12 Best AI SEO Tools For Marketers Trying To Level Up Their Content

Did you hear that? That’s a notification reminding you about yet another task that needs your attention while you’re supposed to be working heads down on keyword research or competitive analysis.

We know you’re swamped. As marketers who work on SEO all day long, we know how many tasks you have to juggle to keep things running smoothly. 

That’s where the best AI SEO tools come in handy. 

With the right software behind you, your tasks become lighter, allowing you more deep focus time to do what you do best. 

What AI SEO tools can do (And what they can’t)

Machine learning and AI aren’t going anywhere any time soon. The technological advancements we have access to today are just the tip of the iceberg. Digital marketing teams have the incredible opportunity to adopt AI tools and automate SEO workflows.

Brainstorming, researching, and creating content are all bolstered by AI tools. You can even have AI help you do some of the heavier lifting, like screening high volumes of data to find new opportunities for optimization or analyzing backlink efficacy. 

When used thoughtfully, AI tools help you multiply the amount of high-quality content you produce and smooth out wrinkles in your SEO workflow. 

Limitations of AI SEO tools

That’s not to say that all SEO jobs are moot. 

In fact, SEO experts are better positioned than ever to make a positive impact on their company by knowing how to use AI tools — and when to rely on their uniquely human capabilities. 

AI SEO tools aren’t going to manage your CMS or conduct on-site optimization. You can’t rely on them to create trustworthy content without human intervention — AI hallucinations are still too prevalent for AI to be let off the leash. 

Plus, when it comes to understanding human idiosyncrasies, who knows better than a human? AI can’t replicate or replace the human experience. You’ll see connections the computer can’t, whether it’s understanding how to tap into current SEO trends, decoding search intent, or crafting a marketing strategy that resonates with your audience (not just the algorithm). 

13 AI SEO tools to consider

If we looked at all of the new AI tools that have cropped up over the last few years, you’d be scrolling until your eyes glazed over. Instead, we’ve curated a list of the top contenders you should consider. We’ll look at three categories: the best of the best; SEO writing tools; and on-site optimization tools. If you already know what kind of tool you need, feel free to skip ahead!

Best overall AI SEO tools

Let’s take a close look at the most popular SEO tools that incorporate AI into their functionality. Keep in mind that just because these tools work for many people, that doesn’t necessarily mean these tools will be the best option for everyone. Try them for yourself to find the best fit. 

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a mainstay for search engine optimization. It goes far beyond just being a keyword research tool. Ahrefs’ on-site optimization tools are some of the best in the biz, and their extensive help center resources make it a fantastic place for beginners to find their footing. 

• Research search volume and keyword difficulty to identify keyword opportunities — or have their AI tool generate keywords for you.
• Get AI-generated meta descriptions, image alt text, and content ideas.
• Dig deep into your competitor’s backlinks for a better understanding of their performance (and how to improve yours).

Marketers and SEO experts at companies of any size can benefit from their toolbox. They offer many free tools, lowering the barrier of entry, but paid plans get more access to new products. Plans begin at $129 per month. 

2. Clearscope

Content optimization is simplified with Clearscope. This tool can aid your content briefs by establishing both what users are interested in reading and what search engines want to see to rank your content on a higher SERP. 

• Take the mystery out of competitor analysis and review the term map to climb search engine results pages by targeting keywords your competitors aren’t hitting.
• Clearscope offers a WordPress plugin and integrates with Google Docs and Microsoft so there are no interruptions to your copywriting process.
• The built-in content editor means you can adjust in real time to know exactly how your content will fare.

SEO professionals working on long-form content can benefit from using a keyword-based content writing solution like Clearscope. Clearscope’s Essentials plan is $199 per month, and their Business plan is $599 per month. Enterprise pricing is available for teams with custom needs. 

3. Screaming Frog

Your website’s performance will skyrocket when you use a crawler like Screaming Frog. This desktop app allows you to crawl URLs for an in-depth audit of your SEO efforts and is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. 

• By crawling web pages, you’ll have deep visibility into your site structure, making it easier to identify internal link-building opportunities.
• Screaming Frog integrates with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, so you can track key metrics to see how your SEO directly impacts your organic traffic and conversions.
• Quickly locate, diagnose, and remedy SEO errors that could be a detriment to your search engine rankings.

