The Ultimate SEO Content Brief: 16 Items You Must Include

Creating high-quality or updating SEO content for your website is not that difficult.

But what if you are outsourcing the task?

That’s sh!t can get complicated fast…

Especially if you do it regularly, you’ll waste a lot of time re-checking and revising weak content. 

Your writers might be talented, but I’ll tell you a secret…

They AREN’T required to be proficient in SEO. That’s a bonus.

So manage your expectations if you want to achieve the best results.

How to ensure consistency and optimized articles?

Give them a damn SEO content brief. 

Couple that with some solid Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)…

And you have a powerhouse content production machine.

Now let me guide you.

What Is an SEO Content Brief?

An SEO content brief is a detailed outline that helps all stakeholders understand the content purpose and details of a target project.

It’s a checklist that includes items like:

• Company Overview
• Voice and tone
• Target audience
• Meta details
• URL structure
• Require keywords
• Internal and external links
• Word count
• Search intent

I won’t name all. Else we’ll be here till tomorrow.

It is a handy tool for guiding my team – from the writers, designers, and everyone else involved. 

I don’t need to worry about consistency and quality because the documentation is clear, with no room for confusion.

It helps everyone be on the same page.

SEO content brief formats can vary, but the idea is the same.

Be as detailed as possible.

Why You Need an SEO Brief 

You need an SEO brief if you want your pages to rank fast without constant revisions.

You have to produce high-quality, SEO-optimized content consistently. 

Here’s how it can help you.

Cut Production Time 

Do you usually go back and forth with your writers when finalizing drafts?

It can be frustrating, especially if there are no clear guidelines. 

This will save you and your team a lot of effort, money, and time.

With clear-cut instructions and requirements, everyone can easily fulfill their objectives.

Brings Consistency 

Every stakeholder or writer you work with has their style, idea, and belief of what an SEO-optimized article should be.

Or none at all.

But if you want your pages to rank, you need to publish quality content regularly.

An SEO content brief will do just that.

Everyone will always have standard guidelines to follow to a T, no matter who they are.

Improve Rankings 

You’ll also increase the chances of gaining more impressions and ranking higher in SERP.

Everyone can check every essential item off an SEO checklist more efficiently.

This ensures each piece you publish qualifies to be on page 1 of Google SERPs.

It has helped me maintain consistency with my blog’s SEO even if I’m not directly involved with the writing.

Who Should Use SEO Content Briefs? 

Anyone who wants to sustain quality and consistency in creating content should use a content brief for SEO.

You can churn out more high-performing content in less time. 

Everyone directly or indirectly involved with that content piece should have access to the brief.

This can include marketers, writers, proofreaders, editors, web developers, and designers. 

This ensures that the quality of work is maintained throughout the process.

An SEO content brief is still useful, even if you’re just a one-man team. 

It keeps you organized. 

In a nutshell, here are those who should use them:

• Marketing Strategists
• Editors
• Writers
• SEO managers
• Content Managers
• Proofreaders
• Web Developers
• Web Designers

How to Write an SEO Content Brief

When creating a brief, you should know what your target readers want. 

You can cover all the SEO essentials that way.

Everything should be well-structured. Well-organized. Easy to understand.

Directions should be clear and concise. 

Here’s what should be included in an SEO-Content Brief.

1. Main Target Keyword
2. Secondary Keywords
3. URL Structure
4. SEO Title Tag
5. Meta Description
6. Post Type
7. Writing Tone and Style
8. Target Persona
9. The Funnel Stage
10. Word Count Range
11. Article Outline
12. Linking Strategy
13. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
14. Video and Images
15. Things to Avoid
16. Reference Sources

1) Main Target Keyword

This should be the very first item to include because every article should be optimized around only ONE main target keyword.

I’ve seen so many websites get this completely wrong. 

This single item will dictate everything else that follows.

Once you’ve conducted keyword research, identify and indicate the primary keyword before the main outline. 

