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Fill an SEO brief for one blog post, picking the right keyword

  • For Marketing and content
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

Fill the SEO brief for a blog post at Patchwork Payroll. Write a prompt for plain text with exactly these lines: "Primary keyword:", "Search intent:" (one of informational, commercial or transactional), "Title tag:" (60 characters or fewer), "Meta description:" (150 characters or fewer), and "Outline:" with 4 H2 headings separated by semicolons. Pick the keyword with the highest monthly searches among those that match the post's topic and intent.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Picking the biggest number. The AI chooses payroll software at 18,000 searches, the wrong intent. Try: Add: "Pick the highest-volume keyword that matches the post's topic and intent."
  • Overlong title and description. AI writes long titles and descriptions unless given a character cap. Try: Give both caps and ask for shorter targets, like title about 55 and description about 140.
  • Missing labels. The AI writes a narrative brief. Try: List the five labels in order.
  • Letting markdown through. AI adds bold text and headings by default. Try: Add: "Plain text only, no bold, no headings."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and often runs past a word limit. Try: Cap each part (for example "each line under 15 words") so the total lands well under the limit.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Lists the five labels
  • Defines the keyword rule
  • Gives character caps
  • Asks for four headings
  • Asks for plain text

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