Free website course · Lesson 11 of 21

Claude for SEO: How to Connect Ahrefs and Semrush to Claude (and What to Ask It)

By Eugene Madondo, SEO specialist · Rank to Earn · Updated November 2026

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Next lessonTopic clusters →Previous← Low-competition keywords

Every keyword number in this course came from Ahrefs, pulled by asking Claude questions in plain English. Instead of clicking through reports and exporting spreadsheets, you connect your SEO tool to Claude and ask: “find me low-competition keywords about AI video editors” or “what are my competitor’s top pages?” Claude fetches live data from your account and works with it. This lesson explains what you need, how to connect Ahrefs and Semrush, what it costs, and the prompts I use.

The short answer

To use Claude for SEO, add Ahrefs or Semrush as a connector in Claude, sign in to authorise it, then ask Claude questions in plain English. It pulls live keyword, backlink and competitor data from your account. You need an SEO plan that includes connector access (Ahrefs Lite or higher; a Semrush One or SEO Classic plan with API units), and each request uses your SEO tool’s API units.

Key takeaways

A connector (built on MCP, the Model Context Protocol) lets Claude use another app’s data with your permission.
Ahrefs MCP is available on Lite and higher plans; Lite includes 200,000 API units a month and each call uses at least 50 units (Ahrefs help centre, November 2026).
Semrush launched its official Claude connector in August 2026. Eligible plans include 50,000 API units that refresh on your renewal date, and there are no extra Claude fees for the connector (Semrush developer docs).
Always sense-check Claude’s numbers against the tool itself before you build a content plan on them.
“Claude SEO” gets about 1,000 US searches a month with a keyword difficulty of 16 in Ahrefs (November 2026).

What a connector is

A connector links Claude to another app so it can read data or take actions in that app on your behalf. Connectors are built on MCP, the Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI assistants to tools. Once your SEO tool is connected, Claude decides which report to call for your question, fetches the data and explains it, all in the same chat.

Without a connector

Run a report, export a CSV, paste it into Claude, ask a question, repeat for every report.

With a connector

Ask “what are the easiest keywords about AI video editing with at least 100 searches?” and Claude pulls and filters the data itself.

What you need

You need	Details
A Claude account that supports connectors	Check Claude’s help centre for which plans include connectors.
Ahrefs Lite or higher	Ahrefs MCP is available on Lite and up. The Starter plan doesn’t include it. Lite was $129 a month when this course was written.
Or a Semrush plan with API access	Semrush One Starter or Pro+, or SEO Classic Pro or Guru, for SEO data (Semrush developer docs).

Plan requirements checked 10 November 2026 in Ahrefs’ help centre and Semrush’s developer docs. They change often, so check before you buy. If you’re still choosing a tool, see Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz.

Connect Ahrefs to Claude

Open Claude and go to the connectors section in settings.
Search for Ahrefs in the connectors directory and click Connect.
Sign in to Ahrefs and approve access. Ahrefs only supports its remote MCP server, so there’s nothing to install.
Test it with a simple question: “Using Ahrefs, what’s the search volume and keyword difficulty of ‘topic clusters’ in the US?”

If you see an authentication error, Ahrefs’ help centre lists the usual causes: an expired key, a lapsed subscription, or using an API key where an MCP key is needed.

Connect Semrush to Claude

Open Claude and go to Customize › Connect your apps.
Search for Semrush, select it and click Connect.
Review the permissions and click Approve.
Use it in chats by asking about Semrush data or tagging it as @Semrush.

Steps from Semrush’s developer documentation, November 2026. Menu names in Claude can change; follow the provider’s own setup page if they differ.

Watch your API units

Every request Claude makes uses your SEO tool’s API units, the same allowance you’d use with their API.

Ahrefs: each call uses at least 50 units, and bigger requests use more. Lite includes 200,000 units a month, Standard 800,000 and Advanced 2,000,000, shared across MCP and the API.
Semrush: eligible plans include 50,000 units that refresh on your renewal date, with larger packages available.
Save units: ask for specific data (“top 20 by volume, KD under 10”) rather than “everything about this topic”, and reuse results within the same chat.

