How to Compose an SEO-Focused Content Brief
As an SEO Supervisor, you are accountable for growing your business's natural search traffic. You're working with your dev team on some technical improvements, however you notice a big slice of the opportunity lies with material. Your business has a content team, however you see they're not using keyword research study to notify their short articles. You've attempted to send them keyword ideas, however up until now, they haven't been responsive to your suggestions.
Or how about this situation?
You're a marketing director at a startup. You understand that you require content, however don't have the know-how or time to do it yourself, so you ask your network for suggestions and discover yourself a freelance author. The only problem is, you're not constantly sure what to designate them. With little direction to sweat off of, they produce material that misses the mark.
The solution in both of these scenarios is a content short Not all content briefs are developed equal.
As somebody who copes with one foot in content and the other in SEO, I can shed some light on how to make your material briefs both extensive and beloved by your content team.
Let's start by agreeing on some terms.
What's a content brief?
A content quick is a set of guidelines to guide an author on how to draft a piece of material. That piece of material can be a blog post, a landing page, a white paper, or any number of other initiatives that require content.
Without a material short, you risk getting back content that doesn't fulfill your expectations. This will not just frustrate your author, however it'll likewise require more modifications, taking more of your time and money.
Generally, content briefs are written by someone in an adjacent field-- like demand generation, product marketing, or SEO-- when they require something specific. Content teams usually do not simply work off of briefs. They'll likely have their own calendar and efforts they're driving (content is among those odd functions that requires to support just about every other department while also creating and performing by themselves work).
What makes a content brief "SEO-focused"?
An SEO-focused material quick is one amongst many kinds of material briefs. It's special because the goal is to instruct the writer on producing content to target a particular search query for the purpose of earning traffic from the organic search channel.
What to include in your content quick.
Now that we comprehend SEO-focused content briefs in theory, let's enter into the nitty gritty. What information should we include in them?
1. Main inquiry target and intent
It isn't an SEO-focused content short without an inquiry target!
Utilizing a keyword research tool like Moz Keyword Explorer, you can get countless keyword concepts that could be pertinent to your organization.
In my current task, I'm focused on producing content for retail shop owners and others in the brick and mortar retail market. After listening to some sales and support calls on Gong (lots of groups utilize this to tape customer and prospect calls), I might find out that "retailing" is a big subject of focus.
I type "merchandising" into Keyword Explorer, include a couple more practical filters, and boom! Lots of keyword tips.
Select a keyword (inspect your existing material to ensure your group hasn't currently composed on the topic yet) and use that as the "north star" question for your material brief.
I believe it's likewise helpful to include some intent information here. To put it simply, what might the searcher who's typing this inquiry into Google desire? It's a great idea to search the query in Google yourself to see how Google is interpreting the intent.
If my keyword is "types of visual merchandising," I can see from the SERP that Google presumes an educational intent, based on the reality that the URLs ranking are largely informational articles.
2. Format
Dovetailing well off of intent is format. To put it simply, how should we structure the material to give it the very best chance of ranking for our target question?
To use the very same keyword example, if I Google "types of visual merchandising," the top-level posts contain lists.
You may see that your target question returns results with a great deal of images (typical with questions including "inspiration" or "examples").
This much better assists the writer comprehend what material format is likely to work best.
3. Subjects to cover and associated concerns to address
Selecting the target question helps the writer comprehend the "big idea" of the piece, however stopping there indicates you run the risk of writing something that doesn't thoroughly answer the query intent.
That's why I like to consist of a "subjects to cover/ associated concerns to respond to" area in my briefs. This is where I note out all the subtopics I've found that someone browsing that inquiry would most likely would like to know.
To discover these, I like to use methods like:
Utilizing a keyword research tool to show you questions connected to your main keyword that are questions.
Taking a look at individuals Likewise Ask box, if one exists, on the SERP your target inquiry activates
Finding websites that rank in the leading areas for your target question, running them through a keyword research study tool, and seeing what other keywords they also rank for
And while this isn't particularly search-related, sometimes I like to utilize a tool called FAQ Fox to search forums for threads that discuss my target question
You can also develop the overview yourself using your research with all the H2s/H3s currently composed. While this can work well with freelance authors, I've found some authors (particularly in-house material online marketers) feel this is too authoritative. Every author and content team is various, so all I can say is just use your finest judgment.
