SEO Content Brief

Create data-driven content briefs via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login

# Research target keyword
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "best project management tools for small teams 2024"
}'

# Analyze top-ranking content
infsh app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "project management tools small teams comparison guide"
}'

Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.

Content Brief Template

Every brief should answer these questions before writing begins:

# Content Brief: [Working Title]

## Target
- **Primary keyword:** [exact keyword]
- **Secondary keywords:** [3-5 related terms]
- **Search intent:** [informational / commercial / transactional / navigational]
- **Target word count:** [X,XXX words]
- **Target URL:** /blog/[slug]

## Search Intent Analysis
- What is the searcher trying to accomplish?
- What format do top results use? (listicle, guide, comparison, tutorial)
- What questions need answering?

## Outline
H1: [Title with primary keyword]
  H2: [Section 1]
    H3: [Subsection]
  H2: [Section 2]
  ...

## Competitors to Beat
1. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]
2. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]
3. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]

## Unique Angle
What makes this piece different/better than what already ranks?

## Internal Links
- Link TO: [existing pages to link to from this article]
- Link FROM: [existing pages that should link to this new article]

Search Intent Types

Intent	What Searcher Wants	Content Format	Example Query
Informational	Learn something	Guide, tutorial, explainer	"what is CI/CD"
Commercial	Compare before buying	Comparison, listicle, review	"best CI/CD tools 2024"
Transactional	Buy/sign up	Product page, pricing page	"GitHub Actions pricing"
Navigational	Find a specific page	— (don't target these)	"GitHub login"

Match format to intent. If top 10 results are all listicles, write a listicle. If they're all tutorials, write a tutorial. Fighting the SERP format loses.

SERP Analysis Process

# Step 1: See what currently ranks
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[your target keyword]"
}'

# Step 2: Analyze top-ranking content
infsh app run tavily/extract --input '{
  "urls": ["https://top-result-1.com/article", "https://top-result-2.com/article"]
}'

# Step 3: Find related questions (People Also Ask)
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[keyword] questions people ask FAQ"
}'

# Step 4: Find content gaps
infsh app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[keyword] [subtopic competitors miss]"
}'

What to Extract from Top Results

Data Point	Why
Word count	Sets your minimum (match or exceed top 3)
Heading structure	Shows what Google considers complete coverage
Topics covered	Every topic they cover, you must cover
Topics missed	Your opportunity to be more comprehensive
Content format	Listicle, guide, tutorial, comparison
Media used	Images, videos, tables, infographics
Internal/external links	Reference quality signals

Keyword Research

Keyword Metrics

Metric	What It Means	Target
Search volume	Monthly searches	Depends on niche (100+ for long-tail)
Keyword difficulty	Competition level	< 30 for new sites, < 50 for established
CPC	What advertisers pay	Higher CPC = more commercial value
Search intent	What users want	Must match your content type

Finding Keywords

# Seed keyword research
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "project management software long tail keywords related searches"
}'

# Find question-based keywords
infsh app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "questions about project management tools for startups"
}'

# Competitor keyword analysis
infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "site:competitor.com/blog top performing pages topics"
}'

Keyword Clustering

Group related keywords into one piece of content:

Primary: "best project management tools for small teams"
Cluster:
  - "project management software small business"
  - "project management tools comparison"
  - "simple project management app"
  - "project management for startups"
  - "affordable project management software"

One page per keyword cluster. Don't create separate pages for each variation — that's keyword cannibalization.

Heading Structure

Rules

Rule	Why
One H1 per page	SEO standard, contains primary keyword
H2s = main sections	Each should target a secondary keyword or question
H3s = subsections	Break up long H2 sections
Primary keyword in H1	Direct ranking signal
Secondary keywords in H2s	Topical coverage signal
Question format for some H2s	Targets "People Also Ask"
Logical hierarchy	Never skip levels (H1 → H3 without H2)

Example Structure

H1: Best Project Management Tools for Small Teams (2025)
  H2: How We Evaluated These Tools
  H2: Top 10 Project Management Tools Compared
    H3: 1. Tool A — Best for [use case]
    H3: 2. Tool B — Best for [use case]
    ...
  H2: Feature Comparison Table
  H2: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Team
    H3: Team Size Considerations
    H3: Budget Considerations
  H2: Frequently Asked Questions
    H3: What is the easiest project management tool?
    H3: Do small teams need project management software?
  H2: Conclusion

Word Count Targets

Content Type	Word Count	When
Short-form blog	800-1,200	News, updates, opinions
Standard blog	1,500-2,000	How-tos, tutorials
Long-form guide	2,500-4,000	Comprehensive guides, comparisons
Pillar content	4,000-7,000	Definitive guides, hub pages
Glossary/definition	300-800	Quick reference terms

Rule: match or exceed the average word count of the top 3 ranking results. Don't pad — every word should add value.

On-Page SEO Checklist

Element	Rule
Title tag	Primary keyword + compelling hook, 50-60 characters
Meta description	Includes keyword, 150-160 characters, includes CTA
URL slug	Short, keyword-rich: /best-project-management-tools
H1	Primary keyword, matches search intent
First 100 words	Include primary keyword naturally
Image alt text	Descriptive, includes keyword where natural
Internal links	3-5 links to related content
External links	2-3 authoritative sources
Schema markup	FAQ, HowTo, or Article schema where applicable

Content Differentiation

Unique Angles

Angle	Example
Original data	"We surveyed 500 PMs — here's what they use"
Expert quotes	Interview practitioners for original insights
Real examples	Screenshots, case studies, not just descriptions
More comprehensive	Cover subtopics competitors skip
More current	Updated data, newer tools, recent changes
Better visuals	Comparison tables, infographics, decision trees

# Generate comparison infographic
infsh app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{
  "html": "<div style=\"width:1200px;height:800px;background:white;padding:40px;font-family:system-ui\"><h2 style=\"font-size:28px;color:#1e293b;text-align:center;margin-bottom:30px\">Project Management Tools Comparison</h2><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:16px\"><tr style=\"background:#f1f5f9\"><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:left;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Feature</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool A</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool B</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool C</th></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">Free tier</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">❌</td></tr></table></div>"
}'

Internal Linking Strategy

Type	Purpose
Hub → Spoke	Pillar page links to all subtopic articles
Spoke → Hub	Subtopic articles link back to pillar page
Spoke → Spoke	Related articles cross-link to each other
Contextual	Natural in-text links where topic is mentioned

Rules

• 3-5 internal links minimum per article
• Anchor text should be descriptive (not "click here")
• Link to relevant pages, not random ones
• Update old articles to link to new ones
• Most important pages should have the most internal links

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
No SERP analysis	Writing blind, wrong format	Always analyze top 3-5 before writing
Wrong intent match	Guide when they want comparison, or vice versa	Match SERP format exactly
Keyword stuffing	Penalized, reads poorly	Use naturally, 1-2% density max
Ignoring "People Also Ask"	Missing easy ranking opportunities	Answer PAA questions in your content
Too short	Can't compete with comprehensive results	Match or exceed top 3 word count
No unique angle	Just another "me too" article	Original data, expert quotes, better visuals
Keyword cannibalization	Multiple pages competing	One page per keyword cluster
No internal links	Wasted link equity, poor site structure	3-5 internal links per article
Missing meta description	Google generates one (often poorly)	Write compelling meta with keyword + CTA

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@technical-blog-writing
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@web-search

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