How to Write an SEO-Focused Content Brief
As an SEO Supervisor, you are accountable for growing your company's natural search traffic. You're dealing with your dev team on some technical enhancements, but you notice a big piece of the opportunity lies with material. Your company has a content team, however you discover they're not utilizing keyword research to notify their articles. You have actually attempted to send them keyword ideas, however so far, they have not been responsive to your tips.
Or how about this scenario?
You understand that you need content, however don't have the know-how or time to do it yourself, so you ask your network for suggestions and find yourself a freelance author. With little guideline to work off of, they produce content that misses out on the mark.
The service in both of these situations is a content quick However, not all content briefs are created equal.
As somebody who copes with one foot in material and the other in SEO, I can shed some light on how to make your content briefs both extensive and beloved by your material team.
Let's begin by settling on some terms.
What's a content quick?
A content short is a set of guidelines to guide an author on how to draft a piece of material. That piece of content can be a post, a landing page, a white paper, or any variety of other efforts that require material.
Without a material quick, you risk getting back content that does not meet your expectations. This will not just frustrate your author, however it'll also require more revisions, taking more of your time and money.
Typically, content briefs are written by someone in a surrounding field-- like demand generation, product marketing, or SEO-- when they need something specific. However, content groups generally do not simply sweat off of briefs. They'll likely have their own calendar and efforts they're driving (content is one of those odd roles that requires to support just about every other department while also developing and performing by themselves work).
What makes a content quick "SEO-focused"?
An SEO-focused content brief is one amongst lots of types of material briefs. It's distinct because the goal is to instruct the writer on developing content to target a particular search query for the purpose of making traffic from the organic search channel.
What to include in your digital marketing agency brisbane content short.
Now that we comprehend SEO-focused material briefs in theory, let's enter the nitty gritty. What details should we include in them?
1. Primary query target and intent
It isn't an SEO-focused material brief without a query target!
Using a keyword research tool like Moz Keyword Explorer, you can get countless keyword ideas that could be appropriate to your organization.
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 support calls on Gong (lots of teams utilize this to tape-record client and prospect calls), I may find out that "retailing" is a huge subject of focus.
So I type "merchandising" into Keyword Explorer, include a couple more useful filters, and boom! Tons of keyword suggestions.
Select a keyword (check your existing material to make sure your team hasn't already composed 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 information here. Simply put, what might the searcher who's typing this inquiry into Google want? It's a good idea to browse the inquiry in Google yourself to see how Google is interpreting the intent.
For instance, if my keyword is "kinds of visual retailing," I can see from the SERP that Google presumes an informative intent, based on the fact that the URLs ranking are largely educational posts.
2. Format
Dovetailing perfectly off of intent is format. In other words, how should we structure the content to offer it the very best chance of ranking for our target inquiry?
To use the very same keyword example, if I Google "types of visual retailing," the top-level short articles consist of lists.
You might notice that your target inquiry returns results with a lot of images (typical with inquiries including "inspiration" or "examples").
This much better helps the author understand what content format is likely to work best.
3. Topics to cover and associated concerns to address
That's why I like to consist of a "subjects to cover/ associated questions to answer" area in my briefs. This is where I note out all the subtopics I have actually discovered that somebody searching that query would most likely need to know.
To find these, I like to utilize methods like:
Utilizing a keyword research tool to show you queries connected to your main keyword that are concerns.
Looking at the People Also Ask box, if one exists, on the SERP your target query activates
Discovering websites that rank in the top spots for your target question, running them through a keyword research tool, and seeing what other keywords they likewise rank for
And while this isn't specifically search-related, in some cases I like to utilize a tool called FAQ Fox to search online forums for threads that mention my target inquiry
You can also develop the summary yourself using your research study with all the H2s/H3s already written. While this can work well with freelance authors, I've discovered some authors (especially in-house content marketers) feel this is too prescriptive. Every author and content group is various, so all I can state is just utilize your best judgment.
4. Funnel phase
This is fairly comparable to intent, but I think it's handy to consist of as a different line item. To fill out this portion of the material brief, ask yourself: "Is somebody searching this term just trying to find info? Inspiration? Looking to assess their choices? Or looking to buy something?"