This would appear in the main title and other headings, so it’s important to highlight it.  

The next step is to include secondary keywords (if there are any).

2) Secondary Keywords

I don’t see this being included nearly as often.

All articles don’t just rank for the main target keyword. They can rank for hundreds if not thousands.

The manual way of doing this is by looking at other relevant medium-tail queries on:

• People also ask
• Related searches
• Forums
• Competing articles

But here’s a better way:

1. Export all the keywords for a seed term from Semrush, Ahrefs or any other keyword research tool
2. Run the CSV file through a keyword clustering tool
3. Get the main keyword and supporting secondary keywords already laid out

Here’s what the clustered CSV file will look like.

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3) URL Structure

The words following your root domain URL should ALWAYS be the same as your main target keyword.

And each word should be separated by a dash “-” not an underscore “_” as Google web crawlers don’t like weird characters.

Also, try not to include any numbers in it.

Look at the URL for this article.

4) SEO Title Tag

A compelling title is able to convince readers to click on your page.

Create a title tag relevant to your target users’ search intent.

It should contain the main target keyword you want to rank for. 

Set some general directions. But be flexible and give your writer creative freedom in creating an engaging hook.

The important thing is that it should be SEO-driven.

5) Meta Description

This is not a priority, as Google tends to rewrite them.

But it does help with click-through rates if it’s a compelling hook.

It’s also a great spot to add the main target or a secondary keyword.

6) Post Type 

Another important factor that many get wrong.

Figuring out the format boils down to understanding the search intent of the target keyword.

If I typed “best ai content generator” in Google. Notice how all the top articles are roundup reviews.

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This clearly indicates that both Google and searchers want this type of article.

Try to deviate from this, and you’ll not rank.

Examples of common article formats: 

• How-to’s
• Roundup reviews
• Listicles
• Explanatory articles
• Individual product reviews
• Case studies
• Versus posts

Always look at the highest-ranking pages for the target keyword to figure this out.

7) Writing Tone and Style 

How do you want to speak to your customers? 

Do you want to sound like a friend giving advice or a professor? Determine whether the tone is conversational or a little bit more distanced.

Indicate whether the writing is in the first, second, or third voice. 

This part should also contain editorial standards for grammar, spelling, and capitalization. 

Note your preferred citation preferences. APA, Chicago, etc. 

Your writing style is part of your brand identity. 

And it becomes a unique differentiator that helps set your product apart. 

Let the writer know this.

But I’d like to go one step further and link them to my editorial guidelines.

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8) Target Persona 

The target persona guides your writers in creating content that resonates with intended readers.

Let’s say your website is about a B2B service, but your writers seem to address individual consumers.

That’s a disconnect.

Giving precise instructions on who to write for will help the content reach its objective.

Content without a clear target persona is weak and confusing.

Identify who you want to write for early on.

9) The Funnel Stage 

Identifying the funnel stage your readers are in determines the type of content that will best resonate.

It gives the article a clear goal. To drive the reader down the funnel.  

For example, if your writer puts too many CTAs in a topic for readers in the awareness stage might sound too sale-sy. 

It won’t work as well as it should.

On the other hand, writers might miss the opportunity to convert if they are not writing strategically for readers who are already ready to buy. 

Your writers must clearly understand this before they start to write. 

10) Word Count Range

A fixed word count is not a direct ranking factor but indirectly tells you how comprehensive the article should be.

And this is derived by analyzing the top articles on page 1.

I tend to either:

• Take an average of the top 3 articles
• Write 200-300 words above the top article

I also prefer giving a range so my writers have some breathing room.

You should also allocate the number of words for each section so they know where to focus.

11) Article Outline 

Having clear, structured outlines makes your writers’ work much easier.

The writing and research process will be faster as the main headers are clearly defined. 

You could put general guidelines, but I recommend being as detailed as possible. Leave nothing up to interpretation.

