AI keyword research: How to use free chatbot tools

Aug 13, 2026 06:09 PM - 2 weeks ago 8

AI chatbots for illustration ChatGPT and Claude tin make a database of keyword ideas successful seconds. While it's tempting to dainty that database arsenic vanished keyword research, a plausible-sounding keyword isn't the aforesaid arsenic a validated one. And building contented astir unvalidated keywords wastes existent clip and budget. 

Below, we trial 5 free chatbots for AI keyword research, past show really to abstracted the useful suggestions from the sound utilizing existent hunt data.

Can you usage AI chatbots for keyword research?

Yes, you tin usage AI chatbots for keyword research. But it's important to understand the technology's strengths and weaknesses earlier getting started.

Generally, AI chatbots are bully astatine identifying communal position recovered successful written contented because they study from ample datasets.

Chatbots are besides bully astatine knowing keyword meanings and relationships, acknowledgment to their earthy connection processing and instrumentality learning algorithms.

That intends you tin inquire a free chatbot for illustration ChatGPT to supply keyword ideas based connected a peculiar taxable and get a database of related keywords.

ChatGPT suggesting superior and supporting keyword ideas for an AI keyword investigation blog post

You tin besides inquire AI chatbots to analyse hunt intent.

However, dissimilar keyword investigation tools, chatbots don't person nonstop entree to hunt motor data. That intends chatbots can't reliably show you really celebrated a keyword is aliases really difficult it is to rank for. And this tin make it difficult to prioritize keywords effectively.

That's why galore marketers usage AI devices successful operation pinch keyword investigation devices — thing we’ll talk much later.

5 free chatbots for AI keyword research

You tin usage free chatbots for AI keyword investigation for illustration ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot.

Here are immoderate speedy tips for occurrence pinch immoderate of those options: 

  • Write clear, conversational prompts and see immoderate applicable context
  • Upload supplementary files (like keywords you’re already ranking for) erstwhile imaginable and relevant
  • If the instrumentality has web access, see asking the instrumentality to mention to your and your competitors' domains for information
  • Remember that AI chatbots tin hallucinate (provide mendacious information)
  • Refine the output by providing clear follow-up prompts
  • Experiment pinch different models, hunt settings, and different options to spot what gives the champion results

Below, we’ll show you really each instrumentality responded erstwhile we tested it pinch 2 prompts:

  1. Please supply keyword ideas for a blog station astir AI keyword research 
  2. What is the intent down personification searching "AI keyword research"?

Each punctual shows you the type of accusation you mightiness get from different chatbots. Just carnivore successful mind that your results will vary.

ChatGPT

We asked ChatGPT to supply keyword ideas for a blog station astir AI keyword research. The chatbot gave america astir 70 unsocial keywords, divided into lists for illustration superior keywords, tool-focused keywords, and mobility keywords.

ChatGPT listing superior and how-to keywords related to AI keyword research

While immoderate of the keyword suggestions were relevant, a beginner mightiness find this database overwhelming. You mightiness see utilizing a follow-up punctual to constrictive down your list. (We’ll show you later really you tin shape ample lists of keywords for illustration the above.)

And immoderate of the primary keyword suggestions deviated from the main taxable (e.g., “AI SEO keyword research” and “AI keyword research” some person different search intents — the logic down a search). 

Combining keywords pinch different intents intends your contented won't afloat lucifer what the scholar is looking for, which tin wounded conversions and perchance rankings. 

We past followed up by asking ChatGPT to measure the intent down personification searching "AI keyword research."

The instrumentality explained that the keyword is chiefly informational, but besides highlighted really the query tin person respective hunt intents.

ChatGPT explaining the informational and commercialized hunt intent down “AI keyword research”

These outputs show that you request a bully grasp of keyword strategy basics to get the astir retired of AI keyword research. 

Claude

When we asked Claude to supply keyword ideas for a blog station astir AI keyword research, the chatbot gave america a database of astir 40 keywords. The superior keywords were very akin to the ones we sewage from ChatGPT.

Claude grouping AI keyword investigation ideas into superior and supporting keywords

Unlike the different chatbots we tested, Claude was the only instrumentality that noted keyword information isn't thing a chatbot tin do.

Claude suggesting comparison and AI hunt keywords and noting that LLMs deficiency existent hunt measurement data

When we asked Claude astir the keyword’s intent, it gave america a akin reply to ChatGPT by stating that this keyword has mixed intent. 

Claude breaking down AI keyword investigation hunt intent by personification goals and assemblage types

Gemini

Google's Gemini chatbot listed astir 20 keywords for AI keyword research, divided into 4 sections:

  • High-intent/primary keywords 
  • Informational and beginner queries 
  • Actionable “how-to” and workflow keywords 
  • Commercial and instrumentality comparison terms 
Gemini grouping AI keyword investigation position into primary, informational, and workflow keywords

When we asked Gemini to analyse the intent down "AI keyword research," the chatbot said it’s mostly commercialized — a wholly different reply than Claude and ChatGPT. 

Gemini describing AI keyword investigation intent arsenic commercialized and focused connected evaluating devices and solutions

Getting intent incorrect isn't a insignificant slip. If you constitute commercially-angled contented for what's really an informational query, you'll apt spot precocious bounce rates moreover if you rank.  

Gemini’s reply highlights why you can’t trust connected chatbots for keyword research: These devices don't person the hunt information that keyword devices have, and their study tin beryllium wrong.

