The SEO content brief: AI for the research, you for the writing

When writing SEO content briefs, I am of the belief that the research should be done entirely by AI, but not at the press of a button or with generators.

The process should involve clear steps that allow the briefer to gain a clear understanding of the search volumes, the types of content that are already out there, searcher intent, regional differences, and how the structure should be laid out.

So while AI is used to generate most of these insights, the process should still require a person with knowledge in the area to create the brief, which would then be forwarded to a professional copywriter to create something that is truly unique.

What an SEO content brief is (and what it isn't)

An SEO content brief should provide a clear outline for a copywriter to follow in order to write a piece of content that has a high potential of being able to rank in search engines for the long term.

The content brief shouldn't be overly detailed, but should include the most important elements to give the copywriter confidence that what they will be developing is aligned with your expectations.

An SEO content brief shouldn't be an article in itself and shouldn't provide unnecessary information for the writer. It should be straight to the point and generated in a way that isn't too time-consuming for the briefer, who is utilising the copywriter for quality and efficiency purposes.

Why AI belongs in the research, not the draft

Google is clear regarding their stance on using AI to generate content with the primary purpose of manipulating rankings in search results. Taking this approach is a violation of their spam policies and can result in a manual action.

My biggest issue with using AI to generate the content of an article itself is that it is only recycling information that is already available on the web. I want to utilise the insights from the articles that are always out there, but I want to ultimately be contributing something valuable and unique.

Which AI model is best for SEO content briefs?

A major advantage of using SERP Lens is that the latest AI models are always at your fingertips. We offer a constant integration of frontier models across Google, Xai, Anthropic, and OpenAI that you can easily access with your subscription.

All you need to do is create a SERP Lens 'Pro' subscription in order to access the latest AI models for SEO content brief creation, with complimentary AI credits being provided each month that you can utilise.

To access the AI panel in SERP Lens, simply click the 'Ask AI' button in the top right-hand corner of the application, click on the default model being used (Claude Opus 5 (Fast) in this instance, select 'Model', and then change your default AI model if you would like to do so.

What goes into the brief

Utilising MCPs (Model Context Protocols) is the ultimate way to develop SEO content briefs with AI in 2026. To develop your own content briefs, you will need the following tools to connect with SERP Lens for live data:

• Google Search Console
• Ahrefs or Semrush (having both is preferred)
• Linear or Notion
• SERP Lens 'Pro' account

With Ahrefs or Semrush, and Linear or Notion, each can be accessed through the MCP integration in SERP Lens once you have accounts that are set up. In contrast, Google Search Console is integrated directly within the browser settings of SERP Lens.

How to build the brief with SERP Lens — step by step

1. Set up your data sources

Once you have access to a SERP Lens 'Pro' account, you'll be able to set up your data sources. Here's how to go about connecting each to your account, so you can access everything together.

• Google Search Console

The integration of Google Search Console is completed by selecting Settings > Integrations > Add account.

This will allow you to make a one-time connection to any properties that have domains connected to them, allowing the data to be accessible within SERP Lens across multiple reporting surfaces.

• SEO Tools (Semrush and Ahrefs)

Connecting MCPs into SERP Lens is very simple. Here's how you can do it in 3 easy steps:

1. Type '/' into the AI panel and select 'Add MCP'
2. Select 'Remote server' from the options and fill out the relevant information (Name, Server URL, then authenticate the connection). For example, the server URL for Semrush is: https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp and Ahrefs is: https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp.
3. Ensure the connection is shown as green, with the count of tools that are accessible alongside it

• Writing Tool (Linear or Notion)

Follow the same instructions to integrate MCPs for your project management and writing tools. The server URL for Linear is: https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and the server URL for Notion is: https://mcp.notion.com/mcp. Here's what they will all look like once enabled in SERP Lens:

2. Size the demand

When figuring out the search volume behind the top queries, you can choose between using either Ahrefs or Semrush. My preference is to use both data sources and compare them across different query variations.

