Using Hermes Agent for SEO works best when you hand it specific SEO jobs one at a time, like keyword research, briefs, internal linking and technical checks, using the tools it already ships with, and you review the output before anything goes live. This page is a playbook: eight jobs, what to type, which Hermes tools do the work, and what you still check by hand.
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I'm Julian Goldie. I've done SEO for 10+ years and run Goldie Agency, an AI-first SEO and link-building agency. Most people install Hermes, ask it to "do my SEO," and get mush. The fix is boring and it works: small jobs, clear asks, human review.
If you want the full architecture for a self-running SEO agent, that's on the Hermes SEO agent page. This one is the day-to-day task list. If you'd rather learn it with people who run Hermes every day, join the AI Profit Boardroom ($69/mo), where the Hermes Agent course and 4 live coaching calls a week cover exactly this.
The 8 Jobs at a Glance
| # | SEO job | Main Hermes tools | You check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keyword research | web_search, web_extract, file tools | Intent and business fit |
| 2 | Content briefs | web_extract, file tools, memory | Angle and facts |
| 3 | Drafting | file tools, skills | Every claim, voice |
| 4 | Internal linking | file tools, terminal | Anchors make sense |
| 5 | Technical checks | browser tools, terminal | Real issues vs noise |
| 6 | Rank and AI-citation checks | web_search, browser tools | Confirm in Search Console |
| 7 | Reporting | file tools, delegate_task | Numbers match the source |
| 8 | Scheduled monitoring | cronjob, skills | Alerts are worth acting on |
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Hermes Agent for SEO: The Task Playbook
Each job below follows the same pattern. Here's the ask. Here's what Hermes uses. Here's what you review. Run one job until the output is good, then move to the next.
1. Keyword research
What to ask: "Search for the top results for these five seed keywords. Pull the headings from the top pages. List the questions and subtopics they cover, and group them into clusters. Save it to keywords.md."
Tools it uses: web_search finds the results (it returns up to 5 by default, and you can ask for more with a limit). web_extract pulls clean page content, up to 5 URLs per call. The file tools (write_file, read_file) save the output. Note that web_search needs a search backend key set up, such as Exa, Firecrawl, Tavily or Perplexity.
What you review: Hermes can't see search volume or your revenue. You decide which clusters are worth money. Cut anything that won't bring a customer.
2. Content briefs
What to ask: "For the keyword in row 3 of keywords.md, read the top five pages and write a brief: the direct answer in two sentences, the H2s, the questions to answer, and what's missing from the current results."
Tools it uses: web_extract reads the competing pages. The file tools write the brief. The memory tool can hold standing rules, like your brand voice or "never invent stats," so you don't repeat them every session.
What you review: The "what's missing" part. That's your angle, and it's the bit the agent is most likely to get generic. Add what you know from real experience.
3. Drafting
What to ask: "Write the article from brief-03.md. Use only facts from facts.md. Short paragraphs. Answer the keyword in the first sentence."
Tools it uses: The file tools read the brief and your facts file and write the draft. A writing skill (more on that below) keeps the format the same every time. My 200+ AI SEO Prompts are a fast way to seed those writing instructions.
What you review: Every number, name, price and claim. Then read it out loud. If it doesn't sound like you, it won't convert.
4. Internal linking
What to ask: "Search my site's content folder for pages that mention 'link building' but don't link to the link building guide. Suggest one natural anchor per page. Don't edit anything yet."
Tools it uses: search_files finds the mentions across your files. read_file shows context. Once you approve, patch makes targeted edits instead of rewriting whole files. If your site lives in a CMS rather than files, terminal can run your export script first.
What you review: Anchors that read awkwardly, and links stuffed into the same paragraph.
5. Technical checks with the browser tool
What to ask: "Open these ten URLs. For each, tell me the title, the H1, whether there are JavaScript errors in the console, and anything that looks broken on the page."
Tools it uses: browser_navigate opens each page. browser_snapshot reads the page structure as text. browser_console shows JavaScript errors and failed requests. browser_vision takes a screenshot so the agent can see layout problems the text misses. terminal can fetch robots.txt or a sitemap.
What you review: Which issues actually matter. An agent will flag twenty things. Usually two of them are hurting you.
