How to Write an SEO-Focused Material Brief
Or how about this scenario?
You know that you need content, however don't have the competence or time to do it yourself, so you ask your network for recommendations and find yourself a freelance writer. With little instruction to work off of, they produce content that misses out on the mark.
The service in both of these scenarios is a content quick Not all content briefs are created equivalent.
As somebody who copes with one foot in material and the other in SEO, I can shed some light on how to make your material briefs both thorough and beloved by your content team.
Let's start by agreeing on some terms.
What's a content short?
A content brief is a set of instructions to guide an author on how to draft a piece of material. That piece of content can be an article, a landing page, a white paper, or any number of other efforts that require content.
Without a material quick, you risk getting back content that doesn't satisfy your expectations. This will not just annoy your author, but it'll likewise require more revisions, taking more of your time and money.
Generally, content briefs are composed by someone in a surrounding field-- like need generation, item marketing, or SEO-- when they need something particular. However, content groups normally do not simply work off of briefs. They'll likely have their own calendar and efforts they're driving (material is among those unusual functions that needs to support almost every other department while also producing and carrying out by themselves work).
What makes a content quick "SEO-focused"?
An SEO-focused material quick is one among lots of types of content briefs. It's distinct because the goal is to advise the author on developing content to target a specific search query for the function of making traffic from the natural search channel.
What to include in your content short.
Now that we comprehend SEO-focused content briefs in theory, let's get into the nitty gritty. What details should we include in them?
1. Main query target and intent
It isn't an SEO-focused content short without a question target!
Utilizing a keyword research study tool like Moz Keyword Explorer, you can get countless keyword concepts that could be pertinent to your organization.
For instance, in my current job, I'm concentrated on producing material for retailer owners and others in the brick and mortar retail industry. After listening to some sales and assistance calls on Gong (numerous teams utilize this to record consumer and prospect calls), I may discover that "retailing" is a huge topic of focus.
I type "merchandising" into Keyword Explorer, add a couple more helpful filters, and boom! Tons of keyword tips.
Select a keyword (check your existing content to make sure your group hasn't currently composed on the subject yet) and utilize that as the "north star" query for your content quick.
I believe it's likewise handy to consist of some intent info here. Simply put, what might the searcher who's typing this inquiry into Google want? It's a great idea to browse the question in Google yourself to see how Google is translating the intent.
For example, if my keyword is "types of visual retailing," I can see from the SERP that Google assumes an informational intent, based upon the reality that the URLs ranking are largely informative posts.
2. Format
Dovetailing nicely off of intent is format. Simply put, how should we structure the content to give it the very best possibility of ranking for our target query?
To utilize the exact same keyword example, if I Google "kinds of visual merchandising," the top-level articles consist of lists.
You might notice that your target question returns results with a lot of images (typical with inquiries including "inspiration" or "examples").
This better helps the writer comprehend what material format is most likely to work best.
3. Topics to cover and associated concerns to answer
Choosing the target question helps the author comprehend the "big idea" of the piece, however stopping there indicates you risk composing something that doesn't thoroughly answer the inquiry intent.
That's why I like to include a "subjects to cover/ associated questions to address" section in my briefs. This is where I note out all the subtopics I've discovered that somebody searching that query would most likely wish to know.
To find these, I like to utilize methods like:
Utilizing a keyword research study tool to show you inquiries associated with your primary keyword that are concerns.
Looking at individuals Also Ask box, if one exists, on the SERP your target query sets off
Finding websites that rank in the leading spots for your target question, running them through a keyword research study tool, and seeing what other keywords they likewise rank for
And while this isn't particularly search-related, sometimes I like to use a tool called FAQ Fox to search forums for threads that discuss my target question
You can likewise develop the summary yourself using your research study with all the H2s/H3s currently written. While this can work well with freelance writers, I've found some authors (particularly in-house content marketers) feel this is too authoritative. Every writer and content team is different, so all I can state is simply use your best judgment.
