/seo-content-brief

name: seo-content-brief
description: >
  Generate competitive SEO content briefs with per-section word counts,
  competitor scoring, keyword placement guidance, and page-type templates.
  Supports both new page briefs and improve-existing-page briefs.
  Use when user says "content brief", "write a brief", "content outline",
  "blog brief", "service page brief", "brief for", "writing brief",
  "content plan", or "outline for".
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: "[url-or-keyword] [page-type]"
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: puneetindersingh
  original_author: puneetindersingh
  version: "1.0.0"
  category: seo

SEO Content Brief Generator

Generate research-backed content briefs that help writers produce pages capable of outranking current top results. Briefs include competitor analysis with gap scoring, per-section word count breakdowns, keyword placement rules, and page-type-specific templates.

Process

1. Determine Brief Mode

**Improve mode** (existing page URL provided):

• Fetch the existing page content and structure
• Identify what is already strong (keep it)
• Identify missing, thin, or outdated sections
• Distinguish "keep/strengthen" vs "add new" sections in the outline
• Do not recommend a full rewrite when targeted improvements will win

**New page mode** (keyword or topic provided, no existing page):

• Use the target site's homepage or sitemap for business context only
• Build the brief from scratch for a new page
• Focus on competitive gaps the new page can fill

2. Fetch Context

• Fetch the target URL or homepage to understand the business
• Fetch the sitemap to discover all existing pages, categories, and services
• This context is critical for the Website Relevance Rule (see below)

3. Analyse SERPs

• Identify the top 5 ranking pages for the target keyword
• Filter out non-competitors (Wikipedia, Reddit, Pinterest, Amazon, YouTube, government sites, SEO tool pages, job boards, directories, news aggregators, social platforms). See `references/excluded-domains.md` for the full list.
• Score each real competitor: Depth (1-10), Formatting (1-10), SEO (1-10), UX (1-10)
• Identify three gap types:
• **Topic gaps:** subtopics competitors miss entirely
• **Depth gaps:** topics covered but shallow
• **Quality gaps:** outdated info, no expert perspective, poor formatting
• Calculate gap priority: `Impact x Competitive Advantage / Effort`

4. Classify Search Intent

• **Informational:** user wants to learn (guides, how-tos, definitions)
• **Commercial:** user is researching before buying (comparisons, reviews, "best X")
• **Transactional:** user is ready to act (buy, book, enquire, sign up)
• **Navigational:** user is looking for a specific site or page

Identify what SERP format Google rewards for this query: long-form guide, listicle, comparison table, landing page, FAQ, video, local pack.

5. Build the Brief

Apply the page-type template from `references/page-type-templates.md`, then customise based on competitor gaps and search intent.

Critical Rules

Website Relevance Rule

Every heading, subtopic, keyword, and FAQ you suggest must be something the target website can credibly write about based on its actual services or products.

• Read the site's homepage and sitemap to understand what it does
• Do not borrow competitor structure if those sections cover things this site does not offer
• Before each suggestion, ask: "Can this website actually deliver on this content?" If no, remove it.

Site Structure Coverage Rule

When briefing a hub, overview, category, or "types of" page:

• The outline must reference every relevant product category, service, or sub-page that exists on the site
• Do not invent categories that don't exist, do not leave out categories that do exist
• Each category should appear as its own section with an internal link suggestion
• This ensures the page acts as a proper hub linking to all child pages

For non-hub pages (single service page, blog post), use site structure to suggest relevant internal links but do not force every category into the outline.

Output Language Rules

• Never mention researcher names, framework names, or tool names in the output (no "Ben Goodey method", "Frase.io formula", "Princeton GEO", "Clearscope", "Backlinko")
• These are internal thinking tools only. The output must read as plain, professional advice.
• Write for a business owner or content writer, not an SEO academic

Keyword Placement

Read `references/keyword-density.md` for the full rules. Summary:

**Primary keyword use:** Use the primary keyword naturally in high-value locations.

• Do not optimize to a fixed density. Treat density checks as optional internal readability/stuffing heuristics only.
• First 1-2 mentions help establish topic context. Diminishing returns after.
• For a 1,000-word article, avoid forced repetition across headings, body, and alt text.

**Primary keyword must appear in:** 1. Title tag (near the front) 2. H1 tag (near the front) 3. URL slug 4. Meta description 5. First paragraph / first 100 words

Image alt text describes the image; it is not a required keyword placement.

**Primary keyword does NOT need to appear in:**

• Every H2 or H3 (subtopics carry context naturally if H1 covers it)
• Every paragraph or section

**Secondary keywords:**

• 5-8 closely related supporting terms distributed through body content
• 10-15 broader semantic terms covering related concepts
• Use in H2-H6 subheadings where natural
• Synonyms and close variations improve readability; there is no density target to count them toward

**Per-section keyword guidance:** For each section in the outline, specify:

• Which keyword (primary or secondary) belongs in the heading
• Whether the body should include the primary keyword or a variation
• Example: "Use secondary keyword 'structural drafting services' in H2. Body: mention primary keyword once."

**Distribution:** Spread the primary keyword evenly. Do not front-load