How to Create a Content Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide

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What Is a Content Outline?

A contented outline is simply a archive that specifications what an article should include. It serves arsenic a model for nan completed piece.

Content outlines typically see nan pursuing elements:

Title (H1): The title aliases header of nan article
Main sections/headings (H2): These are nan awesome divisions of your content. Each conception represents a different facet aliases subtopic related to nan main theme. Headings supply a clear denotation of nan content's structure. And thief guideline nan scholar done nan material.
Subsections (H3–H6): Within each main section, subsections further disagreement nan contented into much focused topics. Subsections thief shape nan information. And make it easier for readers to navigate.
Key points: Important points that will beryllium discussed wrong each conception aliases subsection. Bullet points are often utilized to item cardinal information.
Supporting evidence/examples: Relevant evidence, data, statistics, aliases examples that support nan cardinal points. Supporting grounds adds credibility to nan content. And helps reenforce nan main ideas.
References/citations: If applicable, see a database of sources successful applicable outline sections. This allows writers and editors to reference and fact-check sources. And adhd outer links.

Why Are Content Outlines Important?

Organization: Outlines supply a system model for organizing information. They thief you put your thoughts successful a logical sequence. And guarantee nan contented flows smoothly from 1 constituent to nan next.
Clarity: Outlines thief you explain ideas. And place nan main points of your content. By breaking down nan contented into smaller sections, you tin double-check that each constituent is clear and well-defined.
Focus: Outlining cardinal points tin thief you debar getting sidetracked by irrelevant information. And enactment wrong nan recommended connection count.
Communication: Content outlines tin besides service arsenic connection tools. Allowing you to stock ideas pinch others. And stitchery feedback from editors earlier opening nan afloat penning process.

Content Outline vs. Content Brief

Content brief: Provides a high-level overview of nan content's goals, target audience, cardinal messaging, keywords, competitor analysis, and tone.
Content outline: A system breakdown of nan content, including headings, subheadings, and main points to beryllium covered. Serving arsenic a roadmap for nan contented creation process.

Preliminary Steps Before Drafting Your Outline

Identify Your Target Audience

It’s important to understand your intended audience. So your contented connects pinch them.

Follow these steps to study much astir your target audience:

Search Intent

Search intent is nan extremity aliases intent down nan hunt query aliases keyword you’re targeting.

There are 4 types of search intent:

Informational: The personification wants to study something
Navigational: The personification is looking for a circumstantial site
Commercial: The personification is comparing solutions
Transactional: The personification is fresh to complete an action. Like purchasing.

If your contented doesn’t lucifer hunt intent, users are apt to time off your page.

Knowledge Level

Will your contented cater to readers pinch beginner, intermediate, aliases master knowledge?

Knowledge level influences what accusation you include. And nan level of detail. Like whether you should specify a concept. Or presume nan scholar is acquainted pinch it.

If your target assemblage is highly method aliases academic, accommodate your connection choices accordingly.

Geography

When penning for world audiences, debar culture-specific idioms and expressions. These tin make your contented confusing.

If your contented targets a azygous state aliases region, see including section expressions. To build spot and engagement pinch readers.

Marketing Funnel

Is your contented aimed astatine a scholar who is simply looking for information? Or are they getting fresh to walk money?

Each marketing chimney stage is related to hunt intent and knowledge level.

Failing to see your assemblage tin consequence successful contented that misses nan mark. Meaning it’s not applicable to nan reader. Or doesn’t meet their expectations.

Further reading: How to Create a Customer Profile (+ Free Templates)

Set Clear Objectives for Your Content

Before creating your outline, specify your content’s main extremity aliases objective. Identifying what you want to execute pinch nan contented will thief you take nan champion approach.

Be much circumstantial than “build marque awareness” aliases “increase integrated website traffic.”

Here are immoderate examples of contented objectives:

Rank successful nan apical 10 hunt motor consequence pages (SERP) for your target keywords
Earn backlinks from reputable sites successful your niche
Call attraction to a circumstantial product, feature, aliases service
Serve arsenic PR for a product, service, aliases brand
Generate leads. Like downloading an asset, joining a mailing list, completing a shape aliases survey, aliases registering for a webinar.
Convert readers by including applicable calls to action (CTAs)
Encourage societal sharing

Research Keywords

It’s adjuvant to place target keywords before creating a contented outline.

Why? Because it tin thief guideline nan type of contented you create. Like merchandise pages for transactional intent. And an explainer article for informational intent. And nan subtopics you include.

Choose a Target Keyword

Aim for a keyword that balances decent hunt measurement (how galore group hunt for nan word each month) pinch an achievable keyword trouble (KD) score. KD tells you really difficult it’ll beryllium to rank for each word connected a standard of zero to 100. With 100 being nan astir difficult.

Use our Keyword Magic Tool to place applicable keywords.

Enter your seed keyword successful nan hunt bar, prime your assemblage location, and click “Search.”

