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SEO content brief template

A free SEO brief template: the 13 fields a writer needs to produce a page that ranks, what goes in each one, and a filled-in example. Copy it into a doc, a ticket or a prompt.

Copies as Markdown. Notion and most Markdown editors paste it as headings.

What is a content brief?

A content brief tells a writer what page to write and why: the search it targets, what the searcher wants, the one angle that will make it better than what ranks, the outline, the facts with their sources, and the links to include. Writers, editors and AI models all write better pages from one.

Still choosing the keyword? List your options in the keyword research template first, then write one brief per page.

The template, field by field

Each field with what goes in it, and the example filled in for one search: how to find page-two keywords in Google Search Console.

  1. Target search

    The exact query the page should rank for, plus 2 to 5 close variants people also type.

    Example

    • how to find page two keywords in search console
    • search console keywords position 11 to 20
    • low hanging fruit keywords search console

  2. Search intent

    What the searcher wants to do, and the shape that fits it: a how-to, a fix, a comparison, a price breakdown or a list of options.

    Example

    How-to. The reader has Search Console open and wants the steps, then a way to decide which queries deserve work.

  3. Angle

    The one reason this page will be more useful than what ranks now. Name the move. "More comprehensive" is not an angle.

    Example

    A worked example built from one real site's query rows, with a rule for which page-two queries get a new page and which get an edit.

  4. Title, title tag and meta description

    The H1, a title tag that fits about 600 pixels (50 to 60 characters) and a meta description of up to about 155 characters that opens with a specific claim.

    Example

    • H1: How to find page-two keywords in Google Search Console
    • Title tag: How to Find Page-Two Keywords in Search Console
    • Meta description: Search Console already lists the queries you rank 11 to 20 for. Filter them, sort by impressions and pick the ones worth a new page.

  5. Length

    Set it from what the query needs, not from competitor length. Our ranges: a definition 600 to 1,000 words, a how-to 900 to 1,600, a comparison 1,200 to 2,000, a broad guide 1,600 to 2,400.

    Example

    1,100 words.

  6. Outline

    H2s in the order the reader's questions come up, each written as the question or statement it answers, with 2 to 5 specifics to cover under it. No intro, summary or conclusion headings.

    Example

    • Where page-two queries are in the Performance report: the date range to pick, the Queries tab, the table filter for position
    • Which ones are worth your time: an impressions floor, the page that already ranks, whether the query matches that page
    • New page or better existing page: the rule, with one example of each
    • Checking the result: when to look again and what counts as progress

  7. Facts and their sources

    Every figure, setting or limit the page states, with the primary source behind it (the platform's own docs, a label, a regulator, published pricing). Not a competitor's blog.

    Example

    Average position is "the average position of the topmost result from your site" (Search Console Help, Performance report).

  8. Claims to hedge

    Anything that changes often or needs an authority: prices, limits, legal or safety points, product features you are not sure of.

    Example

    Don't promise a ranking change or a timeline. Say position moves are typical, not guaranteed.

  9. Table or checklist

    The one table or checklist the page needs, with its exact columns or items. Keep tables to 4 columns so they read on phones.

    Example

    Table: Query | Impressions | Position | Action (new page or edit).

  10. Worked example

    One realistic scenario carried through the page, with its numbers, labelled as an example unless it is your own data. Say which sections come back to it.

    Example

    A 40-post blog with 12 queries between positions 11 and 20: 3 get new pages, 6 get a new section on the page that ranks, 3 are skipped. Used in sections 2 and 3.

  11. FAQ

    3 to 5 real follow-up questions the body doesn't already answer, each answered in its first sentence.

    Example

    • How many impressions make a page-two query worth a new page?
    • How long after an edit should I check the position again?

  12. Internal links

    The pages on your site the reader needs next: destination, a descriptive anchor, and the section it sits under.

    Example

    Your guide to writing title tags, linked from section 3 with the anchor "writing a title tag that fits".

  13. Notes for the writer

    The opening sentence or two, the voice, and anything the writer must not say.

    Example

    Open with the answer: the Queries tab, filtered to position above 10, sorted by impressions. Plain, second person, no screenshots of real client data.

Checking the title tag and meta description? See where Google cuts them with the free SERP preview tool.

Brief done? Pick the outline that fits the search in the blog post templates (how-to, problem and fix, comparison, cost, best-of list, definition), then write the draft.

Serpwright writes a brief like this for each title you approve, from the pages ranking today, then writes the article from it.

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Get the brief written from your Search Console data

Serpwright writes a brief like this one for you, for searches your site already shows up for but has no page for.

  • It reads the pages ranking today and writes the brief: the headings, depth, questions and schema they cover, and what they miss.
  • It builds a fact sheet quoted from those pages and, where they exist, from official sources, and every source link in the article comes from that sheet.
  • Turn on brief review to edit each brief before the article is written. Drafts wait for your review before publishing unless you turn on auto-publish or the drip.
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Questions

What is a content brief?
A content brief is the document a writer gets before writing a page: the search it should rank for, what the searcher wants, the angle, the outline, the facts with their sources and the links to include. A good one lets a writer who has never seen the site write the right page the first time.
What should an SEO content brief include?
At minimum the target search and its intent, the angle, the H1, title tag and meta description, a target length, an outline of H2s with the specifics under each, the facts and their sources, and the internal links. The template on this page adds claims to hedge, a table or checklist, a worked example, FAQs and notes for the writer.
How long should a content brief be?
Usually one to two pages. It should be long enough that every section of the outline names what to cover, and short enough to read in five minutes. If the brief is longer than the article will be, it is doing the writer's job.
What is the difference between a content brief and an outline?
The outline is one part of the brief: the headings and what goes under them. The brief also says who the page is for, why it will beat what already ranks, which facts to use and where they come from, and what the writer must not claim.
Do AI writers need a content brief?
Yes, more than people do. Without a brief an AI model writes the average of what it has read, which is what already ranks. A brief with a real angle, sourced facts and a worked example is what makes the draft worth publishing.
Do you keep anything when I copy the template?
No. Copying happens in your browser. We count one anonymous use per visit, with whether you copied the template or the example, and nothing you type or paste.