Research brief — docs/seo/<slug>/research-brief.md (from seo-research → Claude.ai)
Keyword data — docs/seo/<slug>/keyword-data.md (from seo-keywords)
Brand voice — docs/seo/brand-voice.md
Topical clusters — docs/seo/topical-clusters.md (if exists) — use to plan internal links to sibling posts in the same pillar and cross-pillar links
Article directory — user specifies docs/seo/<slug>/ or skill looks for the most recent article directory with both research-brief.md and keyword-data.md

Article Directory Convention

All per-article files live in docs/seo/<slug>/. The user provides the slug, or the skill finds it by looking for the directory containing the required input files.

Process

Step 1 — Read & Synthesize Inputs

Read all three files. Extract:

Primary keyword, secondary keywords, LSI terms (from keyword data)
Top competitor heading structures and word counts (from keyword data)
Key facts, statistics, expert quotes (from research brief)
Content gaps identified (from keyword data + research)
Brand tone, terminology, ICPs (from brand voice)
SERP features to target (featured snippet, PAA, etc.)

Step 2 — Determine Content Strategy

Based on competitor analysis and keyword intent:

Content type (pick one):

Comprehensive guide: Intent is broad informational, competitors average 2000+ words
How-to tutorial: Intent includes "how to", step-by-step format needed
List post: Keyword suggests enumeration ("best", "top", "types of")
Comparison: Keywords include "vs", "alternative", "comparison"
Definition/explainer: Simple informational, competitors average < 1500 words

Target word count: Beat the median of top 5 competitors by 20-30%, capped at reasonable length. Don't pad for length.

Step 3 — Build the Outline

Generate a complete outline with every element specified.

Output

Write to docs/seo/<slug>/outline.md:

# Content Outline: {{Topic}}

**Date**: {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
**Content type**: {{Comprehensive guide / How-to / List / Comparison / Explainer}}

## SEO Metadata

| Element              | Value                                                       |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Title tag**        | {{50-60 chars, primary keyword front-loaded}}               |
| **Meta description** | {{150-160 chars, includes CTA + value prop}}                |
| **URL slug**         | {{3-5 words, hyphenated, lowercase, no year}}               |
| **H1**               | {{Primary keyword + unique angle, distinct from title tag}} |

## Content Structure

### Introduction (~{{N}} words)

- Hook: {{Specific hook approach — stat, question, pain point}}
- **Primary keyword** appears in first 100 words
- Context: {{What problem this solves and for whom}}
- Promise: {{What the reader will learn/gain}}
- Internal link opportunity: {{Link to related pillar content}}

### H2: {{Secondary Keyword 1 — Section Title}} (~{{N}} words)

- Key points to cover:
  - {{Point 1 — cite specific fact from research brief}}
  - {{Point 2}}
  - {{Point 3}}
- **Secondary keyword**: {{exact keyword to include}}
- **LSI terms**: {{terms to weave in}}
- E-E-A-T signal: {{What experience/expertise signal to include}}
- Visual: {{Table / diagram / screenshot / code block suggested}}

### H2: {{Secondary Keyword 2 — Section Title}} (~{{N}} words)

...

### H2: {{Additional sections as needed}} (~{{N}} words)

...

### H2: FAQ (~{{N}} words)

Based on People Also Ask and forum questions:

#### H3: {{Question 1}}?

- Answer: {{40-60 words, snippet-optimized, direct answer first}}
- Source: {{Reference from research brief}}

#### H3: {{Question 2}}?

...

#### H3: {{Question 3}}?

...

(3-7 FAQ items)

### Conclusion (~{{N}} words)

- Recap key takeaways (3-5 bullet points)
- **Primary keyword** restated naturally
- CTA: {{Specific next action for the reader}}
- Internal link: {{Link to related content or product page}}

## Word Count

| Section      | Target    |
| ------------ | --------- |
| Introduction | {{N}}     |
| {{H2 1}}     | {{N}}     |
| {{H2 2}}     | {{N}}     |
| ...          | ...       |
| FAQ          | {{N}}     |
| Conclusion   | {{N}}     |
| **Total**    | **{{N}}** |

## Keyword Distribution Plan

| Keyword         | Type      | Placement                         |
| --------------- | --------- | --------------------------------- |
| {{primary}}     | Primary   | Title, H1, intro, conclusion, URL |
| {{secondary 1}} | Secondary | H2 heading, section body          |
| {{secondary 2}} | Secondary | H2 heading, section body          |
| ...             |           |                                   |
| {{LSI terms}}   | LSI       | Distributed naturally in body     |

## Internal Link Targets

| Anchor Text          | Target URL              | Location         |
| -------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------- |
| {{descriptive text}} | {{/blog/related-post/}} | {{Section name}} |
| ...                  |                         |                  |

(3-5 internal links planned)

## External Link Targets

| Source                   | URL     | Location         |
| ------------------------ | ------- | ---------------- |
| {{Authoritative source}} | {{URL}} | {{Section name}} |

(1-2 external links planned)

## Schema Markup Plan

- [ ] **Article** schema (headline, author, dates, image)
- [ ] **FAQPage** schema (from FAQ section)
- [ ] **BreadcrumbList** schema (Home > Blog > {{Post Title}})
- [ ] **HowTo** schema (if tutorial format)

## E-E-A-T Signals Checklist

### Experience

- [ ] {{Specific experience signal: case study, screenshot, real example}}
- [ ] {{Another experience signal}}

### Expertise

- [ ] Author attribution: {{Name, title, credentials}}
- [ ] Technical depth: {{Specific depth indicator}}
- [ ] Methodology explained: {{Where/how}}

### Authoritativeness

- [ ] Internal links to related content (topical authority)
- [ ] Citations to authoritative sources

### Trustworthiness

- [ ] All statistics have cited sources
- [ ] Published date and last-updated date
- [ ] AI disclosure if applicable

## Image Plan

| Image                  | Alt Text                          | Location    |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------- | ----------- |
| Featured image         | {{descriptive, keyword-relevant}} | Top         |
| {{Diagram/screenshot}} | {{descriptive}}                   | {{Section}} |

(Minimum 1 custom image)

Quality Checks

Before saving, verify:

User Action

After generating, tell the user:

Review the outline in docs/seo/<slug>/outline.md. Modify headings, reorder sections, adjust word count targets, or add/remove FAQs as needed. Once you're satisfied, run /seo-write <slug> to generate the full draft.

seo-outline

SEO Content Outline Generator

References

Inputs