A basic SEO content brief outline would have:  

• A main title (usually containing the primary keyword)
• An introduction
• Topics and sub-topics
• Headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3)
• Additional sections
• Conclusion 

Those are the common parts of the outline, but you could be as detailed as you like. 

Here are some more things to add:

• Key takeaways per topic/section
• Tips for potential sources (a great help)
• Background research

An outline that’s too rigid may be stifling to the writer. This can result in unnatural-sounding content that obviously wants to meet SEO requirements.

However, if a writer is not an expert on the topic, you may need to hold their hand by giving them something more thorough. 

12) Linking Strategy 

Having a linking strategy is a crucial SEO best practice. 

You shouldn’t overlook putting this in the brief. 

Choose relevant pages within your site to include as internal links, as this help give more context to the article. 

External links should be used when citing data, studies, and statistics. These should be from credible and authoritative sources only.

Web crawlers and your readers will love this.

13) FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

FAQs allow your content to target current popular queries that don’t fit in the main content body.

Get a list of questions by looking at “People Also Asked” section in Google or searching for common long-tail question keywords.

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You could look at which questions are used by competing articles too.

14) Video and Images 

Some content briefs contain instructions on how to gather videos and images. 

Let writers (or anyone in charge) know what to do by specifying if any required file formats or image sizes exist. 

As part of SEO best practice, writers should optimize audio-visual media by adding descriptions and alt texts.

Proper source attributions should also be made. 

15) Things to Avoid

Mention if certain things should be avoided in the content.

Typically, this includes reminding the writer that some topics are off-limits. These pertain to political, racial, or religious matters.

Controversial issues should be best left unmentioned.

Some brand partners sometimes want to stay in the background, so remind the writer not to bring them up.

Also, you may want to avoid mentioning competitor brands.

Other things to avoid are certain stylistic and grammatical choices and some words. 

16) Reference Sources 

You can add a list of potential sources to supplement the writer’s research.

While it’s the writer’s job to do research, there’s no harm in pointing in the right direction. 

These should be limited to primary sources. These included published studies, data and statistics, and expert quotes. 

You could also insert the top content that stood out while crafting the brief.

What is the Difference Between an SEO Content Brief and a Content Brief?

A Content Brief is a Blueprint for Writing Projects 

A content brief is a piece of document that helps keep writing projects on track.

Content briefs generally contain key instructions such as a rough outline, the word count, the style and tone, visual elements, and the titles and subheadings.

It can go deeper and provide more exhaustive information. These include main objectives, background research, and more.

Content briefs should be structured. It shouldn’t look like random points that you’ve scribbled down somewhere.

The goal is to make everything clear, concise, and understandable. 

They are usually created using shareable documents for easy collaboration. 

An SEO Content Brief is for Ranking Performance

SEO content briefs are all of the above too.

The obvious difference is that the SEO content briefs are created to improve search engine performance.

These will include items like:

• Search intent
• Link strategy
• Semantic keywords
• Aggregated word count
• Keyword density

An SEO Content Brief Highlights Keywords

Content briefs for SEO contain instructions on which keywords to use. Some indicate where to insert them.

Other types of instructions include how to optimize headings and subheadings.

Like a regular content brief, an SEO-focused one streamlines the content production process. 

It also ensures that SEO standards are met.

This way, writers can efficiently produce output that has a higher potential to rank. 

SEO Content Brief Template

Here’s a rough example to give you a better idea of what an SEO content brief looks like.

Example: An article about collecting plants

An SEO content brief looks something like the one above. 

But this is just a rough guide.

Start with this but refine it over time.

SEO Content Brief (FAQs)

To Sum Up

An SEO content brief is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. 

It’s extremely helpful in streamlining workflow. You’ll enjoy a much more efficient content production process. 

No more back and forth with writers or other stakeholders.

Good use of SEO briefs will make your content extra potent.

Your content will have clear objectives and resonate strongly with target readers.

Don’t forget to finish with a blog post checklist for that last line of defense.

Alright, that’s all.

Get those articles ranking!

Please help share and comment below if this helped you.