inferencesh/seo-content-brief

SEO Content Brief

Create data-driven content briefs via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Research target keyword
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "best project management tools for small teams 2024"
}'

# Analyze top-ranking content
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "project management tools small teams comparison guide"
}'

Content Brief Template

Every brief should answer these questions before writing begins:

# Content Brief: [Working Title]

## Target
- **Primary keyword:** [exact keyword]
- **Secondary keywords:** [3-5 related terms]
- **Search intent:** [informational / commercial / transactional / navigational]
- **Target word count:** [X,XXX words]
- **Target URL:** /blog/[slug]

## Search Intent Analysis
- What is the searcher trying to accomplish?
- What format do top results use? (listicle, guide, comparison, tutorial)
- What questions need answering?

## Outline
H1: [Title with primary keyword]
  H2: [Section 1]
    H3: [Subsection]
  H2: [Section 2]
  ...

## Competitors to Beat
1. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]
2. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]
3. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]

## Unique Angle
What makes this piece different/better than what already ranks?

## Internal Links
- Link TO: [existing pages to link to from this article]
- Link FROM: [existing pages that should link to this new article]

Search Intent Types

| Intent | What Searcher Wants | Content Format | Example Query | |--------|-------------------|----------------|--------------| | Informational | Learn something | Guide, tutorial, explainer | "what is CI/CD" | | Commercial | Compare before buying | Comparison, listicle, review | "best CI/CD tools 2024" | | Transactional | Buy/sign up | Product page, pricing page | "GitHub Actions pricing" | | Navigational | Find a specific page | — (don't target these) | "GitHub login" |

Match format to intent. If top 10 results are all listicles, write a listicle. If they're all tutorials, write a tutorial. Fighting the SERP format loses.

SERP Analysis Process

# Step 1: See what currently ranks
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[your target keyword]"
}'

# Step 2: Analyze top-ranking content
belt app run tavily/extract --input '{
  "urls": ["https://top-result-1.com/article", "https://top-result-2.com/article"]
}'

# Step 3: Find related questions (People Also Ask)
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "[keyword] questions people ask FAQ"
}'

# Step 4: Find content gaps
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "[keyword] [subtopic competitors miss]"
}'

What to Extract from Top Results

| Data Point | Why | |-----------|-----| | Word count | Sets your minimum (match or exceed top 3) | | Heading structure | Shows what Google considers complete coverage | | Topics covered | Every topic they cover, you must cover | | Topics missed | Your opportunity to be more comprehensive | | Content format | Listicle, guide, tutorial, comparison | | Media used | Images, videos, tables, infographics | | Internal/external links | Reference quality signals |

Keyword Research

Keyword Metrics

| Metric | What It Means | Target | |--------|--------------|--------| | Search volume | Monthly searches | Depends on niche (100+ for long-tail) | | Keyword difficulty | Competition level | < 30 for new sites, < 50 for established | | CPC | What advertisers pay | Higher CPC = more commercial value | | Search intent | What users want | Must match your content type |

Finding Keywords

# Seed keyword research
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "project management software long tail keywords related searches"
}'

# Find question-based keywords
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "questions about project management tools for startups"
}'

# Competitor keyword analysis
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "site:competitor.com/blog top performing pages topics"
}'

Keyword Clustering

Group related keywords into one piece of content:

Primary: "best project management tools for small teams"
Cluster:
  - "project management software small business"
  - "project management tools comparison"
  - "simple project management app"
  - "project management for startups"
  - "affordable project management software"

One page per keyword cluster. Don't create separate pages for each variation — that's keyword cannibalization.

