SEO templateChecklists and process

SEO content brief template

A brief decides whether a page deserves to exist before anyone writes it. It records the one phrase you're targeting, what the search results show today, who is reading, what the page adds that the others lack, and how you'll know it worked. Use it for the pages your launch-day questions turn into, and for any article you hand to a freelancer or an AI assistant. If you work with Claude, Cursor or Codex, SEO Skills can build the data-heavy parts: real search volume, difficulty and intent for your keyword, what ranks now, the questions people search and your own pages to link.

Use it for

Before writing any page meant to rank: a guide, comparison, glossary term or landing page.
Before handing a topic to a freelancer or an AI assistant, so they don't start from a bare keyword.
When refreshing a page that gets impressions but few clicks, to decide what to change.

Limits and rules

Google has no preferred word count. Its helpful-content checklist asks, "Are you writing to a particular word count because you've heard or read that Google has a preferred word count?" and answers, "No, we don't."[1]
E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor in itself. Google says "trust is most important" of experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust, and that content "doesn't necessarily have to demonstrate all of them."[1]
Keyword stuffing breaks Google's spam policies. Its example: "Repeating the same words or phrases so often that it sounds unnatural."[2]
On AI-made briefs, an attendee's recap of Gary Illyes's closing talk at Search Central Live (2 October 2026) says to make sure you're "not adding to the sea of AI slop already on the internet." It's a recap, not a Google publication.

The template

Copy it, then replace everything in [BRACKETS]. Delete lines that don't apply rather than leaving them vague.

SEO content brief template

SEO CONTENT BRIEF - [WORKING TITLE]
Owner: [WRITER] | Reviewer: [NAME] | Due: [DATE]
Page type: [GUIDE / COMPARISON / TEMPLATE / GLOSSARY TERM / LANDING PAGE]

1. TARGET
Primary keyword: [ONE PHRASE, IN THE WORDS SEARCHERS USE]
Close variants (same intent only): [2-5 PHRASES]
Volume and difficulty: [FROM A KEYWORD TOOL - ADD THE DATE AND COUNTRY]
Search intent: [LEARN / COMPARE / BUY / DO]
Success for the reader: [WHAT THEY CAN DO OR DECIDE AFTER READING]

2. SERP NOTES (read the top 5 results yourself - date: [DATE])
Dominant format: [GUIDE / LIST / TOOL / PRODUCT PAGES / FORUM THREADS]
Every result covers: [TOPICS YOU MUST COVER TOO]
Gaps and errors: [WHAT THEY MISS, SKIP OR GET WRONG]
SERP features: [AI OVERVIEW / PEOPLE ALSO ASK / VIDEO / FEATURED SNIPPET / NONE]
Can we win this? [YES / MAYBE / NO] because [REASON]

3. READER
Who: [ROLE AND SITUATION]
Already knows: [BASELINE]
Their question, in their words: [FROM SUPPORT, SALES OR A COMMUNITY]
Next step after reading: [ONE ACTION]

4. ANGLE
What this page adds that the top results lack: [FIRST-HAND DATA / A TEST / A TOOL / A WORKED EXAMPLE / A CLEAR RECOMMENDATION]
One-sentence promise: [WHAT THE READER GETS]

5. OUTLINE
Working title (60 characters or fewer): [TITLE]
Answer first (2-3 sentences): [THE DIRECT ANSWER]
H2: [SECTION] - must cover: [POINTS]
H2: [SECTION] - must cover: [POINTS]
H2: [SECTION] - must cover: [POINTS]
FAQ: [3-5 QUESTIONS FROM SECTION 6]

6. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
People Also Ask: [QUESTIONS]
Customers ask: [QUESTIONS]
Sub-questions an AI answer may fan out to: [QUESTIONS]

7. ENTITIES AND TERMS
Name these naturally: [PRODUCTS, STANDARDS, PEOPLE, PLACES, TOOLS]
Define on first use: [JARGON]
Leave out: [CLAIMS WE CAN'T SUPPORT, OVERUSED PHRASES]

8. LINKS
Link to (our pages, with anchor text): [PAGE - ANCHOR]
Link from (pages that will link here - at least one): [PAGE]
Cite (primary sources, opened and checked): [URL - THE FACT IT SUPPORTS]
Next step for the reader: [PAGE OR ACTION]

9. E-E-A-T NOTES
Who: [AUTHOR AND BIO LINK]
Experience we can show: [SCREENSHOTS / OWN DATA / WHAT WE TRIED]
How it was made: [RESEARCH METHOD; AI USE DISCLOSED IF IT'S MORE THAN EDITING]
Why it exists: [HOW IT HELPS READERS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARRIVE FROM SEARCH]

10. LENGTH
Range: [LOW - HIGH WORDS] because [SECTIONS x WORDS EACH, WHAT THE INTENT NEEDS]
Cut anything that doesn't answer a question in section 6.