7 prompts I use

Replace the capitalised parts with your own details.

1. Keyword ideas Using Ahrefs, find 30 keywords related to SEED KEYWORD in the US with keyword difficulty under 10 and volume over 100. Show volume, KD and parent topic in a table, sorted by volume. 2. SERP check Show me the top 10 results for TARGET KEYWORD with each page’s Domain Rating and referring domains. Which results look beatable for a new site, and why? 3. Competitor top pages What are the top 20 pages by organic traffic on COMPETITOR DOMAIN? Group them by topic. 4. Keyword gap Which keywords do COMPETITOR 1 and COMPETITOR 2 rank for in the top 10 that MY DOMAIN doesn’t rank for? Keep KD under 20. 5. My Search Console data Using my connected Search Console data, which queries rank in positions 8 to 20 with the most impressions? These are my quick wins. 6. Content brief Build a content brief for TARGET KEYWORD: search intent, questions people ask, the H2s the top results cover, what they miss, and a suggested outline. 7. Link prospects List the referring domains that link to at least two of COMPETITOR 1, COMPETITOR 2 and COMPETITOR 3 but not to MY DOMAIN, with their DR and traffic.

Prompt 7 is the competitor backlink analysis from lesson 15, done in one question.

Checking Claude’s numbers

Claude reports what the tool returns, but it can misread a field or round numbers in a summary. Before you commit to a content plan:

Spot-check a few keywords in the Ahrefs or Semrush interface.
Ask Claude which report and country it used, and to show the raw table, not just a summary.
Keep volumes and KD in your own sheet with the date you pulled them, since they change monthly.

Do this now

Connect Ahrefs or Semrush to Claude (or note what you’d need if your plan doesn’t include it yet).
Run prompts 1 and 2 for your niche and save the results.
Spot-check five of Claude’s numbers in the tool itself.

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Next lessonTopic clusters →

Turn your keyword list into topic clusters with Claude.

Previous← Low-competition keywords

Summary: Claude for SEO

Connect Ahrefs (Lite or higher) or Semrush (Semrush One or SEO Classic plans with API units) to Claude as a connector, sign in to approve access, and ask for keyword ideas, SERP checks, competitor top pages, keyword gaps, Search Console quick wins, content briefs and link prospects in plain English. Every request uses your SEO tool’s API units, so ask for specific data, and spot-check Claude’s numbers in the tool before you build a plan on them.

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Frequently asked questions

Can Claude do SEO?

Claude can do much of the research and writing work: finding keywords, checking results pages, analysing competitors, building briefs and drafting content. Connected to Ahrefs or Semrush, it works with live data from your account instead of guessing.

How do I connect Ahrefs to Claude?

Open the connectors section in Claude’s settings, find Ahrefs, click Connect, sign in and approve access. You need an Ahrefs Lite plan or higher, because MCP access isn’t included on Starter.

How do I connect Semrush to Claude?

In Claude, go to Customize, Connect your apps, search for Semrush, click Connect and approve the permissions. You need a Semrush One or SEO Classic plan that includes API access.

Does using Ahrefs in Claude cost extra?

It uses your Ahrefs API units rather than a separate fee. Each call uses at least 50 units, and Lite includes 200,000 units a month shared across MCP and the API.

Is Claude’s SEO data accurate?

The data comes from your SEO tool, so it’s as accurate as the tool. Claude can still misread a field or round numbers in a summary, so spot-check key figures in the tool before you act on them.

About Eugene Madondo

Eugene is a Cape Town-based SEO specialist and digital entrepreneur who has been earning online since 2012. He has worked in SEO at a tech startup, an agency and in-house tech roles, ran a consulting business, and has generated over $1.4 million from his own affiliate websites since 2020. He teaches website operators through Rank to Earn.

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