How to Do SEO in Claude
Claude can review copy and, with web search enabled, fetch public pages. Use a specialist tool when you need repeatable, structured SEO checks rather than a general reading of a page. SEO Analysis provides separate skills for metadata, headings, links and performance data. A returned check is evidence to review, not a guarantee of rankings. Anthropic documents native web fetch.
For a broader catalog of SEO-related capabilities, see the SEO Analysis tool (the old /blog/ai-tools-for-seo URL redirects there). This page is the exact how-to: do SEO *inside Claude*, step by step.
What Claude Can and Cannot Do Natively for SEO
| What you want | Claude alone | Claude + ToolRouter |
|---|---|---|
| Rewrite a title, meta description, or outline you paste | Yes | Yes |
| Suggest keyword angles from a brief | Yes | Yes |
| Read an accessible public URL | Yes, with web fetch enabled | Also available through tool calls |
| Retrieve performance measurements | Needs a measurement source | Use check_vitals when its data source is available |
| Return structured metadata, heading and link checks | Depends on available page content and tools | Dedicated skills, subject to execution success |
| Compare two accessible pages | Can compare fetched content | Dedicated compare_pages skill |
For copyediting or a general review of accessible content, native Claude may be sufficient. Choose a connector when its structured checks, repeatability or exported output add value.
How to Set Up SEO Tools in Claude
Follow Connect Claude for the remote connector at https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp/anthropic. Complete sign-in, enable the connector and verify one small call. Claude Code setup is a separate path.
A connected label does not establish that a crawl or audit will complete. In our 26 September 2026 check, five page analyses completed through the local handler, but the hosted trial returned a balance error and a separate metadata request failed. A successful hosted five-page audit is not established by that local run. Start with one URL and stop if the tool fails; do not present a guessed answer as an audit.
Connect your assistant, then try the task described in this guide.
The Prompt to Type
Audit this URL for SEO: https://example.com/pricing
Check meta tags, headings, Core Web Vitals, and the top issues I should fix first.Or narrower:
Crawl https://example.com and list pages with missing or duplicate title tags.Claude routes those requests to SEO Analysis skills such as page analysis, technical audit, and Core Web Vitals checks. Ask in plain English; you do not need to memorize skill names.
When We Are Not the Answer
If you only need help rewriting a draft you already pasted, native Claude is the right tool. If you need Search Console history, rank tracking over months, or a full agency SEO retainer, use those products — ToolRouter is for running specialist audits *inside* the assistant you already use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Claude do SEO natively?
**Yes, for several tasks.** It can rewrite copy and review accessible pages with web fetch enabled. Structured site crawls and performance measurements need suitable tools and data sources; inspect what actually ran.
Do I need Claude Code?
**No.** Follow the [Claude chat connector setup](/docs/connect-claude). Claude Code is a separate client.
Do I need an API key?
Follow the connection and sign-in flow for your client. REST requests and the tested Claude Code API-key route use a ToolRouter key; remote Claude chat uses its connector flow.
Is this the same as “AI tools for SEO”?
That older blog URL now points at the [SEO Analysis](/tools/seo) tool page. This article is the Claude-specific how-to for the job query “how to do SEO in Claude.” Follow [Claude setup](/docs/connect-claude), choose one explicit URL and verify the returned [SEO Analysis](/tools/seo) result before expanding the job.
