How to Write an SEO-Focused Content Brief
As an SEO Supervisor, you're responsible for growing your company's natural search traffic. You're working with your dev group on some technical enhancements, however you notice a huge slice of the opportunity lies with material. Your business has a content group, but you see they're not utilizing keyword research study to inform their articles. You have actually tried to send them keyword ideas, but up until now, they have not been receptive to your suggestions.
Or how about this scenario?
You understand that you require material, but do not have the expertise or time to do it yourself, so you ask your network for suggestions and discover yourself a freelance writer. With little instruction to work off of, they produce content that misses out on the mark.
The solution in both of these situations is a content brief Not all content briefs are created equal.
As someone who lives with one foot in material and the other in SEO, I can shed some light on how to make your material briefs both thorough and beloved by your material team.
Let's begin by agreeing on some terminology.
What's a content short?
A content short is a set of directions to guide an author on how to draft a piece of content. That piece of material can be a blog post, a landing page, a white paper, or any variety of other initiatives that require material.
Without a content short, you risk returning content that doesn't fulfill your expectations. This will not just frustrate your author, but it'll also need more modifications, taking more of your time and money.
Normally, content briefs are written by somebody in an adjacent field-- like demand generation, item marketing, or SEO-- when they need something particular. Content groups usually do not just work off of briefs. They'll likely have their own calendar and efforts they're driving (material is one of those unusual roles that needs to support just about every other department while likewise developing and performing on their own work).
What makes a content brief "SEO-focused"?
An SEO-focused material brief is one amongst lots of kinds of content briefs. It's distinct in that the objective is to instruct the writer on creating content to target a particular search query for the purpose of earning traffic from the organic search channel.
What to consist of in your content quick.
Now that we understand SEO-focused material briefs in theory, let's enter into the nitty gritty. What information should we consist of in them?
1. Main question target and intent
It isn't an SEO-focused content brief without a query target!
Using a keyword research study tool like Moz Keyword Explorer, you can get thousands of keyword ideas that might be relevant to your business.
In my existing job, I'm focused on developing content for retail store owners and others in the brick and mortar retail market. After listening to some sales and assistance calls on Gong (many teams utilize this to record client and prospect calls), I may find out that "merchandising" is a huge topic of focus.
I type "merchandising" into Keyword Explorer, include a couple more helpful filters, and boom! Tons of keyword ideas.
Choose a keyword (examine your existing material to ensure your team hasn't currently written on the topic yet) and use that as the "north star" question for your material short.
I believe it's likewise useful to consist of some intent info here. Simply put, what might the searcher who's typing this inquiry into Google want? It's an excellent idea to search the question in Google yourself to see how Google is analyzing the intent.
If my keyword is "types of visual retailing," I can see from the SERP that Google presumes an informative intent, based on the reality that the URLs ranking are mainly informational articles.
2. Format
Dovetailing well off of intent is format. Simply put, how should we structure the content to give it the best possibility of ranking for our target query?
To utilize the same keyword example, if I Google "types of visual retailing," the top-level posts contain lists.
You may observe that your target question returns results with a great deal of ionline.com.au images (typical with inquiries including "inspiration" or "examples").
This much better helps the writer comprehend what material format is most likely to work best.
3. Topics to cover and related questions to answer
Choosing the target inquiry assists the writer understand the "big idea" of the piece, however stopping there implies you risk writing something that does not adequately address the question intent.
That's why I like to include a "subjects to cover/ associated questions to respond to" section in my briefs. This is where I note out all the subtopics I've found that someone browsing that question would most likely wish to know.
To discover these, I like to use techniques like:
Utilizing a keyword research study tool to reveal you inquiries related to your primary keyword that are questions.
Looking at individuals Likewise Ask box, if one exists, on the SERP your target inquiry triggers
Discovering websites that rank in the top areas for your target query, running them through a keyword research tool, and seeing what other keywords they also rank for
And while this isn't specifically search-related, often I like to use a tool called Frequently Asked Question Fox to search forums for threads that discuss my target inquiry
You can likewise develop the overview yourself using your research with all the H2s/H3s already composed. While this can work well with freelance writers, I have actually discovered some writers (particularly internal content marketers) feel this is too authoritative. Every writer and material group is different, so all I can state is just use your best judgment.
4. Funnel stage
This is relatively comparable to intent, but I believe it's useful to include as a different line item. To fill out this portion of the material brief, ask yourself: "Is somebody searching this term simply looking for info?
