Every creator secretly loves a solid brief. 

When they’re helpful, that is. 😂

Content briefs and SEO briefs are the real MVP of content creation because they guide creators on what to include and they help brands achieve their target goals. 

But these need to be tailored a certain way in order to be useful. And that takes time and strategy. 

In this guide, you’ll see what each of these briefs is, how they relate and differ, and when to use each one. We’ve also included handy checklists you can use to start preparing your content and SEO briefs this week! 

Let’s take a look. 👇

Highlights

• A content brief is a roadmap for storytelling, brand voice, and audience connection. It guides writers and designers on tone, format, and goals.

• An SEO brief is a technical, data-driven guide that focuses on keywords, SERP analysis, meta tags, and linking strategies to boost search rankings.

• Both briefs share common elements like CTAs, keyword usage, competitor insights, content metrics, and length or depth guidance.

• The key difference: Content briefs focus on message and creativity, while SEO briefs focus on visibility and optimization.

• Many teams use a hybrid approach. They blend storytelling with SEO to create content that engages people and ranks well.

What is a content brief?

A content brief is like a roadmap for making content. 

It tells writers, designers, or video creators:

1. What to make.
2. How to make it.
3. What message it should send. 

The focus is making sure the story fits the brand’s voice, connects with the audience, and works toward the content’s main goals. Social media creative agencies often rely on detailed content briefs to align teams, maintain consistency across campaigns, and ensure every piece of content supports the overall brand strategy.

Here’s a super simple content brief template you can reference:

(Image by Ioana)

What is an SEO brief?

An SEO brief is a technical, data-driven document focused on optimizing content for search engines. 

It may include:

1. Content structure guidelines. (May also include an SEO content outline.)
2. A linking strategy (required internal and external links).
3. On-page SEO elements (meta tags, headings).
4. A competitive analysis and SERP analysis.
5. Keywords pulled from keyword research.

The goal is to get the most organic visibility and ranking potential.

You can actually automate your SEO content briefs. This is great because the automation will include all of the technical data your content needs, based on your goals.

Here’s an example of SEO brief creation automation by Semrush:

(Image Source) 

Content brief vs SEO brief similarities and differences 

Here are the main similarities and differences when comparing content briefs vs. SEO briefs:

Content brief vs SEO brief similarities

Here’s what both briefs tend to cover:

• Calls to Action (CTA): Explicit guidance on how to nudge the reader or user forward. (Via a demo invite, free trial, discovery call, etc.)
• Length and depth guidance: Word count minimums and content in-depth specificity (this varies by funnel stage and content goals).
• On-page SEO elements: Both may mention meta data guidelines, a target keyword, and a title for the content.
• Content metrics: Both may list content marketing goals, such as attracting rankings or encouraging shareability.
• Competitor analysis: May explain tactics other competitors are using to optimize for the target keyword.
• Keyword usage: Content and SEO briefs may both include suggested keywords.
• Primary user: The name of the person or team that’s expected to use the brief.
• Core focus: A main goal for the content that’ll be created.

Content brief vs SEO brief differences

Here are the main differences between content briefs and SEO briefs:

Core focus — story vs search 

Content briefs prioritize messaging, storytelling, brand voice, audience journey, and what the piece should feel like and achieve. 

SEO briefs prioritize search visibility and ranking. This includes search intent, target keywords, meta tags, schema, SERP features, impressions, and CTR goals.

Primary user and workflow

Content briefs are written for writers, designers, and video teams who produce the creative work. 

SEO briefs are for SEO specialists, technical writers, SEO content writers, and developers who implement keyword strategy and technical tweaks.

Keyword approach

Content briefs suggest natural, semantic keywords to keep copy readable and on-brand. 

SEO briefs list exact-match keywords, keyword variations, LSI keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing keywords, placement rules, and sometimes density goals to target search queries.

Image Source

On-page and technical specs

Content briefs may note a headline or meta description angle for brand alignment. 

SEO briefs give precise instructions. For example, they might include: Title tags, header structure, schema markup, alt text, canonical tags, and an internal linking strategy.

Competitor analysis and metrics

Content briefs highlight thematic gaps and unique angles. 

SEO briefs dig into SERP feature analysis, keyword difficulty, top-ranking pages, backlink context, and set measurable ranking targets.

Here’s a very detailed example of an SEO competitor analysis by Moz. (Yours doesn’t have to be this intricate.)

(Image Source) 

Length and depth guidance

Content briefs focus on reader value and funnel stage when advising depth. 

SEO briefs often prescribe word counts and structural elements based on what ranks.

Calls to action (CTA)

Content briefs frame CTAs for brand/campaign goals. 

SEO briefs place CTAs to capture search-driven conversions and micro-conversions.

Tone and flexibility

Content briefs set the tone, voice, and creative direction. 

SEO briefs are more prescriptive and technical. (It’s a checklist you must hit for SEO performance.)

Chart that compares content briefs vs SEO briefs 

Here’s a handy chart you can reference to remember the differences between a content brief and an SEO brief. 👇

*Note: Not every brief will contain all of the data listed below. Brief data can vary depending on the publisher or content agency (or whoever’s) supplying them.

Content brief vs SEO brief: Key differences

When to use a content brief vs SEO brief

➜ Use a content brief when your focus is brand storytelling, thought leadership, or engagement that goes beyond search traffic. 

This type of brief is ideal if your audience includes non-technical stakeholders like PR, social, or sales teams who care more about voice and messaging than technical details.

Content briefs are also helpful for formats that require creativity and nuance, like blog posts or videos. They help you make sure every piece of content aligns with your brand tone and style guide, while still leaving room for some creative freedom.

Here’s a detailed example of a blog content brief by SODP:

(Image Source) 

➜ Use an SEO brief when your priority is driving organic search rankings and traffic through precise keyword targeting. 

