include case studies, stories, and personal opinions in the content
These are my recommendations based on my experience using AI content on my website. However, I’ve stumbled upon similar feedback from other content creators on Reddit:
Note that it’s even more critical for the Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) topics, which include healthcare, personal finances, insurance, investment, and similar topics.
AI tools for SEO will unlikely help you create and optimize content for rankings if you operate in these niches since Google prioritizes content from certified experts only!
3. Use AI tools for SEO to complete these tasks
Based on my experience, free AI tools for SEO, such as ChatGPT and Bard, can perfectly handle the following tasks:
- Write definitions
- Create short FAQ answers
- Write pros and cons (although fact-checking is required)
- Write code for structured schema
- Write summaries
- Write conclusions
To say more, AI tools are much better at writing succinct and clear definitions than human writers.
Here’s how Gemini replied when I asked it to create a brief answer to the question, “What’s AI SEO?”
I am not ashamed to say that I use AI tools for SEO, like Koala AI, Gemini, and ChatGPT, to write definitions on my website. I haven’t seen a negative impact as long as I proofread content and align it with E-E-A-T and users’ search intent.
My AI SEO case study
Now comes an exciting part you’ve probably been waiting for.
Since I run a Website Growth Mastery newsletter and share my SEO thoughts on Medium, people frequently ask me how to use AI to create optimized content without getting banned by Google.
I used AI generators to write multiple articles on my website, including this one. Nevertheless, my website’s traffic has steadily grown, and no Google updates have strongly impacted my website’s performance.
Here’s a proof.
My website has continued to grow steadily, even though I’ve spent almost no time on it. Thankfully, AI has made content creation faster.
I use several strategies to create content for my site, which can also help you safely grow yours using AI.
The first step I take before creating content is conducting keyword research and analysis.
I suggest using Semrush for keyword research. It’s one of the top tools available, which is why I trust its data when managing multiple websites.
You don’t need to pay for the tool if you want to check keywords in Semrush occasionally. You can use Semrush free plan for up to 10 keyword searches per month.
I recommend checking the following metrics:
- Monthly search volume in your target country
- Search volume globally
- Keyword difficulty
- Keyword search intent
Does your keyword have a decent search volume and manageable competition? Do you think your website has a realistic chance of ranking for it?
If not, it’s better to look for another one—it’s not worth wasting time and resources.
If yes, that’s great!
Now, let me guide you on the next steps.
I used to manually review the top 10 search results to build an outline and gather semantically related keywords.
Today, you can do it in a few minutes with AI tools for SEO, such as SurferSEO, Robinize, ChatGPT, and Frase.io.
It’s up to you what tool to use. The goal is to generate an outline with H1, H2, H3, and H4 titles.
I frequently use ChatGPT and Robinize for these tasks since both tools have free plans.
Besides the outline, Robinize recommends semantically related keywords, suggests the word count, analyzes your content readability, and highlights keywords in the copy.
You can start typing directly in a tool or use ChatGPT integration to generate content.
I’m still creating most of my website content in Google Docs, but I actively use ChatGPT to write definitions, FAQ questions, and comparisons.
As long as over 50% of your article is unique and human-written, Google won’t flag it as unhelpful.
It’s also a good idea to include your experience and opinion in the article, share a personal story, and add practical recommendations people can apply in real life.
If that’s your personal website, ensure you have an author bio section explaining who you are, your education, and your experience related to the topic. It will help you make your perfect unique and helpful for readers, grow your personal brand, and align your content with E-E-A-T.
Even though ChatGPT and Gemini aren’t very creative, I encourage you to create metadata using AI tools.
I highly recommend reviewing the meta titles of the top 10 ranking websites before using the ones generated by AI. You must ensure your metadata is more catchy than what’s already ranking in the top 10 search results.
Another critical step in the content creation process is on-page optimization.
To improve the chances of ranking in organic search, content must be optimized.
I tried fully handing this task over to AI SEO tools, but it didn’t work as expected.
I used ChatGPT and Gemini, but they couldn’t complete the task effectively.
So, I recommend checking if both your AI-generated and human-written content include the target and semantically related keywords in these key areas:
- Meta title
- Meta description
- H1 title
- H2, H3, H4 subtitles
- Content introduction
- Every 150-300 words of the content in the body
- Alt text
- Image file names
- Page URL
- Etc.
Once you are done, upload the content to WordPress or another CMS system before publishing it on your website.
Don’t forget to generate FAQ questions to get a featured snippet on Google. Every question can have an answer in 3-5 sentences and be added either through WordPress plugins (All In One SEO, in my case) or manually.
Once you are done optimizing your content, hit “Publish.”
From now on, your task will be tracking impressions, clicks, and rankings of the recently published article.
Whether you use this strategy for new content creation or updates, you’ll likely see the first positive results in a few days.
In fact, here is how the performance of my Medium guide improved after following all the steps described above.
My article holds a featured snippet for both the target and semantically related keywords. This is achievable for well-optimized pages that rank within the top 10 organic search results.
If you want to learn more about how I create high-ranking blog posts, check out my ebook.
FAQ on AI and SEO
Concluding an article with an FAQ section is an excellent SEO practice.
You provide answers to the common users’ questions and optimize your article for a featured snippet in search results.
I occasionally use AI tools for SEO to generate answers, but I fact-check and edit them before publishing. It’s a perfect synergy of AI and human writing.
How do you choose the right AI tool for SEO?
When choosing an AI tool for SEO, consider your specific needs and goals, such as content optimization, keyword analysis, or backlink management. Look for tools with a user-friendly interface and integration capabilities with your existing SEO workflow and tools.
For example, my main goal is to speed up content creation. That’s why I prioritize tools that help me accomplish this. Once the content is drafted, I can either optimize it manually for better rankings or use Semrush to gather keyword suggestions.
So, always start with a “Why?”
Is ChatGPT good for SEO?
I’ve used ChatGPT for several years to assist with content writing and SEO.
It is a great AI tool for SEO if you use it to
1. Create outlines for your articles
2. Find resources to back up your statements
3. Paraphrase your rough draft and make it sound more professional
If interested, you can read more about my case study on the impact of AI on SEO from this ChatGPT for SEO article.
Does Google penalize AI content in 2024?
It depends on how you use AI tools and AI-generated content.
Twitter and LinkedIn are full of posts where website owners complain about losing rankings due to Google’s algorithm updates.
Like this:
I assume they’ve published a large number of AI-generated posts without providing any real value to readers, which is why Google is downgrading their pages in search results.
I think this is fair.
As an SEO expert, I believe the most relevant and helpful content, aligned with users’ search intent and properly optimized for rankings, should rank higher.
I’ve already outlined my approach to using AI tools for SEO content creation earlier. I’m confident this method works since my website has never been penalized by Google. In fact, its performance saw a significant boost after the latest Google August 2024 core update.
So, stick to white-hat SEO strategies! While you might not see immediate results, it’s a sustainable long-term approach.
Is AI copy bad for SEO?
Not at all!
You can safely use AI-generated content as long as you align it and your content piece in general with Google’s E-E-A-T requirements (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust).
Hello there!
My name is Victoria.
I am an SEO expert, Medium top writer, solopreneur, and the founder of Self Made Millennials. I help companies create optimized content and attract potential customers through organic search results. In addition, I share how content creators can monetize their writing skills.
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When it comes to automatically generated content, our guidance has been consistent for years. Using automation—including AI—to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating ranking in search results is a violation of our spam policies.
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