For illustration purposes, we utilized “aromatherapy.”

When nan study is ready, you’ll spot a assortment of keywords related to your hunt term.

To constrictive your search, select by nan following:

Search intent (“Intent”)
Search request (“Volume”)
Keyword trouble (KD%)

For example, you mightiness look for a keyword that has an “Easy” aliases “Very Easy” keyword trouble score. And decent hunt measurement and informational intent.

Long-tail keywords tin besides thief amended taxable coverage. And thief your contented rank.

Long-tail keywords are highly circumstantial hunt queries that thin to person comparatively debased hunt volumes. This intends they’re typically little competitive. Making them easier to rank for.

An easy measurement to find long-tail keywords is by filtering Keyword Magic Tool’s results by questions.

Toggle from “All” to “Questions” astatine nan apical near of nan menu.

Now, you’ll spot a database of related questions to your seed keyword.

To spot questions pinch little keyword difficulty, prime “Easy” aliases “Very Easy” from nan “KD %” drop-down.

Use nan “Intent” and “Volume” filters to destruct keywords pinch nan incorrect hunt intent aliases measurement for your content.

Now, usage nan keywords aliases long-tail phrases you’ve identified to guideline your contented outline.

Include LSI Keywords

Latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords are keywords that are semantically related to your target keyword’s topic.

Identifying LSI keywords for your outline tin beryllium adjuvant because it tin amended your content’s relevance. And chances of ranking.

It tin besides thief you find related topics and questions to reside successful your content. And find applicable headings and subheads for your outline.

To find LSI keywords, return to nan Keyword Magic tool. And spell done nan results for your target keyword. Make a database of applicable keywords to find further topics to screen successful your outline.

Another measurement to find LSI keywords is pinch our SEO Content Template tool.

Start by entering your keyword (or aggregate keywords). Then, prime a state and click “Create contented template.”

For this example, we’re keeping aromatherapy arsenic our blog topic.

Here, we’ve added immoderate other keyword ideas to get things started. So, we’ll extremity up pinch much semantically related connection suggestions.

The recommendations provided by SEO Content Template are based connected nan apical 10 results for each keyword you enter. You’ll find nan URLs of these results successful your report.

Scroll to “Key recommendations.”

Here, you’ll find a database of recommended semantically related words. And recommendations for matter length. And backlinks.

Further down, you’ll spot really your apical title has utilized these keywords. This tin thief pass your outline’s building and contents.

Scroll to nan bottommost of nan page for SEO recommendations to instrumentality successful your content. You’ll find tips for your page title, meta description, H1, and article assemblage text.

To export these SEO tips arsenic a template, scroll backmost to nan apical and click “Export to DOC.”

Create a Content Outline successful 5 Steps

1. Research Your Topic

The investigation shape is simply a foundational constituent successful crafting your contented outline. It involves gathering data, insights, and master opinions to guarantee your contented is authoritative. And comprehensive.

Research Industry-Leading Websites and Blogs

Begin by exploring industry-leading websites and charismatic blogs. These sources often supply up-to-date accusation and insights into existent trends, champion practices, and manufacture standards.

Make statement of immoderate recurring themes aliases topics that could beryllium applicable to your content.

Review Studies and Academic Research

Academic studies and investigation papers are invaluable resources for data-driven content. They supply in-depth analysis. And tin lend credibility to your content.

Look for caller studies that subordinate to your topic. And prevention important findings to see successful your outline.

Collect Quotes and Statistics

As you sift done various sources, cod compelling quotes from manufacture experts and applicable statistics. These elements tin adhd weight to your arguments. And supply a actual ground for your claims.

As you constitute your outline, copy/paste nan accusation nether nan respective subheads for easy reference erstwhile you statesman writing.

Analyze Competitor Content

Look astatine what your competitors are publishing. This tin springiness you an thought of what resonates pinch your industry’s audience.

Note immoderate content gaps. And topics you could screen much comprehensively.

If you request immoderate thief coming up pinch taxable ideas to soma retired your contented outlines, effort our Topic Research tool.

Use it to investigation communal headlines and questions associated pinch your topic. Simply type your taxable into nan hunt barroom to observe related subtopics. And contented ideas to usage successful your outline.

Choose betwixt aggregate views. Explore your taxable by taxable cards. Or pinch an interactive mind map.

2. Identify Key Points

From your research, distill nan astir important accusation that aligns pinch your objectives. These cardinal points will shape nan main sections of your outline. And will beryllium expanded upon successful nan last content.

This measurement is peculiarly important arsenic it lays nan instauration for nan building of your content. It's present that you'll determine what topics are basal for achieving your objectives. And engaging your audience.

Think of these cardinal points arsenic nan pillars of your content, each 1 supporting and reinforcing nan wide message. They should beryllium clear, concise, and straight related to nan goals you've set.

