6 Essential Elements of an SEO Content Brief
Sarah Edwards
Since 71% of all businesses now have websites, it’s difficult for brands to stand out. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) strategies come into play, offering the chance to get your site noticed — and translating views and visits into revenue. To create content that gives your site a chance to climb search engine results, you need a detailed SEO content brief.
But what should you include in your content brief? Start with these six essential elements:
1. Know Your Word Count Range
The length of a piece of content matters to search engine algorithms — and it matters to writers. That’s why word count is likely the first thing you communicate to content creators. Let them know a ballpark figure, which can depend on the topic and the content’s goal.
For example, if you’re selling products, you may prefer to stick to shorter descriptions that get right to the point. For content meant to educate, however, you’re better off with 1,000 to 2,000 words.
2. Zero In on Keywords
Your goal when optimizing a blog post, an article, or any other type of content is to get it to rank higher in search engine results. That can only succeed if you focus on the right keywords and include those words in your SEO content brief.
The best keywords to target are the ones that lead search engine users to your site. First, focus on a primary keyword. This is the main term your target audience is searching for.
Once you have a primary keyword, expand into secondary keywords, which add more detail and are usually closely related to user intent. For example, if your primary keyword is “charger,” choose secondary keywords like “phone charger” or “laptop charger” to help potential customers find your site.
3. Define Your Target Audience
You can’t target consumers searching for services or products like yours until you have an idea of who they are. Therefore, you should think about your readers’ demographics and what they’re looking for in your content.
You also want to consider where on the sales funnel the ideal reader of the content should be. If they’re just beginning their search, the content should aim to educate and inform. But if your ideal reader is someone who’s getting closer to making a purchase or reaching out in some way, the content should be detailed and focused, encouraging them to take that next step.
4. Foster a Brand Voice and Style
If you run a site geared toward a younger audience, a stuffy brand voice will fall flat. Likewise, using Gen Z slang will quickly alienate an older audience. You need to take the time to find a brand voice that connects with your reader and use it throughout your content.
Always address brand voice and style in an SEO content brief. Letting content creators know the vibe you’re going for makes it easier for them to provide the kind of copy you need.
5. Prepare an Outline
If you know exactly the kind of content you want, provide an outline in the SEO content brief. This outline helps ensure that the writer targets everything you’d like to address. A typical one will include:
- A working title
- H1, H2, and H3 headings
- A call to action or conclusion
You can go into as much detail as you want in the outline. You can even include key takeaways for each section to help the writer stay focused and on topic.
6. Focus on an Action You Want the Reader to Take
SEO and content creation have an overarching purpose: to get readers to interact with you or your brand in some way. The intended interaction, however, depends on your unique goals.
This is where having a clear call to action is important. The call to action might be different for each piece of content — one piece might encourage readers to sign up for your email list, while another might promote a specific product. That’s why letting your writers know what you’d like to focus on via the SEO content brief is key.
Transform Your SEO Content Brief Into Quality Content
With Write Collective as a partner, you can boost organic traffic to your site. Our expert team provides SEO-focused content that will help your brand climb search engine results pages. Explore our packages today to get started.
About Sarah Edwards
Sarah Edwards, the founder of Write Collective, is an SEO and content marketing expert with a strong track record in helping businesses, agencies, and individuals in every sector establish credibility online with strong links, optimized webpages, and superior copy.