Turn one target keyword into a content brief a writer can ship: intent, audience and angle, SERP context, title and meta description, outline, FAQs, scope guidance, and an internal linking plan.
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Content Brief is an SEO Content Writing skill for AI agents, published in the seoskills.sh catalog. Reach for it when your work involves content briefs from SERP intent, editorial planning, and SEO writing. Install it with one command and it runs inside your own agent, so the work happens in your workflow, not a separate SEO tool.
This skill turns one target keyword into a content brief that a writer can use to ship a publish-ready article. It is opinionated about what belongs in a brief and what does not. A good brief sets the scope, frames the angle, and gets out of the way.
A brief should not write the article for you. Over-specified briefs read like compliance checklists and produce content that ranks like compliance checklists. The job is to give the writer enough context to make real decisions, not enough specification to remove the decisions.
Ask for these inputs once.
Use Semrush MCP only.
The callable MCP tool names are the research entry points plus schema execution. Report/product names such as Keyword Overview and Keyword Magic Tool are selected through the schema flow, not called directly as tools.
keyword_research → phrase_this for available generic keyword metrics such as volume, generic KD, intent, and CPC. The tested schema has no domain input, PKD field, or SERP-feature field.keyword_research → phrase_related and phrase_questions for related and question-format keywords. These reports provide keyword rows, not Keyword Magic Tool groups, automatic clusters, or an outline.keyword_research → phrase_organic with positions_type: organic for ranking URLs. Use positions_type: all only when feature-position rows are intentionally required, and keep those rows separate from organic rankings. Preserve every raw row, but deduplicate identical URLs for page-review and format-count purposes while recording every returned position. Do not attribute word count, page traffic, page-level referring domains, or Authority Score to this report.Interpret report output conservatively:
The canonical workflow stays the same: discovery via Semrush MCP keyword_research or organic_research → get_report_schema for the specific report → execute_report with the parameters.
If a structured SERP Analysis artifact is supplied, consume its keyword context, intent, feature map, ranked URLs, evidence availability, format distribution, gaps, and confidence instead of rerunning the same research. Otherwise, build that evidence with the reports above and fetch additional domain or URL evidence only when needed. Label manual inspection, format classification, gap detection, clustering, and outline decisions as analyst/model judgments rather than returned Semrush fields.
execute_report call, tell the user that Semrush MCP queries consume API units. Request only the fields needed, use the smallest result limit that answers the question, and expand only after reviewing the first batch. Never request all rows by default.Use the strongest available data source and state which one you used.
Keep source provenance and confidence separate. Use these labels for material inputs and recommendations:
In the user-facing brief, show provenance where it changes how a claim should be trusted. Keep the labels compact in an evidence or rationale note instead of tagging every sentence. Rate confidence separately as high, medium, or low and state the missing evidence when it lowers confidence.
A working brief has these eight sections. Anything else is optional.
Run them in order. Each section feeds the next.
Capture the primary keyword and the available phrase_this metrics, such as volume, generic KD, CPC, and the raw intent value. Mark unavailable fields as unknown and keep each value tied to its Semrush report. Do not attribute SERP features to phrase_this. The brief opens with the keyword so the writer understands the proposed search target before reading anything else.
Classify intent as informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional only when the returned code has a verified mapping or when live SERP evidence supports a separate model judgment. Label which path was used. The format the writer should produce changes by intent.
Add only secondary keywords that the same page can satisfy without mixing incompatible intents. Choose them from Semrush rows plus transparent intent and SERP-overlap analysis; do not promise that the page will rank for every included term.
Two short paragraphs. No more.
The audience paragraph names who the reader is, what they already know about the topic, and what they need from the article. "Senior SEO at a B2B SaaS, has read three guides on this already, wants the part nobody else covers" is useful. "Marketers" is not.
The angle paragraph names the page's hook. What does this article say that the top 10 do not? If you cannot answer that in one sentence, the brief is not ready. Generic coverage of the topic loses to the existing top 10, which already cover the topic.
Possible angles:
Pull the top 10 organic results for the primary keyword via the Semrush MCP or by inspecting the SERP directly.
For a representative set of ranking results, capture:
Also capture which SERP features appear when they can be verified through mapped phrase_organic codes or direct SERP inspection: featured snippet, PAA boxes, video carousel, shopping results, and AI Overview. Never guess a feature name from an unmapped numeric code. Use verified features to identify eligible formats and likely searcher needs. Do not assume a fixed answer length or claim that an AI Overview always reduces clicks; describe only what the observed evidence supports.
Common patterns to flag for the writer.
Two title candidates, one meta description.
Titles:
Meta description:
Do not withhold a useful answer merely to manufacture a click. The title and description must represent what the page actually delivers without misleading or clickbait framing.
The outline is the spine of the brief. Get this right and the writer can do the rest.
Build the outline from three sources.
Recommend one clear H1 that describes the page, addresses its primary intent, and is consistent with the title's topic. Semrush-supported guidance: Start with one H1 for the main title, then use H2s for main sections and H3s for subsections. Treat one H1 as an editorial and structural recommendation, not a ranking guarantee or automatic failure condition.
Make headings clear, direct, and descriptive. Aim for fewer than 60 characters when practical, but do not sacrifice clarity to meet the target. Concise labels such as "Pricing" are valid when they unambiguously describe the section. Focus each heading on one topic or idea.
Include the primary keyword in the H1 and relevant secondary keywords or questions in H2s and H3s when they fit naturally. Put the reader first; do not force exact-match wording. Use the H1 and first H2 to address the primary intent, then use later headings for relevant supporting intents.
Use H3s as genuine subsections directly under an H2, not merely to create visual rhythm. Keep the hierarchy logical and consistent.
Configurable default: Give each outline entry 1 to 3 lines of notes covering what the section should address, any specific source to cite, and any data point to include. Avoid drafting the section itself. The writer needs structure, not prose.
Define the questions, evidence, examples, and decisions the page must cover to satisfy the audience and intent. Competitor length may be reported as descriptive SERP context when it was measured directly, but never turn it into a minimum, maximum, ranking guarantee, or padding formula.
If the writer requests a planning range, make it a clearly labeled editorial estimate based on the approved outline and expected depth. Explain that useful completeness matters more than matching a competitor's word count.
Internal links.
External links.
rel="nofollow" when the site should not be endorsed or associated with. Mark sponsored or affiliate links with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow"; do not ban them categorically.Three to five bullet points. Cover:
Output the brief as a single markdown document. Use H2 section headings matching the eight sections above. Include a "Notes for the writer" section at the bottom for anything that did not fit the structured sections.
Two rules for the brief itself.
phrase_this: volume 2,400, KD 38%, intent code 1 (mapping unresolved)" is useful when no verified mapping exists. "Decent target" is not.Keep the brief proportional to the topic's complexity and the writer's needs. Remove instructions that do not change the writer's decisions.
This skill is grounded in the following Semrush editorial sources:
Keep these articles as methodology references. Include article links in the user-facing brief only when the user asks for methodology citations or when a specific claim needs verification.
Not using the CLI? Copy the SKILL.md and paste it straight into ChatGPT, Claude, or any agent.