4. Funnel phase
This is fairly similar to intent, but I believe it's practical to include as a different Gold Coast SEO Expert line product. To fill out this portion of the content quick, ask yourself: "Is somebody searching this term simply looking for details?
And here's how you can identify your answer:
Top-of-funnel (TOFU or "problem mindful") is an appropriate label if the inquiry intent is informational/educational/inspirational.
Middle-of-funnel (MOFU or "option conscious") is a suitable label if the inquiry intent is to compare, examine alternatives, or otherwise suggests that the searcher is currently aware of your solution.Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU or "option ready") is a suitable label if the inquiry intent is to purchase or otherwise convert.
5. Audience section
Who are you writing this for?
It looks like such a standard question to address, but in my experience, it's easy to forget!
When it pertains to SEO-focused material briefs, it's easy to assume the answer to this concern is "for whoever is browsing this keyword!" but what that fails to address is who those searchers are and how they suit your company's personas/ ideal client profile (ICP).
If you don't know what those personalities are, ask your marketing team! They need to have target audience sectors readily available to send you.
This will not only help your writers better understand what they must be writing, but it also assists align you with the rest of the marketing department and assist them comprehend SEO's connection to their goals (this is also a crucial component of getting buy-in, which we'll speak about a little later).
6. The goal action you want your readers to take
SEO is a means to an end. It's not just sufficient 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 producing your material short, you not only require to think about how readers will get to it, but what you want them to do after.
Here are some examples of call-to-actions (CTAs) you can include in your briefs:
Newsletter sign-ups
Gated possession downloads (e.g. totally free templates, whitepapers, and ebooks).
Case research studies.Free trials.
Request demo.Product listings.
In general, it's finest to use a CTA that's a natural next action based on the intent of the article. 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 article must be dictated by the subject, not arbitrary word counts. It can be handy to use a ballpark to prevent bringing a 500-word blog post to a 2,000-word fight.
One tool that can make creating a ballpark word count simpler is Frase, which among other things, will reveal you the typical word count of pages ranking for your target query.
8. Internal and external link opportunities.
Given that you're reading the Moz blog, you're most likely already totally acquainted with the significance of links. However, this details is typically excluded of material briefs.
It's as simple as consisting of these two line items:.
Appropriate content we should link out to. Note out any URLs, especially on your own website, that might be natural fits to link out to in this short article.
Existing content that could link to this brand-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 include links in them to your new piece.The second product is specifically important, since including links to your new post can assist it get indexed and begin ranking quicker. A quick method to discover internal link opportunities is to use the "site:" operator in Google.
For instance, the following search would show me all posts on the Moz blog that discuss "content quick." These might be terrific sources of links to this blog post.
9. Competitor material.
Search your target query and pull the top three-or-so ranking URLs for this section of your material quick. These are the pages you need to beat.
At risk of developing copycat material (material that's essentially a re-spun version of the top-level posts), it's a great concept to instruct your writer on how best to use these.
I like to include questions like:.
What's our special point-of-view on this subject?
Do we have any distinct data 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 aesthetically compelling than what our competitors 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"-- suggestions and resources for helping your authors with crucial on-page SEO aspects.
Here's an example of one I have actually used in the past:.
Some content groups are really bullish on SEO (companies like G2 and HubSpot come to mind), so the authors might not require much help in this area. For others, SEO is fairly brand-new to them.
What to avoid when writing content briefs.
Regretfully, "SEO" has actually ended up being an unclean word to lots of writers. Understanding why will assist us prevent the major pitfalls that can cause overlooked briefs and interdepartmental tensions.Don't offer suggestions after that asset has actually been composed.
When writing for search, we're producing the output. The keyword is the input. Simply put, target queries are concerns to be answered, not something to be packed into copy that's already been written.
Google wants to rank content that responds to the question, not simply repeats it on the page.
For this factor, I would avoid having an optimization action after your composing step. If you don't, you risk the content not matching the intent of the inquiry, which indicates it has little-to-no possibility of ranking, and you'll likewise likely disturb your authors, who do not wish to cheapen their editorially outstanding material by packing keywords into it.
