SEO Content Briefs skill for Claude Code

A good brief lets a writer produce a page that matches what searchers want, says something the current top results do not, and proves first-hand experience — without the writer redoing the research. Length targets and keyword counts are not the point; intent match, information gain, and evidence are.

Ground rules

• Look at the actual SERP for the target query (in the target country and language) before writing anything. Intent is read from results, not guessed from the keyword.
• One brief = one primary intent. If the top 10 split between two intents, that is two pages or a deliberate hybrid — decide explicitly.
• Never instruct “use the keyword N times” or target a keyword density. Ask for natural coverage of the topic, entities, and questions.
• Every brief names what this page will contribute that the top results lack (original data, tested steps, screenshots, expert quotes, a decision framework, a calculator).
• Write for people first. Google’s helpful-content signals are part of core ranking; content produced mainly to rank, at scale, without added value is a spam-policy risk.
• AI-generated drafts are allowed by Google if helpful; the brief must still demand first-hand material an LLM cannot invent. Never fabricate experience, quotes, or stats.

Workflow

- [ ] 1. Confirm the target query, market, and page type
- [ ] 2. Check for cannibalization on the existing site
- [ ] 3. Analyze the SERP (intent, format, features, gaps)
- [ ] 4. Collect questions and entities
- [ ] 5. Define the angle and the evidence plan
- [ ] 6. Write the outline
- [ ] 7. Specify metadata, links, and schema
- [ ] 8. Deliver the brief in the template

1. Confirm inputs

Primary keyword, 3–8 close variants (same intent), country/language, target URL (new or existing), business goal (signups, demo, affiliate, awareness), and the product’s real relationship to the topic. If keywords are not chosen yet, run keyword-research first.

2. Check cannibalization

site:example.com "primary keyword"

Also check Search Console → Performance → Queries filtered by the keyword: if two URLs swap impressions for it, consolidate (merge + 301) or differentiate intents before adding a third page. If an existing page already ranks 5–20, brief a refresh of that URL instead of a new page.

3. Analyze the SERP

Record the top 10 organic results plus SERP features. Use a table:

#	URL	Content type	Format	Angle / hook	Freshness	Notable gaps
1		guide / listicle / tool / product / forum	how-to, comparison, definition	“for beginners”, “2026”, “tested”	date

Then decide:

Signal in SERP	Read it as	Brief implication
Mostly product/category pages	Transactional	Landing/category page, not a blog post
Mostly guides and how-tos	Informational	Step-by-step guide with visuals
“Best X”, “X vs Y” listicles	Commercial investigation	Comparison with criteria, tested picks, verdict
Reddit/forums prominent	Searchers want lived experience	Lead with first-hand testing, honest trade-offs
AI Overview present	Query is answerable in a paragraph	Put a crisp 40–60 word answer early; win the click with depth the summary lacks
Video carousel	Visual task	Embed or produce a short video; add VideoObject
Local pack	Local intent	Location page, not an article
Featured snippet (list/table/paragraph)	Format Google prefers	Mirror that format under a question-shaped H2
All results < 6 months old	Freshness matters	Dated content, update cadence in brief

Format consensus (6+ of 10 results share a format) is a strong constraint; deviate only with a reason. Word count: note the range of the top 5 as context only — never as a target.

4. Collect questions and entities

• People Also Ask (expand 2–3 levels), related searches, autocomplete variants.
• Forum threads and community questions for the real objections and edge cases.
• Entities: the products, people, standards, metrics, and concepts the top results all mention. List them as “must explain” vs. “mention”. Missing core entities signals a shallow page.
• Sales/support tickets and product docs: questions competitors cannot answer.

Group questions under the outline section where they belong; do not dump a FAQ at the end.

5. Define angle and evidence (information gain)

Pick one primary differentiator and state it in a sentence:

• Original data or benchmark you ran (“we tested 14 tools on the same 10 GB dataset”).
• First-hand process with real screenshots, configs, failure cases.
• Expert input with name and credentials (interview, review, quote).
• A framework or decision table that resolves the reader’s choice.
• Interactive asset (calculator, template, checker).

E-E-A-T evidence plan: named author with relevant experience and a bio page, reviewer for YMYL topics (health, finance, legal, safety), sources cited inline to primary documents, dates of testing, disclosure of affiliate or product relationships.

6. Write the outline

• H1 matches the intent and includes the primary topic naturally.
• Intro: answer or promise within the first 2–3 sentences; no throat-clearing.
• H2s follow the reader’s sequence of questions; phrase some as the actual question when a snippet or AI answer is likely.
• Under each H2: the point to make, the evidence to show, entities/questions to cover, and the visual (table, screenshot, diagram).
• Comparison pages: criteria table up front, then per-option sections, then verdict by use case.
• End with the next action that matches the business goal, not a summary.

7. Metadata, links, schema

• Title tag: ≤ ~60 characters (~580 px), primary topic first, a reason to click (year only if the content is genuinely dated). Google may rewrite titles that do not match the H1 or content.
• Meta description: 140–160 characters, the promise plus a specific detail; not a ranking factor but affects clicks.
• URL slug: short, lowercase, hyphenated, no dates unless news.
• Internal links out: 3–6 contextual links to related pillar/cluster pages with descriptive anchors. Internal links in: 2–4 existing pages that should link to this one (find with site:example.com topic).
• External links: cite primary sources.
• Schema: Article/BlogPosting with author; VideoObject if a video is embedded. Hand to schema-markup for implementation.

Refresh briefs

When a page decays (Search Console clicks down > 20% over 3 months vs. prior period, with stable demand), brief a refresh: re-run the SERP analysis, list what newer top results added, update facts/screenshots/dates, merge overlapping thin posts into it, keep the URL. Change dateModified only for substantive updates.

Gotchas

• Briefing from a keyword tool’s volume alone, without opening the SERP, routinely produces a blog post for a query Google answers with product pages.
• “Ultimate guide” briefs that cover everything rank for nothing; cut sections that serve a different intent and link to them instead.
• Copying the top results’ outline produces zero information gain. The outline should cover what they cover and the gap.
• Do not ask writers to add FAQ sections for FAQ rich results; those are limited to government and health sites.
• AI Overviews answer simple definitions in-SERP. For such queries, the brief must offer depth (examples, tools, decisions) worth clicking for, or the page should target a deeper query.

Output template

# Brief: <working title>

**Primary keyword:** <kw> (<volume>/mo, <country>) · **Variants:** <list>
**Intent:** <informational | commercial | transactional> · **Page type:** <guide | comparison | landing>
**Target URL:** <new slug or existing URL> · **Goal / CTA:** <action>
**Cannibalization check:** <none | consolidate X into this>

## SERP summary
- Format consensus: <e.g. 7/10 step-by-step guides with screenshots>
- SERP features: <AI Overview, PAA, video, snippet type>
- What top results miss: <gaps>

## Angle and information gain
<one sentence>. Evidence: <data/test/screenshots/expert>.

## Audience and E-E-A-T
Reader: <who, what they already know>. Author: <name, relevant experience>. Reviewer: <if YMYL>.

## Outline
H1: <...>
- Intro: <direct answer / promise in 2–3 sentences>
- H2: <...> — point, evidence, entities, questions, visual
  - H3: <...>
- H2: <...>
- Closing CTA: <...>

## Must cover
Entities: <list> · Questions: <PAA and forum questions mapped to sections>

## On-page
Title (≤60 chars): <...> · Meta description (140–160): <...> · Slug: <...>
Internal links out: <anchor → URL> · Internal links in: <source URL → anchor>
Schema: <types>

## Do not
<off-intent sections, claims we cannot support, competitor names to avoid>