SEO content brief Claude skill

Use this before any page is written for search. A good brief makes the writer’s job specific: who it is for, what it must answer better than what ranks today, and what the reader should do next.

Inputs

• The target keyword or topic.
• Product, audience and the problem it connects to.
• Existing pages on the site (to link and avoid cannibalising).

The play

1. Read the intent

Look at what ranks today and classify the intent: informational (how to, what is), commercial (best, vs, alternatives, tools), transactional (pricing, template, free tool) or navigational. The format of the top results is the format searchers expect; fight it only with a reason.

2. Find the gap

For the top results, note what they cover, how deep they go, what they miss, and how fresh they are. Your page wins on one of: depth, original data, a better tool or template, expert experience, or clearer structure.

3. Choose angle and format

One sentence: "The <format> that <does what the others don’t> for <audience>."

4. Build the outline

Read references/brief-template.md for the full template. It covers:

• Title tag (under 60 characters) and meta description (under 155).
• H1 and H2/H3 structure, each with what it must say.
• Questions to answer (from search suggestions and buyer calls), each answered in the first sentence of its section.
• Entities and terms that should appear naturally.
• Original value: data, examples, screenshots, templates.
• Internal links to and from the page; schema (FAQ, HowTo, SoftwareApplication, Article).
• The conversion path: a CTA that fits the intent (template download, free tool, demo for commercial intent).

5. Set success metrics

Target position and traffic, plus what matters more: sign-ups, demo requests or assisted pipeline from the page.

What good looks like

• The brief says exactly why this page will be better than what ranks.
• Every heading has a job; no "Introduction" or "Conclusion" sections.
• Answers lead each section (good for featured snippets and AI answers).
• The CTA matches the intent: nobody searching "what is an ICP" wants a demo.
• The common mistake is a brief that is a keyword list plus "write 2,000 words", which produces the same page as everyone else.

Rules

• MUST base the outline on actual intent and the current results.
• MUST include something original (data, template, expert view, example).
• NEVER target a keyword an existing page already covers without a consolidation plan.
• NEVER recommend keyword stuffing, doorway pages or fake reviews.

Example prompts

• "Write an SEO brief for ‘cold email templates for SaaS’."
• "Brief a comparison page for ‘Acme alternatives’."
• "Plan a cluster of 8 pages around ‘sales prospecting’."

Keyword: <primary>           Secondary: <3-6 variants>
Intent: informational / commercial / transactional
Audience: <role, situation>
Angle: "The <format> that <difference> for <audience>"
Format: guide / list / template / tool / comparison / landing page
Length guide: <range, set by what it takes to answer, not by competitors>

Title tag (≤60): <...>
Meta description (≤155): <...>
URL: /<short-slug>/
H1: <...>

Outline:
H2 <section> - must say: <one line> - answer first sentence: <...>
  H3 <...>
H2 ...

Questions to answer: <5-10, each mapped to a section>
Entities and terms: <...>
Original value: <data / template / screenshots / expert quote>
Internal links out: <3-6 pages with anchor text>
Internal links in: <pages that should link here>
Schema: <FAQPage / HowTo / Article / SoftwareApplication>
CTA: <primary + placement> | Secondary: <...>
Success: <rank target, traffic, conversions>
Refresh: <when to review>

Intent to CTA map

Writing rules to hand the writer

• Answer the section’s question in the first sentence; then explain.
• Use the reader’s terms; define jargon once.
• Short paragraphs, tables for comparisons, numbered steps for processes.
• Real examples and numbers beat adjectives.
• Date-sensitive facts carry a "last checked" note in the brief so they get refreshed.