Content Brief

Produce a complete, editor-ready content brief covering intent analysis, competitive SERP review, content outline, E-E-A-T requirements, and SEO targets.

Before You Start

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

Target keyword or topic. The primary keyword this content should rank for.
Business context. What does the company do? What should readers do after reading (sign up, buy, contact)?
Content type preference. Blog post, landing page, guide, comparison, tutorial?
Audience. Who is reading this? Beginners, practitioners, decision-makers?

Step 1: SERP Analysis

Analyze what currently ranks for the target keyword:

Search the keyword (use web search) and review the top 5-10 results.
Identify the dominant intent. Are results informational guides, product pages, listicles, tools?
Note the content format. Average word count, heading structure, use of images/tables/videos.
Find the gaps. What do all top results cover? What do none of them cover well?

Record:

Rank	Title	URL	Format	Approx. Length	Unique Angle
1	...	...	guide / listicle / tutorial	...	...

Step 2: Intent Mapping

Determine the exact user intent and map it to content structure:

"How to" intent → Step-by-step tutorial with numbered sections
"What is" intent → Definition + context + examples + next steps
"Best X" intent → Curated list with comparison criteria and recommendations
"X vs Y" intent → Side-by-side comparison table + verdict
"Review" intent → Hands-on evaluation with pros/cons/alternatives

The content structure must match what the searcher expects to find.

Step 3: Content Outline

Build a detailed outline with:

Title Options (2-3 variants)

Select the formula that matches the content type:

Content Type	Formula	Example
How-to / Tutorial	"How to [Goal] in [Timeframe]"	"How to Fix Crawl Errors in 30 Minutes"
How-to (objection)	"How to [Goal] Without [Objection]"	"How to Build Links Without Cold Outreach"
Listicle	"[N] [Adjective] [Topic] [Qualifier]"	"9 Proven Link Building Strategies for SaaS"
Comparison	"[A] vs [B]: Which Is Better for [Goal]?"	"Ahrefs vs SEMrush: Which Is Better for Keyword Research?"
Definition	"What Is [Topic]? [Short Clarifier]"	"What Is Topical Authority? How It Affects Rankings"
Ultimate guide	"The [Complete/Definitive] Guide to [Topic]"	"The Complete Guide to Technical SEO"
Mistakes	"[N] [Topic] Mistakes [Consequence]"	"7 Internal Linking Mistakes That Kill Rankings"

CTR boosters — test adding these elements:

Element	Expected CTR Impact
Add a number	+15-25%
Add current year	+10-15%
Add brackets or parentheses	+10-38%
Add a power word (Proven, Essential, Ultimate)	+5-12%

Rules:

Include the primary keyword
Keep under 60 characters (55 for mobile safety)
Use odd numbers in listicles (they outperform even)
Rewrite if CTR is below 2% at positions 1-3 or below 5% at positions 4-10

Meta Description

Select a template and adapt:

Content Type	Template
Blog / Guide	"Learn [topic] with our [qualifier] guide. Covers [point 1], [point 2], and [point 3]. [CTA]."
Question-answer	"[Question]? This [year] guide explains [what], [why], and [how]. Get actionable tips now."
Listicle	"Discover [N] [adjective] [topic] strategies that [result]. Backed by [proof element]. Read the guide."
Comparison	"[A] vs [B]: which is better for [use case]? We compared [criteria]. See the winner + detailed breakdown."
Product/Service	"[Product] helps you [benefit]. [Feature 1], [Feature 2], [Feature 3]. [Price/offer]. [CTA]."

Rules:

150-160 characters (aim for 140-155 for mobile safety)
Include the primary keyword naturally
End with a clear value proposition or call to action
Add numbers or statistics where possible (+5-15% CTR boost)

Heading Structure

Map out every H2 and H3 with brief guidance for each section:

H1: [Title]
  H2: [Section 1] — what to cover, target length
    H3: [Subsection] — specific points
  H2: [Section 2] — what to cover
  ...
  H2: FAQ — 3-5 questions from People Also Ask

Key Points Per Section

For each H2 section, specify:

The main point to make
Data or examples to include
How this section differs from competitor coverage
Internal link opportunities (link to related pages on the site)

Step 4: E-E-A-T Requirements

YMYL Check

First, determine if the keyword falls into "Your Money or Your Life" territory (health, finance, legal, safety). YMYL topics trigger elevated E-E-A-T requirements from Google:

YMYL keywords require: named author with verifiable credentials, citations to official sources (.gov, .edu, professional bodies), clear disclosure of affiliations, and medical/ legal/financial review where applicable.
Non-YMYL keywords still benefit from E-E-A-T but don't require the same rigor.

