Briefing content that ranks and still reads well

A keyword and a word count is not a brief. It is a purchase order, and you will get back roughly what you asked for.

Start from the search results, not the keyword

Before writing a brief, look at what currently ranks for the term. Not to copy it - to find the gap. Almost every competitive result has something conspicuously missing: a step nobody explains, a comparison nobody makes, a caveat everyone avoids because it is inconvenient.

That gap is the article. The keyword is just how people find it.

What belongs in a brief

• The target page and why it deserves the link. A writer who knows what the article is supporting will place the link somewhere sensible.
• Who is reading. "In-house marketing managers at mid-market B2B brands" produces a different piece from "SEO freelancers".
• The angle. One sentence on what this article argues that others do not.
• What to avoid. Claims you cannot support, competitors you would rather not name, phrasing your legal team dislikes.
• Any real expertise you have. A single specific detail from someone who does the job is worth more than a paragraph of generalities.

What to leave alone

Structure, mostly. A brief that dictates every subheading produces an article that follows the subheadings and argues nothing. Give a writer the destination and let them find the route.

Word count is worth holding loosely too. Padding an article to hit a number is the most reliable way to make it worse, and length has never been the thing being rewarded - coverage is.

Keyword lists are the weakest part of most briefs

Handing over twenty secondary keywords produces an article that mentions twenty things and explores none. Two or three genuinely related terms are plenty; a good writer covering a subject properly will hit the rest without being told.

The test before you approve it

Read the draft and ask whether you would send it to a colleague who asked the question. If the honest answer is no, more keywords will not fix it.

If you would rather not run this process yourself, our content writing service briefs from the search results as standard, and you can order articles without buying a placement.