Perplexity

Perplexity gave america 20 keywords for “AI keyword research,” surgery into 3 lists:

  • Primary keywords
  • Supporting keywords 
  • Topic-cluster ideas 

One advantage of Perplexity is that it provides a database of web sources by default.

Viewing these sources tin supply immoderate useful penetration into competing content. Although, it's amended to reappraisal top-ranking results connected Google's SERP if that's wherever you want to rank — the aforesaid rule down the validation measurement below.

Perplexity suggesting superior AI keyword investigation position based connected existent web hunt results

While Perplexity's database was much manageable than the lists from ChatGPT and Claude, less keywords intends little earthy worldly to activity with. This is good if you only want a fewer keyword ideas for a azygous blog post, but you'd want much earlier committing to a contented plan.

Perplexity besides gave a concise reply breaking down the likelihood of 3 different intents (informational, commercial, and transactional), positive the contented that searchers apt want wrong an article. 

Perplexity describing AI keyword investigation intent arsenic chiefly informational pinch secondary commercialized intent

Copilot

Microsoft's Copilot chatbot generated astir 20 keywords for AI keyword research, surgery into the pursuing lists:

  • Core keywords  
  • Long‑tail keywords 
  • Semantic & related keywords 
  • Problem‑based keywords 
  • Content perspective keywords 
Copilot grouping AI keyword investigation ideas into core, long-tail, and related keywords

Unlike the different chatbots, Copilot didn’t springiness a circumstantial intent (like informational), but still gave penetration into hunt intent. 

Copilot explaining AI keyword investigation intent done efficiency, strategy, instrumentality evaluation, and contented creation

It's a starting point, not an answer. Real hunt information gives you the rest.

Validate AI-generated keywords pinch existent hunt data

To validate AI-generated keywords pinch existent hunt data, tally them done a dedicated keyword investigation tool. Chatbots tin propose ideas, but they can't show you really galore searches a keyword gets aliases the imaginable clicks each keyword tin gain you.

For example, Semrush Keyword Overview reveals metrics useful for choosing SEO keywords, including:

Metric

Description

How It's Calculated

Intent

The type(s) of hunt intent down the keyword

Machine-learning algorithm that considers keyword terminology and SERP features shown successful hunt results

Search volume

The mean number of searches for the keyword each month

Real hunt motor information and instrumentality learning algorithms

Trend

How existent hunt volumes person fluctuated complete the past year

Real hunt motor information and instrumentality learning algorithms

Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %)

A measurement of really difficult it'll beryllium for your domain to rank successful Google's apical 10 integrated results

AI algorithm that considers various factors relating to your domain and top-ranking domains

Potential Traffic (Pot. Traffic)

An estimate of the imaginable postulation for the keywords you’re researching

AI algorithm that assesses thematic relevance betwixt the entered domain and keyword, a keyword’s competition, and different applicable factors

We utilized Keyword Overview to analyse the 8 superior keywords suggested by ChatGPT (Keyword Overview lets you analyse up to 100 keywords astatine once). 

One keyword had nary registered hunt volume. And a mates were categorized arsenic difficult to rank for.

Semrush Keyword Overview comparing hunt volume, intent, difficulty, and postulation imaginable for AI keyword terms

Validating your keywords shows you which position person debased hunt measurement aliases are excessively difficult to rank for.

If you want much keyword ideas than the chatbots gave you, usage Keyword Magic Tool to find related queries group search.

Enter 1 of your validated keywords and take a lucifer type. Below, we utilized "Phrase Match" to spot keywords containing "ai for keyword research."

Keyword Magic Tool showing building lucifer keywords, hunt volume, and trouble for “ai for keyword research”

This gives you much keywords to activity with, each pinch existent hunt information attached.

If you’re analyzing a ample database of keywords, usage Keyword Strategy Builder to shape your keywords into system contented plans.

In Keyword Overview aliases Keyword Magic Tool, prime the keywords you’d for illustration to build a strategy astir and click “Send keywords” > “Keyword Strategy Builder” > “Apply.”

Semrush Keyword Overview pinch 5 AI keyword investigation position selected to nonstop to Keyword Strategy Builder

The instrumentality groups keywords, truthful you cognize which position to target connected each page.

Semrush Keyword Strategy Builder showing 5 AI keyword investigation position grouped nether 1 page

Finally, erstwhile we asked the chatbots for punctual ideas, each chatbot gave america a ample database of different prompts. Here’s an illustration of the output from ChatGPT:

ChatGPT suggesting prompts group mightiness usage to study astir and execute AI keyword research

However, you can’t verify a prompt’s relevancy this way. 

Prompt Research, portion of Semrush Enterprise AIO, gives you a database of applicable prompts related to your keyword, on pinch a relevance people for each prompt. This people helps you prioritize the prompts that are astir intimately aligned pinch your taxable and worthy addressing successful your content. 

Simply participate a taxable into the instrumentality and click the “Prompts” tab.

Semrush Enterprise AIO showing highly applicable prompts related to AI keyword research

The instrumentality besides shows the AI consequence for each prompt, on pinch mentions and sources. The sources show you what AI models are citing erstwhile they answer, and wherever gaps beryllium that your contented could fill.

Get much from AI keyword research

AI devices are fast, which is the main logic to usage AI for keyword research. They make lists of keywords successful seconds. 

But the champion results travel from pairing AI pinch keyword investigation devices that validate your ideas pinch existent hunt information and thief you move them into a system contented strategy.

Want greater clarity pinch your keyword research? Use Semrush to validate keywords and prompts.

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