Author Qualification

Specify what credentials the author needs for this topic:

Topic Type	Author Requirement
YMYL (health, finance, legal)	Licensed professional or verifiable expert with public credentials
Technical (code, engineering)	Demonstrated practitioner experience (portfolio, GitHub, publications)
Business/marketing	Industry experience or named case studies
General informational	Byline with bio is sufficient

Evidence Floor

Set the minimum evidence bar for this piece:

Content Type	Minimum Sources	Source Tier Requirement
Research/data-driven	5+ citations	At least 2 primary sources (official docs, studies, .gov/.edu)
How-to / tutorial	2-3 citations	Official documentation for tools/methods referenced
Opinion / thought leadership	3+ citations	Data to support each major claim
Comparison / "best X"	1 per item reviewed	First-hand testing evidence for each

E-E-A-T Signals

Specify what the content needs:

Experience: First-hand examples, case studies, screenshots, "we tested this" statements
Expertise: Cite specific data, reference industry standards, show depth beyond surface-level
Authoritativeness: Link to authoritative external sources, reference recognized frameworks
Trustworthiness: Include dates, update frequency, author bio, transparent methodology

E-E-A-T Priority by Content Type

Different content types weight E-E-A-T signals differently. Focus effort where it matters most:

Content Type	Experience	Expertise	Authority	Trust	Top Priority
Product review	Critical	High	Medium	High	Experience — hands-on testing evidence
How-to guide	High	Critical	Medium	High	Expertise — demonstrate deep knowledge
Research/data	Medium	Critical	Critical	Critical	Authority + Trust — sourced data, methodology
Opinion piece	Critical	High	High	Medium	Experience — personal credentials and POV
Comparison	High	High	Medium	Critical	Trust — unbiased criteria, transparent methodology
News/reporting	Medium	Medium	Critical	Critical	Authority — recognized source, editorial standards

Content Quality Checklist (Top Priorities)

For every piece, verify at minimum:

Author identified with relevant credentials visible on page
At least 1 first-hand experience element (case study, screenshot, "we tested")
All statistics have named sources and dates
At least 2 references to primary sources (not just other blog posts)
Published date visible; content updated within 18 months
No unsupported superlatives ("best", "fastest", "most effective") without evidence

Step 5: SEO Targets

Element	Target
Primary keyword	[keyword]
Secondary keywords	[2-3 related terms]
Word count range	[min-max based on SERP analysis]
Internal links to include	[list specific pages to link to]
External links to include	[types of sources to cite]
Images/media	[count and types: screenshots, diagrams, tables]
Featured snippet target	[yes/no — if yes, which format: paragraph, list, table]

Step 6: Differentiation Angle

The brief must specify what makes this piece better than what already ranks:

More current: Updated data, recent examples
More practical: Templates, checklists, step-by-step screenshots
More comprehensive: Covers subtopics competitors skip
More specific: Targets a niche the broad pieces miss
Original data: Survey results, internal data analysis, expert quotes

Pick 1-2 angles. Trying to win on all dimensions produces generic content.

Output Format

Content Brief: [target keyword]

Overview

Target keyword: [keyword]
Search intent: [type]
Content format: [blog post / guide / comparison / etc.]
Target word count: [range]
Target audience: [who]
Business goal: [what readers should do after]

SERP Competitive Landscape [Table from Step 1]

Title Options

[option 1]
[option 2]
[option 3]

Meta Description [150-160 char description]

Content Outline [Full heading structure with guidance per section]

SEO Targets [Table from Step 5]

E-E-A-T Checklist

First-hand experience demonstrated
Expert-level depth on core topic
Authoritative sources cited
Trust signals included (dates, author, methodology)

Differentiation [What makes this piece better than current top results]

Pro Tip: Use the free Keyword Density Analyzer and TF-IDF Tool to benchmark competitor content depth for your target keyword. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:keyword-analysis for search volume and difficulty, and /seojuice:content-strategy to check if the topic fits an existing cluster or fills a content gap.