The free plan gets you access to many key features, like screening for broken links and generating XML sitemaps, but the paid plan enables this SEO software’s AI features to shine. Snag a license for Screaming Frog’s paid version for $259 each year. 

4. Jasper

Best known for its AI writing abilities, Jasper is also a powerful SEO sidekick. With built-in writing capabilities, this tool streamlines your process by layering SEO features on top of AI-generated content. 

• Integrate with other key elements of your SEO strategy, such as Google Docs, Webflow, or Surfer SEO.
• Copyscape integrations allow you to check for plagiarism in real-time.
• Work collaboratively with the Jasper Chat feature to develop schema markup, research, and refine your SEO content.

SEO mode is available with Jasper’s lowest-tier plan, Creator, but agencies looking to deck out SEO content for multiple clients will benefit from higher-priced plans with multiple brand voices. 

AI tools for SEO writing

Built on natural language processing, generative AI has become an incredible resource for SEO writing. All of these tools are incredible assets to your writing stack, but some of them can do way, way more than just write. Be sure to explore their full capabilities. 

5. Writer

Writer’s generative AI product simplifies content writing. Whether you need to generate FAQs, craft email messaging, or develop product descriptions, Writer can get the process started.

• Writer’s tools use carefully trained NLP models so that you can automatically enforce vital compliance rules to all created copy.
• Combine your data with the power of an LLM to receive custom insights about your performance.
• Transcribe and summarize meeting notes and turn key takeaways into a blog post.

Writer’s Team plan is $18 a month for up to five users. Larger teams should explore their Enterprise options.

6. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is quickly becoming a household name. OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot can be used by everyone, from a small business owner wearing all the hats to teams at an enterprise company hoping to streamline their processes. While we don’t recommend relying entirely on ChatGPT to create content without any human intervention, it does have some great use cases within content strategy:

• ChatGPT can be a writing assistant, revising pre-written content to include more high-impact keywords.
• Conversational brainstorming can help you build your content strategy to focus on optimization.
• Use it as a research jump-off point when building content on an unfamiliar topic. (Note: “Jump-off point” is the operative term here — please don’t take anything ChatGPT spits out as gospel!)

ChatGPT’s base models are free to use, but if you want a powerful generative AI companion, you’ll want to explore their paid tiers, which start at $20 per month. 

7. Frase

With Frase, SEO content can be researched, written, and optimized all in one place. Marketing teams strapped for bandwidth or content writers hoping to produce content faster and more effectively than ever will enjoy using Frase.

• Frase will generate content briefs based on keyword research to knock out some of the most time-consuming SEO tasks.
• Content is generated with the click of a button, but writers stay in the driver’s seat and can adjust content along the way for complete control over SEO optimization.
• See how your content stacks up against competitors with in-app visualization tools.

Frase’s pricing ranges from $15 to $115 per month. Their solo plan supports a single user with ten search queries per month, and their largest team plan has three available seats with unlimited search queries. 

8. Gemini

Gemini is Google’s answer to ChatGPT. Google users will find this familiar platform easy to implement, so you’re brainstorming new ideas and drafting new content in no time. 

• Native integrations with your Google Workspace mean you’ll have access to this dynamic chatbot anywhere you need ideas.
• Prompt Gemini to generate content and supporting visual assets for a cohesive creative process.
• Keep your content calendar organized by prompting Gemini to create project trackers in Google Sheets.

Try Gemini for free or explore Gemini Advanced with the Google One AI Premium Plan. Gemini for Google Workspace requires an existing Google Workspace account, and pricing varies. 

AI tools for on-site optimization support

The importance of on-site optimization cannot be overlooked. These tools largely focus on SEO tasks vital to the health of your site beyond its content, but you may be surprised to find content writing features among them. 

9. HubSpot

You may know HubSpot as a CRM, but its AI offerings complement its existing platform. If you’re already a Hubspot user, definitely take a closer look here. 

• Their SEO marketing software integrates seamlessly with their other content management tools and their generative AI content creation features.
• Receive custom keyword recommendations based on your site’s performance to plan your content strategy and effectively reach your target audience.
• HubSpot connects to Google Search Console, so you’ll be able to monitor key metrics and make informed decisions that will grow your organic traffic.