4. Funnel phase
This is fairly comparable to intent, but I think it's useful to consist of as a separate line item. To fill out this part of the content brief, ask yourself: "Is someone searching this term simply looking for details?
And here's how you can identify your response:
Top-of-funnel (TOFU or "issue mindful") is an appropriate label if the query intent is informational/educational/inspirational.
Middle-of-funnel (MOFU or "option aware") is an appropriate label if the inquiry intent is to compare, examine alternatives, or otherwise suggests that the searcher is currently knowledgeable about your option.Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU or "service prepared") is a suitable label if the question intent is to buy or otherwise transform.
5. Audience section
Who are you composing this for?
It appears like such a fundamental concern to address, but in my experience, it's easy to forget!
When it pertains to SEO-focused content briefs, it's simple to presume the answer to this question is "for whoever is searching this keyword!" What that fails to address is who those searchers are and how they fit into your company's personalities/ perfect client profile (ICP).
If you don't know what those personalities are, ask your marketing team! They need to have target market sectors easily offered to send you.
This will not only help your authors much better comprehend what they must be composing, however it likewise assists align you with the remainder of the marketing department and assist them understand SEO's connection to their goals (this is also a crucial element 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 way to an end. It's not just adequate to get your material ranking or perhaps to get it earning clicks/traffic. For it to make an impact for your company, you'll desire it to contribute to your bottom line.
That's why, when producing your content brief, you not just need to think of how readers will get to it, but what you want them to do after.
This is a great opportunity to work with your content marketing and larger marketing group to understand what actions they're attempting to drive visitors to take.
Here are some examples of call-to-actions (CTAs) you can include in your briefs:
Newsletter sign-ups
Gated possession downloads (e.g. free templates, whitepapers, and ebooks).
Case research studies.Free trials.
Demand demonstration.Item listings.
In general, it's best to use a CTA that's a natural next action based on the intent of the article. For example, 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 company follower that the length of any post ought to be dictated by the subject, not approximate word counts. Nevertheless, it can be valuable to provide a ballpark to prevent bringing a 500-word article to a 2,000-word battle.
One tool that can make creating a ballpark word count easier is Frase, which to name a few 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, you're probably currently thoroughly familiar with the value of links. This information is typically left out of material briefs.
It's as basic as including these two line products:.
Appropriate material we should link out to. List out any URLs, particularly by yourself site, that might be natural fits to link out to in this post.
Existing content that might link to this new piece. Note out any URLs on your site that discuss your subject so that, after your new piece is live, you can return and consist of links in them to your brand-new piece.The 2nd item is specifically crucial, given that adding links to your brand-new post can assist it get indexed and start ranking quicker. A fast method to discover internal link opportunities is to use the "website:" operator in Google.
For example, the following search would reveal me all posts on the Moz blog that mention "content brief." These could be excellent sources of links to this post.
9. Competitor content.
Search your target query and pull the top three-or-so ranking URLs for this area of your material short. These are the pages you require to beat.
At risk of producing copycat material (content that's essentially a re-spun variation of the top-ranking short articles), it's a good idea to advise your writer on how best to use these.
I like to include questions like:.
What's our distinct point-of-view on this subject?
Do we have any special information we can pull on this subject?What professionals (internal or external) can we request quotes to consist of on this subject?
What graphics would make this more visually compelling than what our competitors have?You get the idea!
10. On-page SEO cheat sheet.
One thing I constantly like to consist of in my briefs is some kind of an "SEO cheat sheet"-- tips and resources for helping your authors with crucial on-page SEO aspects.
Here's an example of one I've used in the past:.
Some content teams are really bullish on SEO (business like G2 and HubSpot come to mind), so the writers might not need much aid in this location. For others, SEO is relatively brand-new to them.
What to prevent when writing content briefs.
Regretfully, "SEO" has actually ended up being a filthy word to many authors. Understanding why will assist us avoid the major risks that can result in neglected briefs and interdepartmental tensions.Do not provide recommendations after that property has been written.