11. SUCCESS METRIC
Primary: [ONE NUMBER FROM YOUR OWN DATA]
Check at: [DATE 1] / [DATE 2] / [DATE 3]
If it misses: [NO IMPRESSIONS: CHECK INDEXING AND LINKS | IMPRESSIONS, NO CLICKS: REWRITE THE TITLE | CLICKS, NO ACTION: FIX THE NEXT STEP]

How to fill it in

Primary keyword
One phrase, in the words searchers use, with the same intent as your page. Look up monthly searches and difficulty and write the date and country next to them, because both move. The keyword difficulty checker shows difficulty, monthly searches, CPC and intent for up to 20 keywords by country. Pick a phrase a site like yours can win, not the biggest one.
Search intent
Decide whether the searcher wants to learn, compare, buy or do something before you outline. A page that answers the wrong intent won't satisfy the search, however well it's written. The search intent checker labels up to 200 keywords with AI; confirm the borderline ones in the live results.
SERP notes
Open the top five results yourself and note the date. The SERP checker lists the live organic results for a keyword, country and device, plus the features around them (AI Overview, People Also Ask, videos). Record the format, what every result covers and what each one skips. If every result is a product page and yours is a guide, the intent may not match.
Reader
Describe one person, using words from support emails, sales calls or a community thread rather than a made-up persona. The reader's own question often makes the best H2 or FAQ.
Angle
The line that decides whether the page deserves to exist. Google's helpful-content questions ask whether the content provides original information, reporting, research or analysis, and substantial value compared with other pages in the results. Name what you add: your own data, a test, a tool, a worked example or a clear recommendation. If you can't name one, merge the topic into a stronger page.
Outline
Answer first: give the direct answer in the opening two or three sentences, then explain. Give every H2 the points it must cover. Mirror the intent, not the top result's headings. The AI blog outline generator can draft a first pass; check it against your SERP notes. Once the draft exists, run it through the on-page SEO checklist.
Questions to answer
Collect three kinds. People Also Ask: the People Also Ask finder lists the questions Google shows for a keyword and country, plus related searches, and exports a CSV. Customers: the questions your users send you. AI sub-questions: Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a query fan-out technique, issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources. The query fan-out generator predicts those sub-queries; it's a prediction, not a measurement. Answer each question on the page, or decide on purpose not to.
Entities and terms
List the named things a thorough page mentions: tools, standards, people, places and defined terms. Use them where they fit and define jargon on first use. Don't repeat them to hit a count; the glossary entry on keyword stuffing shows where that ends.
Links
Plan links before drafting. Our own writer contract asks for at least three links to relevant pages on your site, with descriptive anchors. Name at least one page that will link to the new one: Google says every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. Cite primary sources you've opened, and write the fact each one supports next to its URL.
E-E-A-T notes
Plan the visible evidence: who wrote it (a byline with a bio), what first-hand experience it shows, how it was made and why it exists. Google's guidance suggests disclosing automation where readers would wonder, and calls fabricated author profiles a form of deception. See also our glossary entries on E-E-A-T and author bylines.
Length
Set a range with a reason, not a target. Multiply the number of sections by the words each needs to answer its questions, then compare the total with pages that satisfy the same intent. Google's SEO starter guide says "there's no magical word count target, minimum or maximum."
Success metric
Pick one number from your own data before you publish: clicks from the target query in Search Console, signups from the page, or demo requests. Write down the check dates. Google's starter guide says to wait a few weeks to assess whether your work had an effect, so a first check at four weeks is our rule of thumb. Then apply the decision rule in the template. If there are no impressions, start with how to get Google to index your site; if there are impressions but few clicks, see title tags that get clicked.

Filled example

Fictional example. Paperlark is a fictional product we made up for these examples: an invoice-reminder tool for freelancers that sends polite follow-ups when a client pays late. Names, prices and details are invented to show the template filled in; they aren't a real company or real results.

Example (fictional product)

EXAMPLE (fictional product; values are illustrative)

SEO CONTENT BRIEF - How to chase a late invoice (without being awkward)
Owner: Sam | Reviewer: [second reader] | Due: [date]
Page type: how-to guide with copy-paste emails

1. TARGET
Primary keyword: how to chase a late invoice
Close variants: late payment reminder email, polite payment reminder wording
Volume and difficulty: [look up in your keyword tool; we don't invent numbers, even for a fictional product]
Search intent: do. The reader has an overdue invoice today and wants wording to send.

