Free Workbook · Updated 2026-10

SEO Content Writing Workbook

The 10 modules of the 90-minute course as fill-in steps, checklists and templates. One page you can rank, get quoted by AI, and sell with.

Every module of the SEO content writing course, turned into something you fill in. Work through it with one page in mind and you finish with a brief, a draft and a 30-day plan.

For: Founders and small teams who write their own website content and want pages that rank, get cited by AI answers and turn readers into customers.

Module 0: What makes content worth ranking · 6
Module 1: Choose topics buyers search · 4
Module 2: Match search intent every time · 5
Module 3: Plan with a 5-box brief · 1
Module 4: Write the answer first · 2
Module 5: Structure pages people and AI can scan · 6
Module 6: Make pages persuade (the value equation) · 1
Module 7: Edit out the robot voice · 6
Module 8: Refresh old pages that almost rank · 5
Module 9: Your 30-day content plan · 4

How to use it

Watch the course with this open. Do each module's exercise before the next video chapter.
Use one real page from your site the whole way through. Don't practise on a fake topic.
Keep the 5-box brief and the edit checklist. You'll reuse them for every page.

Module 0: What makes content worth ranking

Google's own test for helpful content is a list of questions. These are the ones that matter most for a small business page, paraphrased from Google Search Central.

Someone who landed straight on this page would find it useful, even without Google sending them.
Google calls this people-first content: made to help a reader, not to attract search visits.
The page adds something real: your prices, your process, your examples or your first-hand experience.
Google asks whether content adds value beyond rewording other sources.
The title describes the page honestly. No hype, no shock.
Google lists 'avoiding exaggerated or shocking' titles as a quality question.
It is clear who wrote it and why they know the subject (byline, About page).
The 'Who' part of Google's Who, How and Why guidance.
You are not padding to hit a word count.
Google says plainly it has no preferred word count.
If you used AI to help, a human checked every fact and the page would still exist without search traffic.
Google says AI use isn't disqualifying, but using automation mainly to manipulate rankings breaks its spam policies.

Module 1: Choose topics buyers search

Write about the questions buyers ask before they pay, not company news.

List 20 real questions
Pull them from sales calls, support emails, reviews of competitors and your own inbox. Write them the way customers said them.
Check the words people type
Put each question into Google. Note the autocomplete suggestions and the People also ask box. Those are the phrases to use in headings.
Score each one 1 to 3 for buying intent
3 = asked right before buying (prices, comparisons, 'near me', 'best X for Y'). 1 = curiosity. Start with the 3s.
Pick one topic for this workbook
Choose the highest-intent question you can answer better than the current top results.

Module 2: Match search intent every time

Google the keyword and look at what already ranks. The results show you what kind of page Google thinks people want.

If the top results are mostly…	Intent	Write this kind of page
Definitions, guides, how-tos	Learn	An answer-first guide with steps and examples
'Best X' lists and comparisons	Compare	An honest comparison with a table and 'pick this if…'
Product, pricing or service pages	Buy	A service or product page with price, proof and a clear next step
Map pack and local listings	Local	A location or service-area page plus a strong Google Business Profile
One brand's homepage or login	Go to a site	Don't target it, unless it's your brand

Module 3: Plan with a 5-box brief

5-box content brief

1. QUESTION: What exact question does this page answer? (in the buyer's words)
   ________________________________
2. READER: Who is searching, and what have they already tried?
   ________________________________
3. ANSWER: The answer in two sentences.
   ________________________________
4. PROOF: What only we can add (prices, process, examples, numbers, photos, quotes from our team).
   ________________________________
5. NEXT STEP: What should the reader do after reading? (one action)
   ________________________________

Headings (from People also ask and customer questions):
- 
- 
-

If box 4 is empty, don't write the page yet. That's the box that makes you different from every other result.

Module 4: Write the answer first

Answer-first opening

[Direct answer to the question in one or two sentences, with the key number or fact.]

[Who this applies to, and the main exception.]

[One line on what the rest of the page covers: the steps, the prices, the mistakes.]

Read only your first two sentences. If a buyer would stop there satisfied, you did it right.

Example

A basic bookkeeping package for a small business usually costs [your real range] per month with us. The price depends on how many transactions you have and whether you need payroll.