Don't prefer keywords with high volume over high intent match.
I as soon as saw a short where the SEO Supervisor requested that the writer use a certain expression instead of another expression because it had search volume while the other didn't.The problem? While apparently comparable, the keywords actually had absolutely different intents.
Do not do this.
At best, targeting keywords simply for volume's sake can result in vanity traffic that never transforms. At worst, you'll be attempting to fit a square peg in a round hole and likely missing intent-match completely.
Don't blindly follow keyword tools.
Keyword tools are useful, but they're not ideal reflections of search need. For instance, since they're not constantly upgraded exceptionally often, you may mistakenly think a query has no demand when in fact it has a heap.
A fine example of this is COVID-19 associated keywords. As a recently trending topic previously this year, lots of keyword research tools didn't sign up that they had any search volume, when in truth they did. If you would have blindly followed the tool, you may have missed out on the chance.
To solve for this, you can utilize tools like Google Trends and even Google Search Console (if you have material on a trending subject or similar topic on your site already, you ought to have the ability to see impressions/interest spiking within a few days).
Don't instruct authors to "include these keywords" (especially a certain number of times).
When noting out the target question (or questions) in your content brief, it is necessary that we advise our writers that this is the primary concern to respond to rather than this the word I need you to sprinkle 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, instruct your writers to concentrate on answering the intent of the searcher's question comprehensively.
Don't try to jam keywords into articles that weren't meant for search discovery.
Organic search is not the only channel for material discovery. As someone coming from an SEO background, this took me a while to find out.
That means including search content to your content calendar, not attempting to cram keywords into whatever on the calendar.
While it's important to get the on-page SEO fundamentals right (title tag, heading tags, links, etc.) for every piece, not every piece provides itself well to organic search discovery.
If we only created content based on keywords that a tool informed us gets browsed a particular number of times per month, we 'd never write about brand-new ideas. It takes a lot of idea management off the table, along with things like case studies and interview/feature story pieces.
Organic search is effective, however it's not whatever.
Tips for getting your material team purchased in.
Even the best material briefs will not make an impact if your content team refuses to use them-- and I've become aware of a lot of situations where that happens.As an SEO, it can be mind-boggling that your material group does not want to use this: "Don't you want traffic?!" However as somebody who leads a content team, I understand why they're typically declined.
The good news is, oftentimes, this can be prevented by taking the following actions.
Include them in the preparation procedure.
Nobody likes to be micromanaged, and comprehensive material briefs can in some cases feel like micromanaging. One great way to avoid this is by bringing them along for the procedure. Make content briefs a collaboration in between SEO and Material.
Connect with the Material Lead and see if they 'd be ready to sit down with you to develop the content brief design template together. By each of you bringing your unique knowledge to the table, it can feel less like determining and more like cooperation (plus, you'll most likely wind up with a better short template that way).
Make it clear that not all material has to be search content.
SEO Managers live and breathe the natural search channel, but content groups have a more varied diet. They take a multi-channel technique to material, and in some cases are even writing content to support post-conversion teams like customer success.When working with your content team on this, make sure you highlight that this is a brand-new material type that can be added to editorial preparation. Not something that'll replace or need to alter the types of material they're currently writing.
Regard their proficiency.
Writing is hard. Doing it well requires tremendous skill and practice, however regretfully, I've heard many SEOs discuss writers as if they didn't know anything, even if they don't understand SEO.
As an SEO, you'll get far with your content department merely by respecting their proficiency. Simply as lots of SEO Supervisors aren't authors, it's unjust of us to anticipate writers to have the SEO knowledge of a full-time SEO expert.
Prior to you implement a material quick procedure, take a seat with the Material Lead and members of the material group to gauge their search maturity. What do they really require your assist with? Then trust them with the rest.
Show results.
One of the best methods to get and keep buy-in is by revealing results. Show your content team just how much of their traffic is coming from organic search and how, unlike numerous other content discovery channels, that traffic is staying consistent gradually. Offer the writer a shout-out when you see their short article ranking on page one.