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Gather Requirements
Confirm or ask for:
### Content Requirements
**Primary Keyword**: [main keyword]
**Secondary Keywords**: [2-5 related keywords]
**Target Word Count**: [length]
**Content Type**: [blog/guide/landing page/etc.]
**Target Audience**: [who is this for]
**Search Intent**: [informational/commercial/transactional]
**Tone**: [professional/casual/technical/friendly]
**CTA Goal**: [what action should readers take]
**Competitor URLs**: [top ranking content to beat]
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Load CORE-EEAT Quality Constraints
Before writing, load content quality standards from the CORE-EEAT Benchmark:
### CORE-EEAT Pre-Write Checklist
**Content Type**: [identified from requirements above]
**Loaded Constraints** (high-weight items for this content type):
Apply these standards while writing:
| ID | Standard | How to Apply |
|----|----------|-------------|
| C01 | Intent Alignment | Title promise must match content delivery |
| C02 | Direct Answer | Core answer in first 150 words |
| C06 | Audience Targeting | State "this article is for..." |
| C10 | Semantic Closure | Conclusion answers opening question + next steps |
| O01 | Heading Hierarchy | H1→H2→H3, no level skipping |
| O02 | Summary Box | Include TL;DR or Key Takeaways |
| O06 | Section Chunking | Each section single topic; paragraphs 3–5 sentences |
| O09 | Information Density | No filler; consistent terminology |
| R01 | Data Precision | ≥5 precise numbers with units |
| R02 | Citation Density | ≥1 external citation per 500 words |
| R04 | Evidence-Claim Mapping | Every claim backed by evidence |
| R07 | Entity Precision | Full names for people/orgs/products |
| C03 | Query Coverage | Cover ≥3 query variants (synonyms, long-tail) |
| O08 | Anchor Navigation | Table of contents with jump links |
| O10 | Multimedia Structure | Images/videos have captions and carry information |
| E07 | Practical Tools | Include downloadable templates, checklists, or calculators |
_These 16 items apply across all content types. For content-type-specific dimension weights, see the Content-Type Weight Table in [core-eeat-benchmark.md](../../references/core-eeat-benchmark.md)._
_Full 80-item benchmark: [references/core-eeat-benchmark.md](../../references/core-eeat-benchmark.md)_
_For complete content quality audit: use [content-quality-auditor](../../cross-cutting/content-quality-auditor/)_
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Research and Plan
Before writing:
### Content Research
**SERP Analysis**:
- Top results format: [what's ranking]
- Average word count: [X] words
- Common sections: [list]
- SERP features: [snippets, PAA, etc.]
**Keyword Map**:
- Primary: [keyword] - use in title, H1, intro, conclusion
- Secondary: [keywords] - use in H2s, body paragraphs
- LSI/Related: [terms] - sprinkle naturally throughout
- Questions: [PAA questions] - use as H2/H3s or FAQ
**Content Angle**:
[What unique perspective or value will this content provide?]
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Create Optimized Title
### Title Optimization
**Requirements**:
- Include primary keyword (preferably at start)
- Under 60 characters for full SERP display
- Compelling and click-worthy
- Match search intent
**Title Options**:
1. [Title option 1] ([X] chars)
- Keyword position: [front/middle]
- Power words: [list]
2. [Title option 2] ([X] chars)
- Keyword position: [front/middle]
- Power words: [list]
**Recommended**: [Best option with reasoning]
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Write Meta Description
### Meta Description
**Requirements**:
- 150-160 characters
- Include primary keyword naturally
- Include call-to-action
- Compelling and specific
**Meta Description**:
"[Description text]" ([X] characters)
**Elements included**:
- ✅ Primary keyword
- ✅ Value proposition
- ✅ CTA or curiosity hook
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Structure Content and Write
Structure: H1 (primary keyword, one per page) > Introduction (100-150 words, hook + promise + keyword in first 100 words) > H2 sections (secondary keywords/questions) > H3 sub-topics > FAQ section > Conclusion (summary + keyword + CTA).
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Apply On-Page SEO Best Practices
Follow the on-page SEO checklist (keyword placement, content quality, readability, technical elements) and the content writing template (H1 with keyword, hook, sections with H2/H3, FAQ, conclusion with CTA).
Reference: See references/seo-writing-checklist.md for the full on-page SEO checklist, content writing template, and featured snippet optimization patterns.
Key requirements while writing:
- Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words, at least one H2, and conclusion
- Paragraphs of 3-5 sentences; varied sentence length; bullet points and bold key phrases
- Internal links (2-5) and external authoritative links (2-3)
- FAQ section with 40-60 word answers for featured snippet opportunity
- Optimize for definition, list, table, and how-to snippets where applicable
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Add Internal/External Links
### Link Recommendations
**Internal Links** (include 2-5):
1. "[anchor text]" → [/your-page-url] (relevant because: [reason])
2. "[anchor text]" → [/your-page-url] (relevant because: [reason])
**External Links** (include 2-3 authoritative sources):
1. "[anchor text]" → [authoritative-source.com] (supports: [claim])
2. "[anchor text]" → [authoritative-source.com] (supports: [claim])
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Final SEO Review and CORE-EEAT Self-Check
Score content across 10 SEO factors (title, meta description, H1, keyword placement, H2s, internal links, external links, FAQ, readability, word count) and produce an Overall SEO Score out of 10.
Then verify the 16 CORE-EEAT pre-write constraints (C01, C02, C06, C10, O01, O02, O06, O09, R01, R02, R04, R07, C03, O08, O10, E07) with pass/warning/fail status. List items needing attention.
For full 80-item audit, use content-quality-auditor