And here's how you can label your response:
Top-of-funnel (TOFU or "problem mindful") is a proper label if the inquiry intent is informational/educational/inspirational.
Middle-of-funnel (MOFU or "option conscious") is a suitable label if the inquiry intent is to compare, assess alternatives, or otherwise suggests that the searcher is currently knowledgeable about your option.Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU or "option all set") is a suitable label if the question intent is to purchase or otherwise convert.
5. Audience section
Who are you composing this for?
It seems like such a basic question to respond to, but in my experience, it's simple to forget!
When it concerns SEO-focused content briefs, it's simple to assume the response to this concern is "for whoever is searching this keyword!" but what that fails to answer is who those searchers are and how they suit your company's personalities/ perfect client profile (ICP).
If you don't know what those personalities are, ask your marketing group! They ought to have target audience sections easily available to send you.
This will not just assist your authors better comprehend what they should be composing, however it also assists align you with the rest of the marketing department and assist them comprehend SEO's connection to their goals (this is also an important component of getting buy-in, which we'll talk about a little later).
6. The goal action you want your readers to take
SEO is a method to an end. It's not only sufficient to get your material ranking or perhaps to get it earning clicks/traffic. For it to make an impact for your company, you'll want it to contribute to your bottom line.
That's why, when producing your content brief, you not just need to consider how readers will get to it, but what you want them to do after.
This is a great opportunity to deal with your content marketing and larger marketing group to comprehend what actions they're attempting to drive visitors to take.
Here are some examples of call-to-actions (CTAs) you can consist of in your briefs:
Newsletter sign-ups
Gated asset downloads (e.g. complimentary templates, whitepapers, and ebooks).
Case research studies.Free trials.
Request demonstration.Item listings.
In basic, it's finest to utilize a CTA that's a natural next action based upon the intent of the article. If the piece is top-of-funnel, attempt a CTA that'll move them to the mid-funnel, like a case research study.
7. Ballpark length.
I'm a firm believer that the length of any short article should be dictated by the topic, not arbitrary word counts. Nevertheless, it can be handy to use a ballpark to prevent bringing a 500-word blog post to a 2,000-word fight.
One tool that can make coming up with a ballpark word count simpler is Frase, which to name a few things, will show you the average word count of pages ranking for your target inquiry.
8. Internal and external link opportunities.
Because you're reading the Moz blog, you're most likely currently thoroughly familiar with the importance of links. Nevertheless, this information is frequently excluded of content briefs.
It's as basic as including these two line items:.
Appropriate material we should connect out to. Note out any URLs, specifically by yourself site, that might be natural fits to connect out to in this post.
Existing content that could link to this brand-new piece. List out any URLs on your website that discuss your topic so that, after your new piece is live, you can go back and consist of links in them to your new piece.The second item is especially crucial, since including links to your new post can assist it get indexed and start ranking quicker. A quick way to find internal link chances is to utilize the "site:" operator in Google.
For example, the following search would show me all posts on the Moz blog that discuss "content brief." These could be excellent sources of links to this article.
9. Rival content.
Search your target question and pull the leading three-or-so ranking URLs for this area of your material short. These are the pages you need to beat.
At risk of developing copycat material (material that's basically a re-spun version of the top-ranking posts), it's a good concept to instruct your writer on how finest to use these.
I like to include questions like:.
What's our unique point-of-view on this subject?
Do we have any distinct data we can pull on this topic?What experts (internal or external) can we ask for quotes to consist of on this topic?
What graphics would make this more aesthetically compelling than what our competitors have?You understand!
10. On-page SEO cheat sheet.
Something I constantly like to consist of in my briefs is some type of an "SEO cheat sheet"-- ideas and resources for helping your authors with crucial on-page SEO components.
Here's an example of one I've used in the past:.
Some content groups are really bullish on SEO (business like G2 and HubSpot come to mind), so the authors might not require much aid in this area. For others, SEO is fairly brand-new to them.
What to avoid when composing content briefs.
Regretfully, "SEO" has become a filthy word to numerous authors. Understanding why will assist us avoid the major mistakes that can lead to ignored briefs and interdepartmental stress.Don't supply ideas after that asset has been composed.
When writing for search, we're creating the output. The keyword is the input. To put it simply, target inquiries are concerns to be responded to, not something to be packed into copy that's currently been written.
