Resources / Templates / Content brief

Content brief template. Everything the writer needs, with a source for every fact.

A free content brief template built the way SerpDad builds its own: the keywords that share the page, the intent read from the top 10, an outline with word budgets, the facts to use with their sources, and a named sign-off. With a filled example from our own page plan. Download it as Markdown or as a file Google Docs opens. No email, no sign-up.

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Free to copy, edit and hand to any writer.

Free download. Get the content brief template as a file.

Both files hold the same ten parts with guidance for each. Delete the guidance as you fill it in.

Markdown (.md)

For Notion, Obsidian, GitHub or any editor that reads Markdown. Tables included.

Download .md

Google Docs ready (.html)

Upload it to Google Drive, then choose Open with Google Docs. Headings and tables come across intact. Word opens it too.

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The template. What goes in a content brief.

Ten parts, in the order a writer needs them. The first three decide what the page is. The rest decide what goes on it.

Parts 1 to 3 come from the search results, before anyone writes an outline.
PartWhat it holdsWhy the writer needs it
1. Target keyword and the keywords that share the page One focus keyword, plus every keyword whose top 10 overlaps with it So one page covers them all, instead of two pages competing
2. Search intent, read from the top 10 The page types ranking today, and what the searcher wants in one sentence So the format fits: a guide, a list, a comparison or a shop page
3. Owner page The URL, whether it is new or an update, and any page that could compete So nobody writes a second page on the same topic
4. Angle What this page can say that the top 10 does not So the page has a reason to exist
5. Outline H2s and H3s in order, each with a word budget So the length matches the top 10, not a round number
6. Facts to include, with sources Each claim with a source link and a box ticked after checking So nothing on the page is made up
7. Questions the top 10 answers Each question and the section that answers it So no obvious question is left open
8. Internal links Links out to related pages and in from them, with anchors So the page joins the site instead of floating alone
9. What not to write Claims you cannot source, topics other pages own, tone to avoid So the writer knows the edges before starting
10. Sign-off Who approves the brief, who checked the facts, who signs off the draft So one named person owns what gets published

A filled example. One brief, written out.

A page from the topical authority hub of our own plan for serpdad.com. The structure is real. The overlap counts, page types and word budgets are illustrative, and every source should be read again before you rely on it.

Content brief: Topical authority vs domain authority

Example from the topical authority hub. Owner: content lead. Status: ready for writer.

1. Target keyword and the keywords that share the page

KeywordTop 10 URLs shared with the focus keyword
topical authority vs domain authority Focus keyword
domain authority vs topical authority 8 of 10
difference between topical authority and domain authority 5 of 10
topical authority and domain authority 4 of 10

2. Search intent, read from the top 10

  • Page types: 7 guides, 2 SEO tool pages, 1 forum thread.
  • What the searcher wants: to know what each term measures and which one to work on.
  • Format that fits: a guide with a side-by-side comparison table near the top.

3. Owner page

  • New page in the topical authority hub. It links up to the hub page.
  • Could compete with: the "what is topical authority" page. Kept separate, because its top 10 shares only 1 URL with this one.

4. Angle

Most ranking pages define both terms and stop. This page ends with what to do on Monday: which one a small site can change this quarter, and how to see the difference in its own Search Console data.

5. Outline

HeadingLevelWords
Topical authority vs domain authority: what each one measures H1
The short answer H2 120
What domain authority measures H2 250
What topical authority means H2 250
The differences, side by side H2 200
Which one to work on first H2 300
How to check your coverage of one topic H2 250
Questions and answers H2 200

Target length: about 1,600 words, close to the median of the top 10.

6. Facts to include, with sources

#ClaimSource
F1 Domain Authority is a score from 1 to 100 developed by Moz. moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority
F2 Moz says Domain Authority is not a metric Google uses to rank pages. moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority
F3 Ahrefs offers a similar score, Domain Rating, based on a site's backlink profile. ahrefs.com/website-authority-checker
F4 Google's guidance on helpful content asks whether a page shows first-hand expertise and depth of knowledge. developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

7. Questions the top 10 answers

QuestionAnswered in
Is domain authority a Google ranking factor? What domain authority measures (F2)
How do you measure topical authority? How to check your coverage of one topic
Can a new site build topical authority? Which one to work on first

8. Internal links

DirectionPageAnchor
Out Topical authority hub page topical authority
Out How to build topical authority build coverage of one topic
In What is topical authority how it differs from domain authority

9. What not to write

  • No claim that either score causes rankings. Describe what each measures, and cite F2 for Domain Authority.
  • No made-up authority score of our own, and no chart without a source.
  • No "what is topical authority" section longer than 250 words: that page owns the definition.

10. Sign-off

StepWho
Brief approved Content lead
Facts checked against sources Editor
Draft signed off Content lead, by name

The guide. How to fill in each part.