Below: what's included at each level, what pushes the price up, and how to tell if you need a bookkeeper yet.

Use your real prices. A made-up 'typical' range is worse than none.

Module 5: Structure pages people and AI can scan

Google says there are no special tricks for AI Overviews or AI Mode: the same SEO basics apply, including keeping key content in text and making it findable. These checks follow that.

Each H2 is a question or a clear claim a reader might search for.
Headings from People also ask match the words people use. (Practical advice.)
The first sentence under each heading answers it directly.
Self-contained answers are easy for readers and AI systems to lift out. (Hypothesis: widely reported, not confirmed by Google.)
Prices, steps and comparisons are in real text, lists or tables, not images.
Google advises keeping important content available in text form.
Specific facts beat adjectives: numbers, names, dates, examples.
Vague pages give nothing to quote or trust.
The page links to and from related pages on your site.
Google lists making content findable through internal links as a basic for AI features too.
Any structured data matches what's visible on the page.
Google's structured data guidelines and AI features guidance both say this.

Module 6: Make pages persuade (the value equation)

Paraphrased from Alex Hormozi's $100M Offers: value goes up with the dream outcome and how likely the buyer thinks it is; it goes down with time delay and effort. Fill in each line for your page.

Value equation worksheet

DREAM OUTCOME — what the buyer really wants (in their words):
________________________________
LIKELIHOOD — proof it will work for them (reviews, case details, guarantee, numbers):
________________________________
TIME — how fast they see the first result:
________________________________
EFFORT — what you do for them so they don't have to:
________________________________

Now put one line of each into the page: outcome in the H1 or intro, proof near the price, time and effort next to the call to action.

Only claim proof you have. A real review with a first name beats a vague '100s of happy customers'.

Module 7: Edit out the robot voice

Cut openers like 'In today's digital landscape', 'Let's dive in', 'In conclusion'.
Readers spot them instantly and stop trusting the page.
Replace 'robust', 'seamless', 'game-changer', 'unlock' with what the thing actually does.
Plain words are clearer and sound like a person.
Read it out loud. If you wouldn't say a sentence to a customer, rewrite it.
The fastest voice test there is.
Mix short and long sentences. Break paragraphs over four lines.
Easier to scan on a phone.
Check every number, price and claim against a source or your own records.
One wrong fact undoes the trust the rest of the page built.
Remove sections that just repeat the one above.
Summaries of summaries add length, not value.

Module 8: Refresh old pages that almost rank

Find pages on page 2
In Search Console, go to Performance > Search results, tick Average position, open the Pages tab and look for pages with lots of impressions and an average position around 8 to 20.
See which searches they show for
Click the page, then the Queries tab. Note the queries the page doesn't answer clearly yet.
Add the missing answers
Add a section or FAQ for those queries, update prices, dates and examples, and improve the first two sentences.
Update the date only if you changed the content
Change the visible 'updated' date and dateModified only after a real update.
Check again in 4 weeks
Compare clicks and position for the same date range length. One page at a time so you know what worked.

Module 9: Your 30-day content plan

Week	Do this	Done when
Week 1	Fill the 5-box brief for your top 4 buyer questions	4 briefs with box 4 (proof) filled
Week 2	Write and publish the highest-intent page	Live, linked from your homepage or a service page
Week 3	Write and publish page 2, refresh one page-2 page from Module 8	2 changes live
Week 4	Publish pages 3 and 4, link all four to each other where it helps the reader	4 new pages + 1 refresh, internal links added

Unlock the full workbook

Everything above, plus the branded PDF to keep.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long should an SEO article be?

As long as it takes to answer the question well. Google says it has no preferred word count and warns against writing to a length.

Can I use AI to write SEO content?

Google says AI or automation is not against its guidelines by itself. Using it mainly to manipulate rankings is spam. Check every fact and add what only you know.

Do I need special formatting to show up in AI Overviews?

Google says no: there are no extra requirements or special optimizations. The page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet, and normal SEO basics apply.

What is search intent?

The reason behind a search: to learn, compare, buy, find a local place or go to a specific site. The fastest way to see it is to Google the keyword and look at what kind of pages rank.