Create the Perfect SEO Content Brief for Writers in 10 Easy Steps

When you are working with a new writer or new agency to craft well-optimised blogs, sharing a content brief is a must. It notably helps you streamline the workflow by minimising the number of revisions, rewriting, and reviewing needed. The content brief is usually properly aligned with the internal goals of your company and sets clear quality expectations from the writers. If you are preparing an SEO content brief for the first time, know about 10 detailed steps to streamline your tasks. Read on to learn more!

10 Detailed Steps to Create the Perfect Content Brief for Writers

To create the perfect content brief to reach out to your audience, convert them into quality leads and grow an online business you will have to follow some detailed steps. These steps are as follows:

1. Identify Target Audience

   
   

The first and foremost thing that you will have to do is draft the target audience persona. Determine their age group, lifestyle preferences, the kind of language they use for conversation, and so on. This practice will help you set the right tonality for your target audience and connect with them easily.

For example, if you want to craft a blog for advanced-level investors, you can add financial jargon that they are well familiar with and keep the write-up professional. However, if you are doing so for beginner-level investors, you will need to use simple language and even adopt a story-telling approach. 

2. Understand Content’s Purpose

   
   

There can be multiple purposes to get content written. These purposes can include ranking the content on the SERP, going for off-page posting and backlinking, educating readers about some important concepts, making readers aware of newly launched products, and so on. So, first, you will need to determine the purpose for which you are getting the content written.

For example, you can ask the writers to craft a long-form authoritative content piece to educate your audience about mutual funds. However, for SEO purposes, you can conduct keyword research and accordingly choose an appropriate one to frame an optimised content piece around it. So, make sure to add the purpose when sharing the SEO content brief.

3. Finalise Brand Guidelines

   
   

Every brand has some specific slogan or purpose that needs to be reflected in the content piece. As you already know, it is essential that while marketing your product, all its forms convey the same idea and message. This helps readers connect with brands easily. Also, there are some legal aspects that need to be kept in mind when crafting the content piece.

For example, if your brand is more focused on providing affordable products to customers, you need to instruct writers to mention it accordingly. On the other hand, if your brand sells luxury items, the LSIs need to be chosen according to that. Make sure that you finalise the brand guidelines before beginning with the writeups to avoid multiple revisions. 

4. Research for Keywords

   
   

It is mandatory that you choose the right keywords so you can easily outrank your competitors. For this, conduct a thorough competitor analysis to check on the keywords that they have targeted. Also check, if they align with your company’s vision and product marketing goals. 

Today there are several free and paid tools for keyword research. Some of the popular ones include UberSuggest, Ahref, Answer the Public, and so on. You can even use MOZ to check your domain’s authority and Semrush to check the keywords your website is currently ranking for and your position among your competitors.  

5. Craft a Detailed Outline

   
   

Although many writers need flexibility to craft the content, initially, you can provide them with a content outline. This needs to be prepared as per the other blogs available on the website. When doing so, first and foremost, you will need to identify the blog post length. This will help you ask the writers to write the exact number of words necessary to rank your blog.

Also, once you determine the length, it will become simpler for you to choose the subheads that you would want in your blog. However, you should note that the subhead must be strictly relevant to the topic that you have chosen. Also, the structure should follow the inverted pyramid format, meaning, the most relevant one should be at the top and the less relevant one at the bottom. 

6. Optimise On-Page SEO Factors

   
   

When crafting the on-page blog outline make sure to integrate all the crucial SEO factors. These include incorporating the primary keyword in the URL, meta tags, and H1. Additionally, you can use both primary and secondary keywords when framing the H2s, for adequate optimisation of the blog. 

Additionally, while reviewing the SEO blogs, make sure the primary keywords, secondary keywords, and LSIs have been incorporated properly. Furthermore, ensure that the paragraphs have been kept crisp and to the point and proper numbered and bullet lists have been used. 

7. Outline CTAs and Links

   
   

Interlinking blogs among one another and also with the official website, helps to boost the ranking of the linked page. Also, it helps readers to avail the products or services that have been promoted in the blog. However, for interlinking it is essential to select the right anchor text and seamlessly integrate them in the blog.

So, as per the blog length, determine the number and type of links that you want the writers to incorporate. Additionally, check if you want to add a CTA of your venture to the blog and if yes, where you want to place it. You can choose to keep it at the end of the blog, somewhere in the middle, or right before the conclusion. 

8. Finalise Revisions TATs

   
   

Remember, in the initial phase of assigning blogs to your writers, it can take a substantial time to review the blog. As marketing is primarily about experimenting, you will need to try out different strategies for the initial set of blogs and check the tonality, link, CTA, optimisation, references, and other factors that work for your brand as well as the target audience.

However, to avoid stretching the process, make sure to set a TAT for revisions. You can give writers two days to craft a blog and take around one day time to review it. Once done, you can send the blog for revision and ask them to reshare it in a day. However, this TAT might vary depending on the blog length, writers involved, QC stages at your end, and so on.

9. Specify a Content Brief Statement

   
   

Sharing a thorough SEO content brief is essential such that the writers involved will have a clear idea regarding the guidelines they will need to follow. This will result in minimisation of the number of revisions that are needed for the blog.

However, you should note that it is absolutely mandatory to keep updating the brief with time. This will help you keep up with the latest SEO trends as well as allow writers to incorporate their inputs to ensure well-crafted and creatively written blogs.

10. List Down the Reference Sources

    
    

Last but not least, finalising the sites from where you want the information to be sourced is essential. Today there are numerous sites that rank on the SERP, but not all contain authentic and updated information. So, it is a must that you finalise the references for the blogs that you are planning to get written and published. 

Sharing a thorough SEO content brief will help you align the content with SEO requirements, enhance content performance, maintain a consistent tone and style, and easily connect with your target audience. To ease the task, you can get help from Google Sheets or Excel sheets that have numerous attributes to streamline the sharing of content briefs as well as create a content plan and track tasks.