# SEO content engine

> Ahrefs finds the query worth writing for and shows what already ranks. Perplexity pulls the sources so every claim has a citation. Claude drafts against the brief. Surfer SEO scores the draft against what's already ranking before you publish. Surfer sells annual plans only, so budget a year, not a month, once you add it.

Source: https://aistack.sh/stack/seo-content-engine
Category: Writing · SEO
Level: Intermediate
Last verified by a human: 2026-09-06

## The tools

### Ahrefs — Keyword and gap research

- Pricing: $29/mo Starter · $129/mo Lite · $249/mo Standard
- Site: https://ahrefs.com
- Why this one: Finds which query is worth a post, what already ranks for it, and what the site can realistically win against those results.
- Swap in instead: Semrush
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/ahrefs

### Perplexity — Source-backed research

- Pricing: $20/mo Pro · API tier-based
- Site: https://perplexity.ai
- Why this one: Synthesized answers with citations attached. That's the difference between something publishable and something you have to go check yourself.
- Swap in instead: ChatGPT
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/perplexity

### Claude — Drafting

- Pricing: $20/mo Pro · Sonnet API $2/$10 per M tokens (input/output)
- Site: https://claude.ai
- Why this one: Long context, so a brief, a call transcript, and a brand-voice doc all fit in one prompt instead of getting summarized down first.
- Swap in instead: ChatGPT
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/claude

### Surfer SEO — On-page optimization

- Pricing: $49/mo Discovery · $99/mo Standard · $182/mo Pro
- Site: https://surferseo.com
- Why this one: Scores the draft against what's already ranking before publish: terms, structure, length. Note before you commit: Surfer is annual-billed only, there's no month-to-month plan, so the medium and heavy tiers here mean a year up front.
- Swap in instead: Semrush
- More: https://aistack.sh/tool/surfer-seo

## Monthly cost

### $49/mo — 1 to 2 posts/wk (small)

- Ahrefs: $29 Starter
- Perplexity: $0 free
- Claude: $20
- Surfer SEO: $0 (skip until volume)

### $118/mo — 4 to 6 posts/wk (medium)

- Ahrefs: $29 Starter
- Perplexity: $20 Pro
- Claude: $20
- Surfer SEO: $49 Discovery

### $328/mo — Agency, 20+ posts/wk (heavy)

- Ahrefs: $129 Lite
- Perplexity: $20 Pro
- Claude: $80 API
- Surfer SEO: $99 Standard

## Workflow

### 1. Find the keyword (Ahrefs)

Run Keyword Explorer and Content Gap against the domain. Shortlist queries with real volume and a Keyword Difficulty score you can actually win, then check the top 10 for word count, headings, and what they're missing.

### 2. Build the brief (Claude)

Turn the Ahrefs SERP data into a brief before anyone writes a word: the target keyword, the gaps in the top-ranking pages, and the structure the draft needs to hit.

**Prompt: Brief from Ahrefs SERP data**

```
You are building a content brief for {{keyword}}, monthly search volume {{search_volume}}, Keyword Difficulty {{kd_score}}.

Here is what the top 10 ranking pages cover, pasted from Ahrefs (title, word count, headings):
"""
{{paste ahrefs serp overview or content gap export}}
"""

Produce a brief with:
1. **Target keyword and intent** - one sentence on what the searcher actually wants.
2. **Gaps** - 3 to 5 things the top 10 pages miss or handle poorly, specific enough to write toward.
3. **Outline** - H2s and H3s, each with a one-line note on what it needs to cover and roughly how many words.
4. **Angle** - the one thing this post says that the top 10 don't.

Rules:
- No em dashes. Use commas, periods, or parentheses.
- Every outline item ties back to a gap or the intent, not a generic subtopic.

Output the brief as Markdown, ready to hand to a writer or drop straight into a drafting prompt.
```

### 3. Research the claims (Perplexity)

Turn each planned section into a question. Perplexity returns synthesized answers with sources attached, so every stat and claim in the draft has a citation behind it before it gets written.

### 4. Draft (Claude)

Feed Claude the brief, the sourced research, and a brand-voice doc in one prompt. Long context means all three fit without summarizing any of them down first.

**Prompt: Draft from brief and sourced research**

```
Write a post for {{publication_name}}, audience {{audience}}. Voice: {{e.g. direct, specific, mildly skeptical of hype}}.

Brief:
"""
{{paste the outline and brief from the previous step}}
"""

Sourced research, use these claims and cite the source inline:
"""
{{paste perplexity answers with sources}}
"""

Rules:
- Follow the outline's H2s and H3s in order. Do not add or drop sections.
- Every claim pulled from the research block gets an inline citation, like "(Ahrefs blog, 2026)".
- Open with a specific number or fact, not a definition of the topic.
- Never use "delve", "in today's landscape", "it's important to note", "unlock the power of".
- No em dashes. Use commas, periods, or parentheses.
- Target length: {{word_count_target}} words, matching the brief.

Output the full draft as Markdown.
```

### 5. Optimize and publish (Surfer SEO)

Run the draft through the Content Editor against the target keyword. Hit the term, structure, and length targets, then publish. This step assumes a year of Surfer, not a month you can cancel after one post.

## What it produced

**Two-person team, 6 posts in month one, 2 on page one by month three**

A small marketing team at a project-management SaaS ran this loop weekly for a quarter. Ahrefs surfaced 14 queries with real volume the site could plausibly rank for; they picked 6. By month three, 2 of the 6 sat on page one, both on queries where the Content Gap report had flagged a specific angle the top 10 results missed.

## Pitfalls

- **Chasing volume over winnability** — A 5,000-search keyword with a Keyword Difficulty of 70 and a page one full of high-authority sites is not a target for a new site. Ahrefs' KD score exists to talk you out of the vanity pick.
- **Surfer's annual lock-in** — There is no monthly Surfer plan. Budget the medium and heavy tiers as a year up front, not a month you can cancel after one bad post.
- **Trusting a citation you haven't opened** — Perplexity's sources are usually right, not always. Open the actual source before a specific number or quote goes into a published post.

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Curated by alex-w on aistack.sh. Last updated 2026-09-06.