For instance, I wanted to understand the search volume for all query variations that include "content brief" and "seo" in them. I was able to generate this comparison in an instant using the AI panel and MCP integration:

As a comparison, I also wanted to understand what the search volume would be like if I were to include the query variation for "ai" alongside "content brief" and "seo". While the search volume was considerably lower, I can at least see how the datasets compared across Semrush and Ahrefs MCPs:

This step is crucial for understanding the potential opportunity of the content that you are creating a brief for, and is much faster than filtering through a tool dashboard to gather the insights. It is also worthwhile noting that you will want to incorporate your Google Search Console integration into this analysis if you already have content that potentially overlaps with the new page you're briefing for, or if the brief exercise is related to a content refresh piece.

3. Read the intent from the live SERP

A major benefit of using SERP Lens for searcher intent analysis is that it is based on live SERP data, rather than the latest index from a tool (which can often be delayed by days or weeks).

For example, the query "seo content brief" is a largely informational intent search query based on our data, with 90% of results that rank on page #1 for the query in the US having this intent.

This is important information for when deciding the correct content format to use when briefing a copywriter for a new page that will be created. Because all data within SERP Lens is connected to the AI panel, you can simply ask the browser to conduct a live search for the top queries that you'll be targeting and then ask it to summarise the insights.

4. Analyse the top-ranking pages

An important step in the briefing process is analysing the content that is currently ranking in search results across the structure, length, and what makes each piece of content unique.

This is a perfect application of AI for the content briefing process for SEO, where AI can complete this analysis in an instant, rather than trying to do it manually, which would not be a good use of the person developing the brief.

5. Decide the angle and title

Personally, I like to ask AI to assist with the title generation for the article based on its understanding of the brief I have been working on; then I will take the best ideas that make the most sense for my article and then piece together a new title that suits my needs.

The results from my briefing process outlined that the words "generator" and "tool" weren't going to suffice for the title of contents of the post, as the searcher intent was drastically different for these query variations. I instead went in on the aspect that makes my post unique – the fact that AI should be used for the research, and a professional copywriter is used for writing the piece.

6. Assemble the brief

At SERP Lens, we use Linear for project management and planning out content for our website. So it is our tool of choice for connecting their external MCP to our application. The primary step involved in this process is creating a task for the blog article creation, and then developing the sub-tasks in advance.

Within Linear, the tasks have clear labels attached to them e.g. MAR-58 for the Keyword Research section that allow you to send all relevant data into Linear by instructing the AI agent to do so. Each task should be filled with insights that can then be passed on to your copywriter in a content brief template for SEO similar to the below:

Once all of the information has been gathered, the insights spanning across the Intent Analysis, Keyword Research, Content Structure, and Title Workshopping should be plenty of information for your copywriter to get started on the writing process.

Common mistakes

The biggest mistake that I see with using AI to create content briefs for SEO is relying on a generator tool to do all of the work for you. For a brief to be useful, there must be review of the data as you work through it, rather than inputting keywords and hoping that the AI tool comes up with accurate insights.

The AI content brief is only as good as the data that goes into it. This is why we have developed SERP Lens, allowing for the live analysis of websites and search results in a structured way, alongside the development of our Content Brief SEO Skill within the browser, which allows for powerful output when combined with MCPs.

FAQs

How long should the AI content briefing process take?

Depending on the content you're developing, I wouldn't advise taking longer than 20 minutes for the briefing process. By following the process outlined in this article, the brief will be rich with information without spending an unnecessary amount of time generating the brief.

Should you use AI to help with proofreading and editing of content?

Personally, I tend to avoid using AI for proofreading, and instead rely on a free Grammarly extension to ensure that spelling and grammar are in order. In terms of editing content with AI, I am of the opinion that you should first publish completely non-AI-written content, see how users and search engines react, and then roll out edits by following a similar process to what this guide entails, while allowing the AI to rewrite your own words for greater clarity at a later date.

Why shouldn't I just use AI to create the content itself?

Solely relying on AI takes out the human touch in content creation, and users tend to be aware that content is AI-written if they are familiar with a topic already, as it will be offering no new insights into a topic. However, AI can provide significant assistance in the content briefing process for SEO purposes, and is a tool that I highly advise my clients and colleagues to use to assist with the research phase.