And here's how you can label your answer:
Top-of-funnel (TOFU or "problem conscious") is a suitable label if the query intent is informational/educational/inspirational.
Middle-of-funnel (MOFU or "option conscious") is a suitable label if the query intent is to compare, assess options, or otherwise shows that the searcher is currently aware of your option.Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU or "option prepared") is an appropriate label if the question intent is to buy or otherwise convert.
5. Audience segment
Who are you composing this for?
It seems like such a standard question to respond to, but in my experience, it's simple to forget!
When it comes to SEO-focused material briefs, it's easy to presume the answer to this question is "for whoever is browsing this keyword!" What that stops working to answer is who those searchers are and how they fit into your company's personalities/ perfect customer profile (ICP).
If you don't know what those personas are, ask your marketing group! They must have target market sectors easily offered to send you.
This will not just help your writers much better comprehend what they must be composing, however it likewise assists align you with the remainder of the marketing department and help them comprehend SEO's connection to their objectives (this is also a critical element of getting buy-in, which we'll discuss a little later).
6. The goal action you want your readers to take
SEO is a means to an end. It's not just enough to get your content ranking or even to get it making clicks/traffic. For it to make an impact for your company, you'll desire it to add to your bottom line.
That's why, when developing your material brief, you not only need to think about how readers will get to it, however what you want them to do after.
This is a fantastic opportunity to deal with your material marketing and larger marketing team to comprehend what actions they're trying 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 possession downloads (e.g. complimentary templates, whitepapers, and ebooks).
Case research studies.Free trials.
Request demo.Product listings.
In basic, it's finest to utilize a CTA that's a natural next step based upon the intent of the article. For example, if the piece is top-of-funnel, try a CTA that'll move them to the mid-funnel, like a case research study.
7. Ballpark length.
I'm a company believer that the length of any article should be determined by the subject, not approximate word counts. It can be valuable to provide a ballpark to prevent bringing a 500-word blog site post to a 2,000-word fight.
One tool that can make coming up with a ballpark word count simpler is Frase, which among other things, will show you the average word count of pages ranking for your target query.
8. Internal and external link chances.
Because you're reading the Moz blog site, you're most likely currently intimately knowledgeable about the value of links. However, this info is commonly overlooked of material briefs.
It's as easy as including these 2 line items:.
Relevant material we need to link out to. Note out any URLs, specifically by yourself website, that might be natural fits to link out to in this post.
Existing material that could link to this new piece. List out any URLs on your website that discuss your subject so that, after your new piece is live, you can return and include links in them to your new piece.The second item is especially important, considering that adding links to your new post can assist it get indexed and begin ranking quicker. A quick way to discover internal link chances is to utilize the "site:" operator in Google.
The following search would show me all posts on the Moz blog that point out "content brief." These could be excellent sources of links to this article.
9. Rival material.
Browse your target inquiry and pull the leading three-or-so ranking URLs for this area of your content short. These are the pages you require to beat.
At threat of developing copycat content (content that's essentially a re-spun variation of the top-level articles), it's a great concept to instruct your writer on how best to utilize these.
I like to consist of questions like:.
What's our distinct point-of-view on this topic?
Do we have any distinct information we can pull on this subject?What professionals (internal or external) can we request for quotes to consist of on this topic?
What graphics would make this more visually compelling than what our rivals have?You understand!
10. On-page SEO cheat sheet.
Something I constantly like to include in my briefs is some form of an "SEO cheat sheet"-- ideas and resources for helping your writers with essential on-page SEO aspects.
Here's an example of one I've utilized in the past:.
Essential caution: Writers have differing levels of SEO expertise. Some content groups are very bullish on SEO (business like G2 and HubSpot enter your mind), so the writers may not require much aid in this area. For others, SEO is relatively new to them. Identify what's necessary for your unique situation so that you can prevent over or under-prescribing in this area.
What to prevent when composing content briefs.
Unfortunately, "SEO" has become an unclean word to lots of authors. Understanding why will help us prevent the major mistakes that can result in neglected briefs and interdepartmental stress.Do not provide ideas after that possession has actually been written.
When writing for search, we're creating the output. The keyword is the input. To put it simply, target inquiries are questions to be responded to, not something to be stuffed into copy that's currently been written.
Google wants to rank material that addresses the inquiry, not just duplicates it on the page.