This kind of brief is best for data-driven, competitive content. For example, product pages, blog posts, and service descriptions. It’s also very helpful for informational hubs where search visibility matters most. These include help centers and knowledge bases. 

SEO briefs also cover technical elements like on-page compliance, schema markup, and structured data. 

(They’re especially valuable when briefing writers who need exact keyword rules, densities, and SEO checklists to follow to get the best performance in search results.)

When to use a hybrid approach

Many organizations combine both brief types or use them sequentially.

For example, they might start with an SEO brief to define keywords, the competition, and technical needs. And then layer on a content brief for storytelling and brand tone.

Here’s a preview of what that might look like:

(Note that this is just to give you an idea — it’s not a comprehensive hybrid brief.)

(Image Source) 

This hybrid approach helps you create relevant content for your target audience and optimized for search engines.

Just make sure to coordinate with the right departments or team members to prevent conflicting instructions. 

You can also provide team members with two separate briefs. But again, make sure they complement each other. (Don’t have one target keyword on your SEO brief, and a title that targets a different term in your content brief.) 

➜ Both briefs should align on search intent, a target keyword, and a main content goal.

How to prepare content briefs and SEO briefs

The preparation process looks slightly different depending on whether you’re building a content brief or an SEO brief. 

Here’s how to write both kinds. 👇

How to prepare a content brief: A quick checklist for marketing teams

Start with your target audience. 

Define your buyer persona and explain what the piece should achieve (awareness, thought leadership, engagement, or conversion). 

Image Source

From there:

• Write down the core message and how it should fit your brand’s voice and tone.
• Add format guidance (blog post, whitepaper, video, landing page, or social media post).
• Set length and depth expectations based on funnel stage and content goals.
• Include the content outline with suggested headings or sections for flow.
• Note the calls to action (CTA) that connect the piece to your wider campaign goals.
• Provide any internal links to relevant pages and external references that should be cited.
• Flag metrics for success, such as engagement, shareability, or conversions.

Think of your content briefs as creative briefs for digital marketing. They guide content writers, freelance creators, and design teams to stay consistent with your brand voice, while giving them enough freedom for storytelling.

How to prepare an SEO brief

SEO briefs are more data-driven. 

Start with keyword research tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or AnswerThePublic to pull target keywords and related variations. 

Then:

• Define the primary keyword and any secondary or LSI keywords.
• Include a SERP analysis of top-ranking pages to show what competitors are doing.
• Outline on-page SEO elements: title tags, meta description, headings, and alt text.
• Add linking strategy instructions for internal and external links.
• Give a word count range based on competitive benchmarks.
• List any structured data or schema markup requirements.
• Identify the search intent (informational, transactional, or navigational) the piece must satisfy.
• Share SEO metrics to track performance, like impressions, CTR, or ranking movement.

Where content briefs leave room for creativity, SEO briefs act more like a technical checklist. They tell the marketer and strategist exactly what must be in place for the content to rank.

Wrap up 

Content briefs and SEO briefs both play a huge role in successful content marketing. One gives you clarity on brand voice and storytelling. The other helps you make sure your content shows up in search engine results pages. 

When you use them together, you create content that connects with your audience AND ranks in Google.

The key takeaway: Don’t choose between creativity and optimization. Build a process where your briefs complement each other so every content project leads to measurable results.

By the way …

👉 Want to speed up publishing once your briefs turn into full drafts? Try Wordable.

It lets you export content from Google Docs straight into your CMS, so it’s formatted, optimized, and ready to go. Saves hours each week!

GET STARTED WITH WORDABLE NOW.

FAQs: Content brief vs SEO brief for marketers & SEOs

What is the difference between a content brief and an SEO brief?

A content brief focuses on storytelling, tone, and audience engagement, while an SEO brief is centered on keyword optimization and technical search requirements.

Do I need both a content brief and an SEO brief?
Ideally yes. Combining both helps you make sure your content is engaging for readers and optimized for search engines. (The content marketing sweet spot.)

Can one document serve as both a content brief and an SEO brief?

Yes, one document can serve as both a content brief and an SEO brief. Just make sure to include clear sections to avoid confusion, and that both creative and technical needs are fully explained.

How detailed should an SEO brief be?

Your SEO brief should include precise keyword targeting, meta tags, content structure, and technical SEO instructions relevant to the content piece.

Can AI tools help create content briefs?

Yes. In fact, 27% of content marketers use AI tools to help streamline their content brief workflows (Source: Demandsage). Tools like Surfer and Frase are perfect for helping generate content and SEO briefs.

Who should write content briefs and SEO briefs?
Content strategists or marketers should write content briefs. SEO specialists or analysts should write SEO briefs. Sometimes there’s an overlap in roles. For example, an SEO content strategist has enough expertise and experience to prepare both types of briefs.

How does user intent factor into content and SEO briefs?
In content briefs, you address emotional and informational needs to line up with user intent. In SEO briefs, you focus on matching search intent types (informational, transactional, navigational). 

Can ignoring SEO briefs hurt my content’s performance?
Yes, ignoring SEO briefs can hurt your content’s performance. Content without SEO guidance often ranks poorly and gets less organic traffic. 

What tools can help create effective SEO briefs?
Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Clearscope can help you with keyword research and competitive analysis when preparing your SEO briefs.

How often should content and SEO briefs be updated?
Update your content and SEO briefs regularly — ideally after analyzing content performance and SEO trends. (You may need to refresh cornerstone content more often than other pieces to stay competitive in the SERPs.)
Should SEO briefs include competitor analysis?
Yes, SEO briefs should include competitor analyses. Your SEO briefs need to include competitor rankings, keyword gaps, and SERP features that inform your optimization strategy.