Content brief

Write the brief before a draft. Keep it on one page.

• Target query and its cluster, for example “content brief”, “seo content brief”, “content brief template”.
• Search intent read from the results page: informational, commercial or mixed, and what formats win.
• Headings the top pages carry and the questions people ask, so your H2s cover them.
• Facts and sources to use, a block the writer may not leave.
• Internal links to place, for example link the guide on internal linking.
• Length, as a tight range, and what to cut if short.
• Primary call to action, for example “Start free trial” on /pricing.

We write this library from briefs of this shape, with a facts block the writer may not leave.

A brief aligns the page to the results page, not your hunch. It stops intent mismatch and keyword stuffing. It makes edits faster because scope is fixed.

On a small site, one missed page hurts. A brief helps a founder hand work to a writer without long back and forth. It also makes updates simpler later.

1. 1

   Pick the target query and cluster

   Search your head term. Add close variants that appear on the page, for example “what is a content brief” and “writing brief seo”. Keep the cluster tight.

2. 2

   Read the results page for intent

   Scan the top results. Note if guides or templates win. If templates dominate, plan a downloadable or on-page template.

3. 3

   Lift the winning headings and questions

   List common H2s you see, for example “What is a content brief”, “Template”, “How to create”. Pull People Also Ask questions to answer inline.

4. 4

   Set facts and sources

   Write the facts the page must include and where they come from. For a pricing page example, require plan names and limits from yourproduct.com/pricing.

5. 5

   Plan internal links and CTA

   Choose a few internal links that help the reader next, and the CTA. For example link to the guide on People Also Ask and end with a free trial.

6. 6

   State length and scope

   Write a word range and what not to cover. If the page runs long, say which sections may compress first.

Example facts block
- Definition must match: “A content brief is the one-page instruction a page is written from.”
- Include: target query, cluster, intent, H2s, questions, facts, sources, internal links, length, CTA.
- Do not include: agency process, pricing.
- Cite: your own /pricing and /guides/getting-started where relevant.

Check the page in Search Console after 28 days. Look at queries, impressions, average position and click through rate.

• Queries: do they match the target cluster, for example “content brief” and “seo content brief”.
• Impressions rising, clicks lagging: improve the title and meta description to fit the intent.
• Average position near page one but low CTR: align H1 and intro to the query and add the promised template.
• Headings vs PAA: check if your H2s answer the live questions. Add a short Q and A block if needed.
• Product goal: for /pricing or a signup page, track if visitors from the page take the next step.

• Too broad a cluster: keep to close variants, not every synonym for “contents”.
• Copying a rival’s outline verbatim: keep overlap, add gaps they missed, and cut fluff.
• No facts block: writers drift. Add non negotiable details and sources.
• No internal links: the page becomes an orphan. Add links in body and a related section.
• Writing long by default: length follows intent. If the results page favours a short template, do that.
• Updating the draft, not the brief: fix the brief first, then edit the page to match.