CONTENT PLANNING GUIDE
SEO content planning connects a business goal, a reader’s question and a useful destination page. Assign a clear purpose to each page, prepare the facts and review the brief before writing. The worked map and two article briefs below show how to do this for a fictional ecommerce client.
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A plan you can actually brief
Record the reader, main phrase, page type, verified facts, internal link and review owner. A keyword list becomes useful when someone can see what to create and why.
Start with the client’s goal and existing pages
Agree what the content should help people do: choose a suitable product, understand a service or request a consultation. Inventory existing pages before proposing another URL. Improve a useful existing page when it already answers the intended question.
For this fictional Example Home campaign, the goal is to help shoppers choose a planter and find the relevant ceramic planter range. The store already has a collection and a product page. The plan adds two genuinely different guides, rather than repeating the product description in several articles.
Match the search question to the right destination
Review the current results for the target country and query. Note whether people are being served products, collections, tutorials or comparisons, and whether the existing client page can meet that need. Search volume can help prioritise; it does not establish relevance or organic ranking difficulty.
Collection intent
A shopper browsing ceramic planters needs a range, useful filters and clear product choices. A category or collection page is the likely starting point.
Product intent
A shopper looking for a particular Larch planter needs verified dimensions, included items, price and availability on its product page.
Learning intent
Someone asking how to choose a planter size needs a measuring explanation. An article can answer that question and link to the relevant range.
Use one main phrase as the planning label for each page. Closely related phrases can belong to the same page when they serve the same reader need. Do not create a separate URL for every wording variation. Ahrefs explains keyword intent and page selection.
A sample campaign content map
This is an editorial mockup. The store, routes and keyword targets are illustrative, not researched search-volume figures or real client rankings. Each entry has a distinct job and an onward destination.
Ceramic planter collection
Main phrase: ceramic planters. Route: /collections/ceramic-planters/. Purpose: help shoppers compare the range. Action: improve existing selection information before linking articles to it.
Larch product page
Main phrase: Larch ceramic planter with saucer. Route: /products/larch-ceramic-planter-saucer/. Purpose: describe the specific item. Action: verify internal dimensions and approve the product facts.
Guide 1: how to choose a planter size → /blog/choose-planter-size/. Help a reader compare a nursery pot with a decorative planter’s internal measurements. Link to the ceramic planter collection and to the product’s measurement section where relevant.
Guide 2: planter with saucer → /blog/planter-with-saucer-guide/. Explain how to check whether a product includes a drainage hole and matching saucer, and what specifications to confirm before buying. Link to suitable products without inventing plant-care advice.
Ownership rule: the collection owns the broad range query; the product owns the named item; the articles own their separate buying questions. Recheck this map against actual search intent before commissioning real content.
Completed article brief 1: choosing a planter size
Reader: a shopper choosing a decorative planter for an existing nursery pot. Main phrase: how to choose a planter size. Working title: How to choose a planter size: measure before you buy. Goal: help the reader identify the measurements needed to check fit, then explore the relevant range.
Opening answer: compare the nursery pot’s external width and height with the decorative planter’s usable internal dimensions. An outside product diameter alone cannot establish fit.
Outline: 1. Identify the pot and planter arrangement. 2. Measure the nursery pot at its widest point and its height. 3. Check the planter’s internal dimensions, taper and opening. 4. Confirm how the saucer and drainage arrangement affect the intended setup. 5. Use verified product measurements to shortlist options.
Source pack: owner-approved product specifications, labelled measurement photographs and any relevant manufacturer instructions. Fictional Larch facts available: sage green ceramic, 18 cm outside diameter, drainage hole and saucer. Internal width and height are missing and must be requested.
Original example: show an annotated measurement diagram without a fabricated fit recommendation. State which measurement is outside and which must be supplied internally.
Links and action: link to the ceramic planter collection and its dimension guidance; invite readers to check the specification or ask the store about missing measurements. Do not link every paragraph to the same product.
Review owner and checks: product owner confirms measurements and images; editor checks clarity, source accuracy, image alt text, mobile layout and a single H1. Publication stays blocked until the missing specifications have been supplied.
Completed article brief 2: checking a planter and saucer
Reader: a shopper comparing planter sets and trying to understand what is included. Main phrase: planter with saucer. Working title: Buying a planter with a saucer: details to check. Goal: explain the product questions that need a reliable answer before ordering.
Opening answer: check whether the listing includes a matching saucer, whether the planter has a drainage hole and what dimensions are stated for each part. A photo alone does not establish the full specification.
Outline: 1. Identify the included pieces. 2. Check the drainage specification. 3. Compare planter and saucer measurements. 4. Read the manufacturer’s surface-use and care instructions. 5. Use the product listing or contact the shop to resolve missing details.
Source pack: approved list of included items, dimensions for both pieces, clear photographs and manufacturer instructions. For fictional Larch, the drainage hole and matching saucer are stated; saucer dimensions and surface-care guidance are not.
Original example: annotate a fictional listing with “confirmed”, “not supplied” and “ask before buying”. Do not claim the set protects every surface or suits all plant-care routines.
Links and action: link to the relevant collection and a verified product example. Ask readers to compare specifications or contact the shop before ordering when an important detail is missing.
Review owner and checks: owner verifies the included items and instructions; editor checks that this article answers a different question from the sizing guide. No invented waterproof, outdoor or plant-health claims. Publish only after the outstanding product guidance is resolved.
Turn the map into a realistic publishing sequence
Fix the destination pages and missing facts first. Then brief, draft, review and publish one useful article at a time. Put the next owner and required evidence beside each task so the plan does not depend on a vague instruction to write more content.
For the example: approve collection information → obtain product measurements → write and review the sizing guide → confirm saucer guidance → write and review the second guide. Keep one review checkpoint before each live change.
Measure consistent periods after publication. Use search queries, relevant clicks and agreed business actions to decide whether the article serves its intended purpose. A new article is not automatically a successful article. The SEO report template helps record the evidence and next action.
Use Seller’s Bay for planning and reviewed article preparation
Inside a campaign, Seller’s Bay supports topic planning, article outlines, draft preparation and saved articles. Review the topic and brief, edit the draft and use the available SEO helpers before delivery. This is not a claim that the app automatically clusters an arbitrary uploaded keyword list.
A connected WordPress workflow can send approved article content as a draft. Check and publish it in WordPress separately. Keep the source facts and editor’s decision with the work; an AI-prepared draft still needs review. See the SEO content workflow and which SEO tasks to automate and review.
Google’s people-first content guidance is a useful review standard: answer the reader’s need with original, trustworthy information. Sources and app guide reviewed 5 October 2026.
Questions, answered.
What should an SEO content plan include?
Include the reader’s need, business goal, destination page, main phrase, verified source facts, outline, useful internal links, review owner and a practical next action.
Does every keyword need a separate article?
No. Different wordings can serve the same intent on one page. Create another page when it has a distinct useful purpose, and review existing pages before adding a new URL.
Is topic planning the same as keyword clustering?
No. Topic suggestions help plan content. A keyword clustering tool would need to accept and group keyword inputs using a demonstrated method. This example uses an editorial map.
Should the fictional targets here become my own keyword list?
Use the structure, not the assumed demand. Research the actual country, query and customer need before applying a phrase to a real business.
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