Need to feed the copywriter with another content assignment? Simple as that, quality guidelines largely define the success in Google but require deep research of the subject. So why waste time and mental-effort trying to recollect the very same process again and again?

Even experienced jet pilots stick to the checklist before taking off. After many years on both ends, working as a copywriter and SEO team lead, I have put together the guide on how to create an effective content assignment for the copywriters.

Follow the step-by-step instructions below and fill in the template with the information you collect along the way.

>> Fork the Content Task Template

You will also learn how to:

• Understand the search intent behind the keyword
• Determine the length of the article
• Collect additional keywords for the article (related to the topic)
• Collect closely related terms based for topical relevance (TF-IDF)
• Build the structure of the article
• Spice up content with the FAQ section

Since the purpose of this guide is to compile a detailed assignment from the main (target) keyword, we suppose you already have that keyword you are targeting. Let’s take the query “hid color chart” from the automotive industry for an example.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Step 1. Uncover Search Intent & set the purpose of the article
• Step 2. Determine Word Count for the Article
• Step 3. Collect Main Keyword’s Variations
• Step 4. Find Topic Defining Keywords (LSI)
• Step 5. Create the Structure of the Article
• Step 4.1. Collect questions for the FAQ section

Step 1. Uncover Search Intent & set the purpose of the article

Our main goal here is to:

• understand the searcher’s intent (what problem does he or she want to solve?)
• Tell the copywriter the purpose of the article (how it helps the reader solve their problem)

Let’s take the keyword “hid color chart” as an example

Google your keyword and look through the top-3 to 5 sites in Google. Try to understand the search intent.

• Run the search in Incognito mode.
• Set the region and language you are targeting in Google.

Choose the top 3-5 URLs.

Try to grasp the idea behind the content and find similarities. IF more or less similar articles pop up for the given keyword then you should write the same copy and do with more depth then competitors.

Action! Fill in the “Search Intent & Purpose of the article” section of the template.

If it is unclear from the first sight what people are looking for, it is worth checking comments on niche forums or Question&Answer sites. Try to put yourself into the boots of the person behind the screen.

Step 2. Determine Word Count for the Article

How many words should the article be?

1. choose the top-3 URLs from Google that in your opinion answer the query best.
2. copy the meaningful content for each URL, count the total number of words and divide by three
3. this will be the average number of words you need to write
4. increase or decrease this number if you feel like this is too much or not enough

Fill in the column “Word Count” in the template.

Step 3. Collect Main Keyword’s Variations

Simply steal them from Competitors via Ahrefs

• Paste one or two competing URL in Ahrefs (Site Explorer)
• Copy the relevant keywords with solid search volume

So in the case with “hid color chart” we have collected the following:

Step 4. Find Topic Defining Keywords (LSI)

Now you need to mine the closely related keywords. These words determine the relevance of the document to the targeted search query.

• Launch the Website Auditor program (free version)
• Analyze TF-IDF for one of the top-3 URLs from the Google
• Look through the Mutli and Single words that are associated with the topic
• Copy & Paste them into the LSI section of the template

PRO TIP! You can use the following TF-IDF online tools as alternatives to Website Auditor

https://www.seobility.net/en/tf-idf-keyword-tool/

https://tfidftool.com/

Step 5. Create the Structure of the Article

You have to create an outline of the article. Point out the subtopics that must be covered.

Dig a bit deeper:

1. Skim through the top-3 URLs from Google
2. Copy & paste competitors subheadings into the Article Structure section of the template
3. Check out Google suggestions and related searches for more ideas

• brightest hid color
• best hid color temperature
• headlight color temperature legal
• hid brightness chart
• hid headlights
• hid vs led
• 8000k hid
• hid kelvin chart

PRO TIP! Check out LSIGraph

Run the previously collected main keywords through the LSIGraph tool to generate a few more long-tail ideas. Often, people search for very specific things which might give you a hint on specific subtopics or angles for the article.

Step 4.1. Collect questions for the FAQ section

• Scrape questions from the “People also ask” section in Google

Copy & paste the best questions into the FAQ section (Article Structure)

• Collect Questions with AnswerThePublic

Useful Reading:

https://www.matthewwoodward.co.uk/seo/on-page/seo-copywriting/

https://backlinko.com/seo-copywriting