2. SERP NOTES (illustrative; a real brief records what you saw on the day you looked)
Dominant format: short how-to guides and email-template roundups
Gaps: when to stop emailing, what to do when the client goes quiet, tone by days overdue
SERP features: People Also Ask (check with the People Also Ask finder)
Can we win this? Maybe, with a format the others lack: a reminder ladder

3. READER
Who: a solo freelancer with one or two late-paying clients
Their question: how do I ask for money I'm owed without damaging the relationship?
Next step after reading: copy an email; try Paperlark if they'd rather automate it

4. ANGLE
Adds: a reminder ladder with copy-paste wording at 3, 7 and 14 days after the due date, plus a rule for when to pick up the phone
Promise: you leave with your next three emails written

5. OUTLINE
Working title: How to chase a late invoice (without being awkward)
Answer first: Send a friendly reminder 3 days after the due date, a firmer one at 7 days and a final notice at 14. Keep each short and name the invoice, the amount and the due date.
H2: The reminder ladder - must cover: 3, 7 and 14 days, wording for each
H2: When the client goes quiet - must cover: phone call, second contact, pausing work
H2: When to stop emailing - must cover: written next steps; no legal advice
H2: Automating it - must cover: one honest paragraph on Paperlark, including what it can't do

6. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
People Also Ask: [paste what the finder returns]
Customers ask: Will clients know it's automated?
AI sub-questions: how soon to send the first reminder; whether to charge a late fee

7. ENTITIES AND TERMS
Name these naturally: invoice, due date, payment terms, late fee. Define "net 30" on first use.

8. LINKS
Link to: Paperlark pricing ("free for 3 invoices a month"). Link from: the freelancer hub page.
Cite: [a primary source for any late-fee rule, or leave the claim out]

9. E-E-A-T NOTES
Who: Sam, founder, with a bio link. Experience: screenshots of real reminder schedules.
How: drafted by Sam, checked against this brief. Why: freelancers ask this every week.

10. LENGTH
1,200-1,600 words: four sections of about 200 words each, plus three email templates.

11. SUCCESS METRIC
Primary: clicks from "how to chase a late invoice" in Search Console. Check at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
If it misses: no impressions: check indexing and links | impressions, no clicks: rewrite the title | clicks, no signups: fix the next step

(Paperlark and everything in this example are fictional.)

Do

Read the top five results yourself before you outline; a tool's summary isn't the page.
Name what the page adds that the top results lack, or merge the topic into a stronger page.
Plan at least one link into the new page before you publish it.
Write the success metric and the check dates into the brief.
Open every source you plan to cite, and quote it exactly.

Don't

Don't copy the top result's outline; use it to see what the intent needs.
Don't set a word count because a tool or an article says Google prefers one.
Don't pad with keyword variants; cover one intent per page.
Don't paste in numbers you haven't verified, or present an estimate as data.
Don't brief an AI with only a keyword; give it the SERP notes, sources and angle.

FAQ

What is an SEO content brief?

A one-page plan written before drafting: the target keyword and intent, what the results show today, the reader, the angle, the outline, the questions to answer, links, sources and the metric that will tell you it worked. It turns "write about X" into something a writer can finish and an editor can check.

How long should an SEO article be?

Long enough to answer every question in the brief, and no longer. Google's SEO starter guide says there's no magical word count target, minimum or maximum, and its helpful-content checklist lists writing to a particular word count as a warning sign. Set a range from your outline (sections times the words each needs) and compare it with pages that satisfy the same intent.

Can AI write a content brief?

It can draft one, but it can't see your live results, your search data or your product unless you give it those, and an AI-made brief can invent intent and facts. Feed it real inputs and check the output against the results. SEO Skills covers the data-heavy parts: its brief tool returns what ranks now, the questions people search, your own pages to link and nearby articles not to repeat.

How is a content brief different from an outline?

An outline lists headings. A brief explains why the page should exist: who it's for, which search it answers, what it adds, what to cite and how to measure it. The outline is one section of the brief.

What should I put in the success metric?

One number from your own data, such as clicks from the target query in Search Console or signups from the page, plus the dates you'll check it. Google's starter guide says to wait a few weeks before judging a change, so a first check at four weeks is our rule of thumb. No impressions means checking indexing and links; impressions without clicks means rewriting the title.

Launch guides that use this template

Sources

Checked October 8, 2026. Platforms change their rules; open the source before you rely on a number.

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