By cautiously selecting these cardinal points, you guarantee each constituent of your contented is purposeful. And impactful.

3. Organize Your Outline pinch Headings and Subheads

Once you person each your first ideas and cardinal points documented successful 1 place, commencement grouping akin ideas into logical sections.

As you do this, deliberation astir your main headings.

Outlines often see aggregate H1 options. Write down a fewer ideas.
Map retired nan H2s you’ll include
Add immoderate applicable subheadings to your outline (<h3> to <h6>) nether your H2s

For example, let’s opportunity you’re penning an article astir merchandise photography to beforehand a client’s photograph editing software. Based connected nan apical SERPs for nan keyword “product photography,” you determine to make merchandise photography tips nan main attraction of your article.

After researching nan topic, you created a mind representation pinch ideas for related topics. And questions you want to cover.

Now, it’s clip to shape those ideas into a logical building and hierarchy.

Your first outline mightiness look thing for illustration this:

<h1> 5 Tips to Improve Your Product Photography </h1>

<h2> What Is Product Photography? </h2>

<h2> 5 Tips for Product Photos That Convert </h2>

<h3> 1. Get nan Lighting Right </h3>

<h3> 2. Consider nan Backdrop </h3>

<h3> 3. Use a Tripod </h3>

<h3> 4. Take More Shots Than You Think You Need </h3>

<h3> 5. Use nan Right Editing Software </h3>

<h4> Photoshop </h4>

<h4> Lightroom </h4>

<h4> Canva </h4>

<h2> Different Types of Product Photography </h2>

<h3> Studio / Hero </h3>

<h3> Flat Lay </h3>

<h3> Lifestyle / Process </h3>

<h2> Conclusion & CTA </h2>

3. Refine Your Outline for Clarity and Flow

Read your sections and headings aloud to guarantee they person a logical flow.

At this stage, you mightiness recognize that nan first bid of immoderate of your sections doesn’t make sense. Move them astir until nan portion flows logically.

Or, you mightiness find issues successful your outline’s accusation hierarchy. And determine you request to adhd subheads.

Looking backmost astatine our merchandise photography example, we mightiness move nan <h2> “Different Types of Product Photography” up earlier nan “Tips” section. To present this accusation earlier successful nan article.

And, considering nan extremity of nan article is to beforehand nan client’s photograph editing software, we mightiness determine to make a caller <h2> heading astir editing tools. This way, we tin screen nan taxable successful overmuch greater item than if we kept it arsenic an <h3> heading.

<h1> 5 Tips to Improve Your Product Photography </h1>

<h2> What Is Product Photography? </h2>

<h2> Different Types of Product Photography </h2>

<h3> Studio / Hero </h3>

<h3> Flat Lay </h3>

<h3> Lifestyle / Process </h3>

<h2> 5 Tips for Product Photos That Convert </h2>

<h3> 1. Get nan Lighting Right </h3>

<h4> Using Natural Light </h4>

<h4> Positioning Your Key Light </h4>

<h3> 3. Use a Tripod </h3>

<h3> 2. Consider nan Backdrop </h3>

<h4> Backdrop Types </h4>

<h4> Positioning Types </h4>

<h3> 4. Take More Shots Than You Think You Need </h3>

<h3> 5. Retouch Your Photos </h3>

<h2> Choose nan Right Photo Editing Software </h2>

<h3> Client’s Photo Editing Software </h3>

<h3> Photoshop and Lightroom </h3>

<h3> GIMP </h3>

<h3> Canva </h3>

<h3> Pixlr </h3>

<h2> Conclusion & CTA </h2>

5. Add Notes aliases Instructions nether Your Headings

Under each heading, build retired your outline by adding much specifications astir what you person successful mind for that section.

What are nan main points you want to communicate?
What accusation do you want to screen successful this section?
Are location circumstantial sources you want to consult?
Any internal links to include?
Product aliases characteristic mentions aliases CTAs?

Include specific, elaborate directions. Whether you’re penning nan contented yourself aliases handing it to a writer, editor, aliases client. These instructions supply discourse that helps streamline nan penning process.

Returning to our merchandise photography example, your outline mightiness look for illustration this aft adding your notes and instructions:

<h1> 15 Tips to Improve Your Product Photography </h1>

[Short intro]

Notes: ~150 words. Talk astir really you don’t request photography acquisition aliases master equipment.

<h2> What Is Product Photography? </h2>

Notes: Describe nan defining characteristics of merchandise photography. Why do value merchandise photos matter (mention nan effect connected income and mention stats). Is it different from different types of photography? How? Mention accent connected different equipment, e.g., artificial lighting and tripods.

Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Content Marketing Strategy

Elevate Your Content Outlines pinch Semrush

Content outlines make it easier and faster to constitute high-performing content. While investigation is simply a captious measurement successful nan process, knowing your audience, identifying keywords, and analyzing competitors will elevate your outlines—and your content.