6. Rank and AI-citation checks
What to ask: "Search for my five target keywords and tell me where my domain shows up. Then open an AI search tool, ask each question, and note whether my brand is named or linked."
Tools it uses: web_search for a quick look at results, and the browser tools to open an AI answer engine, type the question and read the reply with browser_snapshot.
What you review: Treat this as a rough signal. A search backend isn't the same as a logged-out Google result in your target country, and AI answers change from one ask to the next. Your real numbers live in Search Console.
7. Reporting
What to ask: "Read this month's exports in the reports folder and write a one-page summary: what went up, what went down, and three next actions."
Tools it uses: The file tools read your exports and write the summary. For bigger sites, delegate_task can split the work, with one subagent per section of the site. Each subagent runs in its own isolated context and only its final summary comes back.
What you review: Spot-check three numbers against the original export. If they match, trust the rest. If they don't, the report goes back.
8. Scheduled monitoring with cron
What to ask: "Every Monday at 8am, run the technical check skill on my top 20 pages and message me only if something new is broken."
Tools it uses: The cronjob tool (cronjob_manage) creates, lists, pauses and removes scheduled jobs, and jobs can have skills attached. One thing to know: cron runs happen in fresh sessions with no current-chat context, so everything the job needs has to be in the skill or the files it reads.
What you review: The first few alerts. A monitor you start ignoring is worse than no monitor.
Want a second pair of eyes on which of these eight jobs matters most for your site? Book a free SEO strategy session.
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Save Each Job as a Skill
Once a job gives good output twice in a row, save it. In Hermes, skills are procedural memory: reusable instructions for recurring tasks. Ask Hermes to create one with skill_manage, and new skills go to the skills folder in your Hermes home directory. Next time, it loads the skill with skill_view instead of you re-explaining the job.
A good SEO skill includes:
- The exact steps, in order
- Which files to read (facts, brand voice, keyword list)
- Where to save the output and what to name it
- What the agent must never do (invent stats, publish, change URLs)
- A short checklist the agent runs on its own output before handing it back
Don't hand-edit skill files. Just tell Hermes what to change: "Update the brief skill so it always includes a FAQ section." It uses patch to make the edit.
Eight saved skills is a real SEO system. Want the tools beyond the built-ins? See the best Hermes Agent tools. For the wider picture of how Hermes fits into SEO overall, read Hermes SEO. And if you want to see how my own Hermes workspaces, skills and buckets are laid out, it's all in the Agent OS guide.
Guardrails That Keep It Safe
Hermes is fast. That's the risk. A bad instruction gets carried out on fifty pages before you notice. Set these rules before you hand over real work.
- Human review on everything that goes live. The agent drafts, suggests and flags. You approve. No exceptions for the first month.
- No auto-publishing without checks. If you do connect publishing later, the skill must run its own checklist first, and you still spot-check a sample every week.
- A facts file. One file of approved facts about your business. Tell the agent to use nothing else for claims.
- Suggest first, edit second. For linking and on-page fixes, have it propose changes before it patches files.
- Keep secrets out of prompts. Logins and API keys go in config, not in chat.
- Pick the right model. Weak models make more mistakes on long jobs. Goldie Bench shows how models compare on real tasks.
One more thing the agent can't do for you: links. Content gets you in the game, links decide how high you go. My free link building book covers that side. Not sure where links fit for your site? Book a free SEO strategy session.
If you want help setting all eight jobs up, get inside the AI Profit Boardroom and bring your questions to the live calls.
FAQ
Can Hermes Agent do SEO on its own?
It can do most SEO tasks, like research, briefs, drafts, internal link suggestions, technical checks and reports, but it shouldn't run unsupervised. Give it one job at a time, save the good ones as skills, and review anything that goes live.
Which Hermes tools matter most for SEO?
web_search and web_extract for research, the browser tools for checking live pages, the file tools for reading and writing content, and cronjob for scheduled checks. delegate_task helps on bigger sites, and memory and skills keep the agent consistent.
Do I need coding skills to use Hermes for SEO?
No. You ask in plain English and Hermes uses its tools. If a setting needs changing, ask Hermes to change it rather than editing config files yourself.
Where should I start?
Start with job 2, content briefs. It's low risk, you'll see the value fast, and it teaches you how Hermes reads pages. Want a plan built around your own site? Book a free SEO strategy session.