Heading Structure

Rules

| Rule | Why | |------|-----| | One H1 per page | SEO standard, contains primary keyword | | H2s = main sections | Each should target a secondary keyword or question | | H3s = subsections | Break up long H2 sections | | Primary keyword in H1 | Direct ranking signal | | Secondary keywords in H2s | Topical coverage signal | | Question format for some H2s | Targets "People Also Ask" | | Logical hierarchy | Never skip levels (H1 → H3 without H2) |

Example Structure

H1: Best Project Management Tools for Small Teams (2025)
  H2: How We Evaluated These Tools
  H2: Top 10 Project Management Tools Compared
    H3: 1. Tool A — Best for [use case]
    H3: 2. Tool B — Best for [use case]
    ...
  H2: Feature Comparison Table
  H2: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Team
    H3: Team Size Considerations
    H3: Budget Considerations
  H2: Frequently Asked Questions
    H3: What is the easiest project management tool?
    H3: Do small teams need project management software?
  H2: Conclusion

Word Count Targets

| Content Type | Word Count | When | |-------------|-----------|------| | Short-form blog | 800-1,200 | News, updates, opinions | | Standard blog | 1,500-2,000 | How-tos, tutorials | | Long-form guide | 2,500-4,000 | Comprehensive guides, comparisons | | Pillar content | 4,000-7,000 | Definitive guides, hub pages | | Glossary/definition | 300-800 | Quick reference terms |

Rule: match or exceed the average word count of the top 3 ranking results. Don't pad — every word should add value.

On-Page SEO Checklist

| Element | Rule | |---------|------| | Title tag | Primary keyword + compelling hook, 50-60 characters | | Meta description | Includes keyword, 150-160 characters, includes CTA | | URL slug | Short, keyword-rich: /best-project-management-tools | | H1 | Primary keyword, matches search intent | | First 100 words | Include primary keyword naturally | | Image alt text | Descriptive, includes keyword where natural | | Internal links | 3-5 links to related content | | External links | 2-3 authoritative sources | | Schema markup | FAQ, HowTo, or Article schema where applicable |

Content Differentiation

Unique Angles

| Angle | Example | |-------|---------| | Original data | "We surveyed 500 PMs — here's what they use" | | Expert quotes | Interview practitioners for original insights | | Real examples | Screenshots, case studies, not just descriptions | | More comprehensive | Cover subtopics competitors skip | | More current | Updated data, newer tools, recent changes | | Better visuals | Comparison tables, infographics, decision trees |

# Generate comparison infographic
belt app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{
  "html": "<div style=\"width:1200px;height:800px;background:white;padding:40px;font-family:system-ui\"><h2 style=\"font-size:28px;color:#1e293b;text-align:center;margin-bottom:30px\">Project Management Tools Comparison</h2><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:16px\"><tr style=\"background:#f1f5f9\"><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:left;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Feature</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool A</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool B</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool C</th></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">Free tier</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">❌</td></tr></table></div>"
}'

Internal Linking Strategy

| Type | Purpose | |------|---------| | Hub → Spoke | Pillar page links to all subtopic articles | | Spoke → Hub | Subtopic articles link back to pillar page | | Spoke → Spoke | Related articles cross-link to each other | | Contextual | Natural in-text links where topic is mentioned |

Rules

• 3-5 internal links minimum per article
• Anchor text should be descriptive (not "click here")
• Link to relevant pages, not random ones
• Update old articles to link to new ones
• Most important pages should have the most internal links

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Problem | Fix | |---------|---------|-----| | No SERP analysis | Writing blind, wrong format | Always analyze top 3-5 before writing | | Wrong intent match | Guide when they want comparison, or vice versa | Match SERP format exactly | | Keyword stuffing | Penalized, reads poorly | Use naturally, 1-2% density max | | Ignoring "People Also Ask" | Missing easy ranking opportunities | Answer PAA questions in your content | | Too short | Can't compete with comprehensive results | Match or exceed top 3 word count | | No unique angle | Just another "me too" article | Original data, expert quotes, better visuals | | Keyword cannibalization | Multiple pages competing | One page per keyword cluster | | No internal links | Wasted link equity, poor site structure | 3-5 internal links per article | | Missing meta description | Google generates one (often poorly) | Write compelling meta with keyword + CTA |

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@technical-blog-writing
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@web-search

Browse all apps: belt app list