Small teams can use HubSpot’s free tools and lower-priced plans, while enterprise businesses needing at least five seats will be better served by their Marketing Hub Enterprise plan, which costs $3,600 per month. 

10. Semrush

Semrush is a robust SEO tool that does a little bit of everything. Keyword research? Check. Market research? You bet. Want to have AI revise your content so that it’s more likely to rank? It can do that, too. 

• Generate thousands of long-tail keywords and their keyword difficulty with their Keyword Magic Tool and access 25 billion keyword possibilities.
• Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker provides custom tips on how to improve your SEO, including ideas for landing the coveted position zero (p0).
• With Google Analytics integrations, it’s simple to understand how to better your SEO.

Pricing for Semrush begins at $129.95 each month with the Pro plan, which is perfect for small teams and individuals. Agencies and scaling businesses are more likely to benefit from the Guru or Business plans. 

11. Alli AI

Alli AI provides a no-code solution for SEO teams who want to spend less time in the weeds and more time making an impact. 

• No matter the CMS you use, Alli AI can optimize your site.
• SEO recommendations are intelligently generated and regularly updated to keep your site fresh and relevant.
• Automated page title A/B testing means your content will be constantly optimized to reach the biggest audience — all while you stay hands-off.

Pricing for Alli AI ranges from $299 per month to $1,199 per month depending on your needs. 

12. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO takes a comprehensive approach to SEO. Whether you’re an SMB or an enterprise operation, their suite of AI tools allows you to research, generate, and edit SEO content easily and quickly. 

• Use AI to audit your existing content and identify new opportunities for content refreshes, keeping your SEO up to date.
• Surfer SEO’s AI detector and content humanizer helps secure your content against potential pitfalls if AI content comes under scrutiny.
• Install the Surfer SEO Chrome extension to perform keyword research while you search.

Get started with Surfer SEO for $89 per month on their Essential plan, but their most powerful AI tools are accessible on the $219 per month Scale AI plan. 

An honorable mention

While it’s not directly an SEO tool, we’d be remiss to leave off this popular tool for content creators across the board. Whether you’re working with generative AI content or directly with writers, you’ll want to make sure your content is easy to read, grammatically correct, and uses a tone that matches your needs. Plus, there’s still a little AI magic to be found. 

Grammarly

Grammarly is a proofreading tool that meets you anywhere you write. With the Chrome extension, everything you write will pass through their grammar error detection systems and polish your writing. With Grammarly’s new AI functionality, it can even write for you. 

• Grammarly detects tone and offers suggestions to sound exactly how you meant to.
• Avoid typos and missed punctuation, and correct errors with one click.
• Quickly rewrite hard-to-read sentences or generate new options with AI.

Grammarly is free to use, but their Premium and Business plans offer more AI prompts and let you create an in-house style guide. 

Key considerations for comparing software

What someone else uses won’t necessarily be the right tool for you. Here are four key things to consider when finding your next AI SEO tool. 

1. Budget: Cost-effective solutions are key to increasing your ROI. Look for tools that offer everything you need but don’t pile on unhelpful features that will drain your budget.
2. Team size: Since some SEO tools have capacity limits, consider how many seats you’ll need.
3. Features: Defining your team’s precise needs ensures you only consider tools that solve your pain points. Smaller teams may prefer lower-tech solutions, while larger operations may require more complex systems and integrations.
4. Scalability: As your SEO improves, your business should grow. With that, your SEO needs may change. Select a tool that can scale alongside you, or you’ll face roadblocks down the line when it’s time to onboard a new system.

The best AI tools will make you a better marketer, not replace you. Ultimately, the best tool in your toolbox is an experienced, capable SEO content creator who knows how and when to employ these AI SEO tools. 

Choose an option that’s better than AI: An agency with SEO expertise

At the end of the day, you want your content to get the highest rankings it can. For that,  you need an SEO expert in your corner — a human one, not a robot. 

When you work with Ten Speed, we’ll go above and beyond AI’s capabilities to bring you bespoke marketing plans, tailored reporting, and one-on-one connection. We’re no stranger to Screaming Frog or Clearscope, but we’ve got the in-house expertise to back it up. Our team combines AI SEO tools with SEO experts to get the best of both worlds. 

Ready to get started? Reach out to us today, and we’ll craft an SEO plan that works for you.