$28

Analyze top-ranking content

belt app run exa/search --input '{

"query": "project management tools small teams comparison guide"

}'

## Content Brief Template

Every brief should answer these questions before writing begins:

Content Brief: [Working Title]

Target

• Primary keyword: [exact keyword]

• Secondary keywords: [3-5 related terms]

• Search intent: [informational / commercial / transactional / navigational]

• Target word count: [X,XXX words]

• Target URL: /blog/[slug]

Search Intent Analysis

• What is the searcher trying to accomplish?

• What format do top results use? (listicle, guide, comparison, tutorial)

• What questions need answering?

Outline

H1: [Title with primary keyword]

H2: [Section 1]

H3: [Subsection]

H2: [Section 2]

...

Competitors to Beat

1. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]

1. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]

1. [URL] — [word count] — [what they do well] — [gap/weakness]

Unique Angle

What makes this piece different/better than what already ranks?

Internal Links

• Link TO: [existing pages to link to from this article]

• Link FROM: [existing pages that should link to this new article]

## Search Intent Types

Intent
What Searcher Wants
Content Format
Example Query

**Informational**
Learn something
Guide, tutorial, explainer
"what is CI/CD"

**Commercial**
Compare before buying
Comparison, listicle, review
"best CI/CD tools 2024"

**Transactional**
Buy/sign up
Product page, pricing page
"GitHub Actions pricing"

**Navigational**
Find a specific page
— (don't target these)
"GitHub login"

**Match format to intent.** If top 10 results are all listicles, write a listicle. If they're all tutorials, write a tutorial. Fighting the SERP format loses.

## SERP Analysis Process

Step 1: See what currently ranks

belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{

"query": "[your target keyword]"

}'

Step 2: Analyze top-ranking content

belt app run tavily/extract --input '{

"urls": ["https://top-result-1.com/article", "https://top-result-2.com/article"]

}'

Step 3: Find related questions (People Also Ask)

belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{

"query": "[keyword] questions people ask FAQ"

}'

Step 4: Find content gaps

belt app run exa/search --input '{

"query": "[keyword] [subtopic competitors miss]"

}'

### What to Extract from Top Results

Data Point
Why

**Word count**
Sets your minimum (match or exceed top 3)

**Heading structure**
Shows what Google considers complete coverage

**Topics covered**
Every topic they cover, you must cover

**Topics missed**
Your opportunity to be more comprehensive

**Content format**
Listicle, guide, tutorial, comparison

**Media used**
Images, videos, tables, infographics

**Internal/external links**
Reference quality signals

## Keyword Research

### Keyword Metrics

Metric
What It Means
Target

**Search volume**
Monthly searches
Depends on niche (100+ for long-tail)

**Keyword difficulty**
Competition level
< 30 for new sites, < 50 for established

**CPC**
What advertisers pay
Higher CPC = more commercial value

**Search intent**
What users want
Must match your content type

### Finding Keywords

Seed keyword research

belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{

"query": "project management software long tail keywords related searches"

}'

Find question-based keywords

belt app run exa/search --input '{

"query": "questions about project management tools for startups"

}'

Competitor keyword analysis

belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{

"query": "site:competitor.com/blog top performing pages topics"

}'

### Keyword Clustering

Group related keywords into one piece of content:

Primary: "best project management tools for small teams"

Cluster:

- "project management software small business"

- "project management tools comparison"

- "simple project management app"

- "project management for startups"

- "affordable project management software"

**One page per keyword cluster.** Don't create separate pages for each variation — that's keyword cannibalization.

## Heading Structure

### Rules

Rule
Why

One H1 per page
SEO standard, contains primary keyword

H2s = main sections
Each should target a secondary keyword or question

H3s = subsections
Break up long H2 sections

Primary keyword in H1
Direct ranking signal

Secondary keywords in H2s
Topical coverage signal

Question format for some H2s
Targets "People Also Ask"

Logical hierarchy
Never skip levels (H1 → H3 without H2)

### Example Structure

H1: Best Project Management Tools for Small Teams (2025)

H2: How We Evaluated These Tools

H2: Top 10 Project Management Tools Compared

H3: 1. Tool A — Best for [use case]

H3: 2. Tool B — Best for [use case]

...