When composing for search, we're creating the output. The keyword is the input. In other words, target inquiries are concerns to be answered, not something to be packed into copy that's currently been composed.
Google wants to rank material that addresses the query, not just repeats it on the page.
For this reason, I would prevent having an optimization action after your writing step. If you do not, you risk the content not matching the intent of the question, which suggests it has little-to-no likelihood of ranking, and you'll likewise likely distress your authors, who don't wish to cheapen their editorially exceptional material by stuffing keywords into it.
Do not favor keywords with high volume over high intent match.
I once saw a short where the SEO Manager requested that the writer utilize a certain phrase instead of another phrase due to the seo agency fact that it had search volume while the other didn't.The problem? While seemingly similar, the keywords really had absolutely different intents.
Do not do this.
Do not blindly follow keyword tools.
Keyword tools are practical, but they're not ideal reflections of search demand. Because they're not always updated incredibly frequently, you might incorrectly believe an inquiry has no need when in truth it has a lot.
A fine example of this is COVID-19 related keywords. As a newly trending subject earlier this year, many keyword research study 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 fix for this, you can use tools like Google Trends or perhaps Google Search Console (if you have content on a trending topic or similar topic on your site already, you need to be able to see impressions/interest spiking within a couple of days).
Do not instruct authors to "include these keywords" (particularly a certain variety of times).
When listing out the target query (or queries) in your material brief, it's important that we instruct our authors that this is the main concern to address rather than this the word I require you to sprinkle 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. Rather, advise your authors to focus on answering the intent of the searcher's question adequately.
Do not attempt to jam keywords into articles that weren't intended for search discovery.
Organic search is not the only channel for content discovery. As somebody coming from an SEO background, this took me a while to find out.
That means including search content to your content calendar, not trying to stuff keywords into whatever on the calendar.
While it is very important to get the on-page SEO basics right (title tag, heading tags, links, etc.) for every single piece, not every piece provides itself well to natural search discovery.
For instance, if we only developed material based on keywords that a tool informed us gets browsed a certain number of times monthly, we 'd never ever blog about new ideas. 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 effective, however it's not whatever.
Tips for getting your content group purchased in.
Even the very best content briefs won't make an impact if your content team refuses to utilize them-- and I've become aware of a lot of circumstances where that happens.As an SEO, it can be mind-blowing that your content team does not want to use this: "Don't you want traffic?!" But as someone who leads a content team, I understand why they're frequently declined.
The good news is, oftentimes, this can be avoided by taking the following actions.
Involve them in the preparation procedure.
Nobody likes to be micromanaged, and thorough content briefs can sometimes seem like micromanaging. One excellent method to avoid this is by bringing them along for the procedure. Make content briefs a joint effort between SEO and Content.
For instance, get in touch with the Content Lead and see if they 'd want to sit down with you to develop the content brief design template together. By each of you bringing your unique proficiency to the table, it can feel less like dictating and more like collaboration (plus, you'll most likely end up with a better brief template that way).
Make it clear that not all content needs to be search material.
SEO Managers live and breathe the organic search channel, but content groups have a more varied diet. They take a multi-channel technique to material, and often are even writing material to support post-conversion teams like client success.When dealing with your content group on this, make sure you emphasize that this is a brand-new content type that can be contributed to editorial preparation. Not something that'll replace or need to change the types of content they're currently composing.
Respect their expertise.
Composing is hard. Doing it well requires immense ability and practice, however unfortunately, I've heard lots of SEOs speak about writers as if they didn't know anything, even if they don't know SEO.
As an SEO, you'll get far with your content department simply by appreciating their knowledge. Simply as numerous SEO Managers aren't authors, it's unjust of us to expect authors to have the SEO knowledge of a full-time SEO professional.
Before you carry out a material quick procedure, sit down with the Material Lead and members of the content group to assess their search maturity. What do they in fact require your help with? Then trust them with the rest.
Show results.
One of the very best methods to get and maintain buy-in is by revealing outcomes. Program your material team how much of their traffic is coming from organic search and how, unlike lots of other content discovery channels, that traffic is staying consistent gradually. Offer the author a shout-out when you notice their post ranking on page one.