1. Target keyword and the keywords that share the page

Pick the focus keyword first. Then check which other keywords belong on the same page. The quickest test is the top 10: if two keywords share 3 or more of the same URLs, the results treat them as one topic, and one page should cover both. Keywords that share fewer belong elsewhere, even if they look alike.

2. Search intent, read from the top 10

Open the top 10 and count the page types: guides, lists, tool pages, shop pages, forum threads, videos. Write what the searcher wants in one sentence. If the top 10 is mostly shop pages, a 2,000 word guide is the wrong page, however good it is.

3. Owner page

Name the URL that will own the topic. Check the site first: if a page already covers it, the brief is an update, not a new page. Name any page that could compete, and decide now whether to merge it, redirect it or keep it apart.

4. Angle

Read what the top 10 already says, then write the one or two things this page will add. A first-hand test, a table nobody has, a clearer answer to the question everyone dodges. No angle usually means no reason to publish.

5. Outline

List the H2s and H3s in order, with a word budget for each. Base the total on the typical length of the pages ranking today. Word budgets stop one section eating the page and keep the writer from padding the end.

6. Facts to include, with sources

This is the part most briefs skip. Write every factual claim the page will make, with a link to the page that supports it. The writer uses these facts and no others. Before the brief goes out, a person opens each source and ticks the claim. It takes ten minutes and saves the correction later.

7. Questions the top 10 answers

Collect the questions the ranking pages answer, and the questions shown on the results page. Map each one to a section of your outline. A question with no section is either a gap or out of scope: decide which.

8. Internal links

List the pages this one should link to, with the anchor text for each, and the pages that should link back. Do it in the brief: links planned after publishing are easy to forget.

9. What not to write

List the claims you cannot source, the topics another page owns and any promise the business cannot keep. Put the hard limits here, where the writer looks before starting.

10. Sign-off

Name the people: who approved the brief, who checked the facts, who signs off the draft. A named sign-off is the difference between a brief and a suggestion.

Why the SERP comes first. What makes it an SEO content brief.

Keywords grouped by results, not by wording

Two keywords that look alike can need different pages. Two that look different can share one. The top 10 tells you which.

Intent read, not guessed

The page types ranking today show what searchers want. The brief records them so the format fits.

One owner page per topic

Naming the URL and the pages that could compete keeps a site from writing the same page twice.

Or skip the blank page. Let SerpDad build the brief from the top 10.

Every part of this template has a twin in a SerpDad brief. SerpDad builds a brief for each planned page from that page's own top 10 and every keyword on the page. It writes the angle, an outline with word budgets based on the median length of the top 10, the questions searchers ask, the answer Google shows now, and an internal link plan.

Each claim comes with a source link and an unticked box. A brief exports only when a person has checked every claim, and drafts are written only from those checked items, with a named sign-off. SerpDad never invents a fact, and the brief builder never writes the article.

See how Write works or read the briefs docs.

This templateIn a SerpDad brief
Keywords that share the page Keywords, focus first, grouped by shared top 10 URLs
Search intent On-page structure of the top 10, and the answer Google shows now
Owner page The page plan verdict: New page, Optimize, Ranks or Pages compete
Outline Outline with word budgets, plus the SERP gap
Facts with sources Claims and sources, each ticked by a person
Internal links Internal link plan with anchors and placement
Sign-off Export gate and a named sign-off on the draft

Questions and answers.

Can't find the answer? Email us.

What should a content brief include?

The focus keyword and the keywords that share the page, the search intent read from the top 10, the owner URL, an angle, an outline with word budgets, the facts to use with their sources, the questions to answer, internal links, what not to write and who signs off.

What makes an SEO content brief different from a normal one?

An SEO content brief starts from the search results. The keywords, the intent, the format and the questions all come from what the top 10 shows today, rather than from a topic someone picked in a meeting.

How long should a content brief be?

One to two pages for most articles. The facts table and the outline do most of the work. If a writer still has to ask what the page is for, the angle section needs another line.

How do I use the template in Google Docs?

Upload the HTML file to Google Drive, then right-click it and choose Open with Google Docs. The headings and tables come across intact. The Markdown file works in Notion, Obsidian and most editors that read Markdown.

Who should write the brief, the SEO or the writer?

The person who reads the SERP and owns the page plan writes the brief, usually the SEO or content lead. The writer should be able to start without a call. One person signs off the finished draft by name.

Can SerpDad build these briefs for me?

Yes. SerpDad builds a brief for each planned page from that page's own top 10, with an outline, questions and claims that each carry a source. A person ticks each claim after checking it. Your first plan is free up to 1,000 keywords, with briefs for the top 5 pages.

Fill it in by hand,
or let SerpDad build it from the top 10.

Your first plan is free up to 1,000 keywords, with briefs for the top 5 pages. No card needed.

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