H2: Feature Comparison Table

H2: How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Team

H3: Team Size Considerations

H3: Budget Considerations

H2: Frequently Asked Questions

H3: What is the easiest project management tool?

H3: Do small teams need project management software?

H2: Conclusion

## Word Count Targets

Content Type
Word Count
When

Short-form blog
800-1,200
News, updates, opinions

Standard blog
1,500-2,000
How-tos, tutorials

Long-form guide
2,500-4,000
Comprehensive guides, comparisons

Pillar content
4,000-7,000
Definitive guides, hub pages

Glossary/definition
300-800
Quick reference terms

**Rule: match or exceed the average word count of the top 3 ranking results.** Don't pad — every word should add value.

## On-Page SEO Checklist

Element
Rule

**Title tag**
Primary keyword + compelling hook, 50-60 characters

**Meta description**
Includes keyword, 150-160 characters, includes CTA

**URL slug**
Short, keyword-rich: `/best-project-management-tools`

**H1**
Primary keyword, matches search intent

**First 100 words**
Include primary keyword naturally

**Image alt text**
Descriptive, includes keyword where natural

**Internal links**
3-5 links to related content

**External links**
2-3 authoritative sources

**Schema markup**
FAQ, HowTo, or Article schema where applicable

## Content Differentiation

### Unique Angles

Angle
Example

**Original data**
"We surveyed 500 PMs — here's what they use"

**Expert quotes**
Interview practitioners for original insights

**Real examples**
Screenshots, case studies, not just descriptions

**More comprehensive**
Cover subtopics competitors skip

**More current**
Updated data, newer tools, recent changes

**Better visuals**
Comparison tables, infographics, decision trees

Generate comparison infographic

belt app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{

"html": "<div style=\"width:1200px;height:800px;background:white;padding:40px;font-family:system-ui\"><h2 style=\"font-size:28px;color:#1e293b;text-align:center;margin-bottom:30px\">Project Management Tools Comparison</h2><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:16px\"><tr style=\"background:#f1f5f9\"><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:left;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Feature</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool A</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool B</th><th style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid #cbd5e1\">Tool C</th></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">Free tier</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">✅</td><td style=\"padding:12px;text-align:center;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e8f0\">❌</td></tr></table></div>"

}'

## Internal Linking Strategy

Type
Purpose

**Hub → Spoke**
Pillar page links to all subtopic articles

**Spoke → Hub**
Subtopic articles link back to pillar page

**Spoke → Spoke**
Related articles cross-link to each other

**Contextual**
Natural in-text links where topic is mentioned

### Rules

- 3-5 internal links minimum per article

- Anchor text should be descriptive (not "click here")

- Link to relevant pages, not random ones

- Update old articles to link to new ones

- Most important pages should have the most internal links

## Common Mistakes

Mistake
Problem
Fix

No SERP analysis
Writing blind, wrong format
Always analyze top 3-5 before writing

Wrong intent match
Guide when they want comparison, or vice versa
Match SERP format exactly

Keyword stuffing
Penalized, reads poorly
Use naturally, 1-2% density max

Ignoring "People Also Ask"
Missing easy ranking opportunities
Answer PAA questions in your content

Too short
Can't compete with comprehensive results
Match or exceed top 3 word count

No unique angle
Just another "me too" article
Original data, expert quotes, better visuals

Keyword cannibalization
Multiple pages competing
One page per keyword cluster

No internal links
Wasted link equity, poor site structure
3-5 internal links per article

Missing meta description
Google generates one (often poorly)
Write compelling meta with keyword + CTA

## Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@technical-blog-writing

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@web-search