Google wants to rank material that responds to the inquiry, not just duplicates it on the page.
For this reason, I would prevent having an optimization action after your writing step. If you don't, you run the risk of the content not matching the intent of the inquiry, which suggests it has little-to-no likelihood of ranking, and you'll also likely upset your authors, who do not want to cheapen their editorially excellent material by packing keywords into it.
Do not prefer keywords with high volume over high intent match.
I as soon as saw a short where the SEO Manager requested that the writer utilize a certain phrase instead of another phrase due to the fact that it had search volume while the other didn't.The issue? While apparently comparable, the keywords in fact had completely different intents.
Don't do this.
At best, targeting keywords purely for volume's sake can result in vanity traffic that never ever transforms. At worst, you'll be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and most likely missing intent-match completely.
Don't blindly follow keyword tools.
Keyword tools are valuable, however they're not perfect reflections of search demand. Due to the fact that they're not constantly updated exceptionally often, you may incorrectly think a query has no need when in fact it has a heap.
A fine example of this is COVID-19 associated keywords. As a freshly trending subject earlier this year, many keyword research tools didn't register that they had any search volume, when in fact they did. If you would have blindly followed the tool, you may have missed out on the chance.
To resolve for this, you can utilize tools like Google Trends or even Google Browse Console (if you have material on a trending subject or comparable topic on your site already, you need to have the ability to see impressions/interest spiking within a couple of days).
Do not instruct authors to "consist of these keywords" (particularly a certain variety of times).
When noting out the target inquiry (or questions) in your material quick, it's important that we instruct our authors that this is the primary concern to answer rather than this the word I require you to spray throughout the content.There's no magic number of times you can stick a keyword in your copy so that it ranks for that term. Instead, instruct your authors to concentrate on addressing the intent of the searcher's concern thoroughly.
Do not try to jam keywords into articles that weren't meant for search discovery.
Organic search is not the only channel for content discovery. As somebody originating from an SEO background, this took me a while to learn.
That means adding search material to your material calendar, not attempting to stuff keywords into whatever on the calendar.
While it's important to get the on-page SEO essentials right (title tag, heading tags, links, etc.) for every single piece, not every piece lends itself well to natural search discovery.
For example, if we only developed content based on keywords that a tool told us gets searched a specific variety of times monthly, we 'd never ever discuss brand-new principles. It takes a lot of idea leadership off the table, as well as things like case research studies and interview/feature story pieces.
Organic search is powerful, but it's not whatever.
Tips for getting your material group bought in.
As an SEO, it can be overwhelming that your content team doesn't want to use this: "Don't you want traffic?!" But as somebody who leads a content group, I understand why they're often rejected.
The good news is, in many cases, this can be prevented by taking the following actions.
Involve them in the preparation procedure.
Nobody likes to be micromanaged, and comprehensive material briefs can sometimes feel like micromanaging. One excellent method to prevent this is by bringing them along for the procedure. Make content briefs a joint effort between SEO and Content.
Connect with the Content Lead and see if they 'd be willing to sit down with you to develop the content quick template together. By each of you bringing your unique knowledge to the table, it can feel less like determining and more like cooperation (plus, you'll most likely wind up with a much better short template that method).
Make it clear that not all material needs to be search material.
SEO Managers live and breathe the organic search channel, but content teams have a more diverse diet plan. They take a multi-channel method to material, and sometimes are even writing content to support post-conversion teams like consumer success.When working with your material team on this, make sure you emphasize that this is a new content type that can be added to editorial preparation. Not something that'll change or need to change the types of material they're currently composing.
Regard their expertise.
Composing is hard. Doing it well needs immense ability and practice, however unfortunately, I have actually heard lots of SEOs talk about authors as if they didn't understand anything, even if they don't understand SEO.
As an SEO, you'll get far with your material department simply by respecting their knowledge. Simply as numerous SEO Managers aren't authors, it's unjust of us to anticipate authors to have the SEO understanding of a full-time SEO professional.
Before you implement a content brief process, sit down with the Content Lead and members of the material group to determine their search maturity. What do they actually need your assist with? Then trust them with the rest.
Show results.
Among the best ways to get and maintain buy-in is by revealing results. Program your content team just how much of their traffic is originating from organic search and how, unlike numerous other content discovery channels, that traffic is staying consistent with time. Give the author a shout-out when you discover their post ranking on page one.