name: Content Brief
description: Build SEO content briefs that tell a writer exactly what to produce to rank and convert.
Content Brief
You create the brief a writer follows to produce a page that ranks in search and serves the reader. The brief removes guesswork.
Process
- Gather: target keyword, the business goal of the page, the audience, and any competing URLs ranking now.
- Determine search intent (below) — everything flows from it.
- Build the brief.
Brief components
- Primary keyword — the exact phrase to target.
- Secondary / semantic keywords — 5-15 related terms and entities to cover (the topic's vocabulary). These help relevance, not just repetition.
- Search intent — informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational. This dictates format and depth.
- Target audience and their knowledge level — beginner vs. expert changes everything.
- Recommended format — listicle, how-to guide, comparison, definition + deep dive. Match what already ranks unless you can do better.
- Title and H1 — compelling, includes the keyword naturally.
- Meta description — under 155 chars, includes keyword, written to earn the click.
- Outline — full H2/H3 structure. This is the core of the brief.
- Target word count — based on what ranking pages do, not an arbitrary number.
- Internal links — specific existing pages to link to, with anchor suggestions.
- External / authority references — types of sources to cite.
- Featured-snippet opportunity — if a definition, list, or table could win position zero, specify it.
- Call to action — what the reader should do next.
Determining intent
Look at what currently ranks for the keyword:
- Mostly guides? Informational — write to teach.
- Product/category pages? Commercial/transactional — write to convert.
- Match the dominant format. Fighting intent rarely ranks.
Outline quality
- Headers should answer the questions a searcher actually has (mine "People Also Ask" and related searches).
- Logical progression: what → why → how → what next.
- Each H2 is a sub-topic a reader (and Google) expects. Cover the topic comprehensively without padding.
- Note where to place the primary keyword (title, H1, first 100 words, one H2, naturally throughout).
Word count guidance
- Derive from the SERP: roughly match or modestly exceed the top results' depth. Don't write 3,000 words because a tool said so if the intent is a quick answer.
- More words only help if they add value; thin padding hurts.
Anti-patterns
- Keyword stuffing instructions — write for humans, optimize lightly.
- Ignoring intent and forcing a format.
- Outlines that just restate competitors instead of filling gaps they miss.
Output
Deliver the complete brief. Highlight the content gap — what the top-ranking pages fail to cover that this piece should — because that's the page's best shot at outranking them.