For this factor, I would avoid having an optimization action after your writing action. If you don't, you run the risk of the content not matching the intent of the inquiry, which implies it has little-to-no probability of ranking, and you'll likewise likely distress your authors, who do not want to undervalue their editorially exceptional content by packing keywords into it.
Do not prefer keywords with high volume over high intent match.
I once saw a short where the SEO Supervisor asked for that the writer utilize a particular expression rather of another phrase since it had search volume while the other didn't.The problem? While seemingly similar, the keywords really had absolutely various intents.
Do not do this.
At finest, targeting keywords purely for volume's sake can lead to vanity traffic that never ever converts. At worst, you'll be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and most likely missing out on intent-match totally.
Do not blindly follow keyword tools.
Keyword tools are useful, but they're not ideal reflections of search need. For instance, since they're not always updated extremely often, you might incorrectly believe an inquiry has no need when in reality it has a lot.
A good example of this is COVID-19 associated keywords. As a newly 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 might have lost out on the opportunity.
To solve for this, you can use tools like Google Trends or even Google Search Console (if you have content on a trending topic or similar subject on your website already, you should be able to see impressions/interest spiking within a couple of days).
Do not instruct writers to "consist of these keywords" (specifically a particular variety of times).
When listing out the target inquiry (or queries) in your material short, it is very important that we instruct our writers that this is the primary concern to respond to rather than this the word I need you to spray throughout the material.There's no magic number of times you can stick a keyword in your copy so that it ranks for that term. Rather, advise your writers to focus on responding to the intent of the searcher's question adequately.
Don't try to jam keywords into articles that weren't meant for search discovery.
Organic search is not the only channel for content discovery. As someone originating from an SEO background, this took me a while to learn.
That means including search content to your material calendar, not attempting to stuff keywords into whatever on the calendar.
While it is essential to get the on-page SEO essentials right (title tag, heading tags, links, etc.) for every piece, not every piece lends itself well to natural search discovery.
If we just created material based on keywords that a tool informed us gets browsed a particular number of times per month, we 'd never ever compose about brand-new concepts. It takes a lot of thought leadership off the table, in addition to things like case research studies and interview/feature story pieces.
Organic search is powerful, but it's not whatever.
Tips for getting your content group bought in.
Even the very best material briefs will not make an impact if your material group refuses to use them-- and I have actually heard of lots of situations where that happens.As an SEO, it can be mind-blowing that your content group does not wish to use this: "Do not you desire traffic?!" But as somebody who leads a content group, I comprehend why they're typically rejected.
Thankfully, oftentimes, this can be prevented by taking the following actions.
Involve them in the preparation process.
Nobody likes to be micromanaged, and extensive material briefs can sometimes feel like micromanaging. One fantastic way to prevent this is by bringing them along for the procedure. Make material briefs a joint effort in between SEO and Content.
For example, get in touch with the Content Lead and see if they 'd want to sit down with you to create the material quick design template together. By each of you bringing your special proficiency to the table, it can feel less like dictating and more like collaboration (plus, you'll most likely wind up with a better brief template that way).
Make it clear that not all material needs to be search material.
SEO Managers live and breathe the organic search channel, however content teams have a more varied diet plan. They take a multi-channel technique to material, and sometimes are even writing material to support post-conversion groups like consumer success.When dealing with your content group on this, ensure you highlight that this is a new content type that can be added to editorial planning. Not something that'll change or need to alter the kinds of material they're currently composing.
Regard their expertise.
Composing is hard. Doing it well requires tremendous ability and practice, but sadly, I have actually heard many SEOs talk about authors as if they didn't understand anything, just because they do not understand SEO.
As an SEO, you'll get far with your material department merely by appreciating their expertise. Simply as many SEO Supervisors aren't authors, it's unfair people to anticipate writers to have the SEO understanding of a full-time SEO specialist.
Prior to you execute a content brief process, sit down with the Material Lead and members of the content group to assess their search maturity. What do they really need your assist with? Trust them with the rest.
Show results.
Among the best methods to get and keep buy-in is by showing results. Program your content group just how much of their traffic is originating from organic search and how, unlike many other content discovery channels, that traffic is staying consistent gradually. Provide the writer a shout-out when you see their short article ranking on page one.