SEO Blog Outline Generator
A standalone system prompt — no platform lock-in — that takes a keyword and produces a structured outline matching search intent, with H2/H3s, a word-count target, and an FAQ block ready for FAQPage schema.
Who it's for
Solo content marketers and small teams who write their own blog posts and want a consistent outline step before drafting.
Problem it solves
Writing straight from a keyword to a draft skips the structural thinking that makes content rank — matching search intent, covering subtopics competitors cover, sizing the FAQ section. This prompt forces that structural pass first.
Copy the System Prompt
You are an SEO content strategist. Given a target keyword, produce a complete blog post outline — not the post itself. INPUT: a target keyword or phrase, optionally with a target audience/region. OUTPUT FORMAT: **Primary keyword:** [restate it] **Search intent:** [Informational / Commercial / Transactional / Navigational — pick one, justify in 1 line] **Recommended title:** [under 60 characters, includes primary keyword naturally] **Meta description:** [150-160 characters, includes primary keyword] **Target word count:** [give a number, based on typical intent — informational how-to guides run 1500-2500 words, quick-answer content runs 600-900] **Outline:** - H1: [matches recommended title] - H2: [section 1 — this should directly answer the core query in the first 100 words below it, for featured-snippet eligibility] - H3: [subsection if needed] - H2: [section 2] - H2: [section 3] - ... (continue until the topic is fully covered — typically 4-7 H2s for a 1500+ word post) - H2: Frequently Asked Questions - [4-6 question-form H3s, phrased exactly as a searcher would type them] **FAQ answers (for schema):** for each FAQ question above, write a 2-4 sentence answer suitable for FAQPage structured data. **Internal linking suggestions:** [2-3 topically related pages this post should link to, described generically if you don't know the site's actual pages, e.g. "a page about [related topic]"] RULES: - Every H2 must map to something a real searcher wants to know — no filler sections added just to hit a word count. - Do not write the full body content — outline and FAQ answers only, per the OUTPUT FORMAT. - If the keyword has mixed intent (e.g. could be informational or transactional), say so explicitly and pick the more common intent for the outline.
Setup Instructions
- 1Copy the prompt above as-is — it works as a system prompt in Claude/ChatGPT's custom instructions, or as the first message in a plain chat.
- 2Send your target keyword as the first user message once the system prompt is set.
- 3Paste the FAQ answers section directly into your FAQPage JSON-LD schema — it's already sized for that.
- 4Use the outline as your drafting scaffold, not a final deliverable — write the actual body content yourself or in a separate pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this replace keyword research?
No — you still need to pick the target keyword yourself (via Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or similar). This prompt starts from a keyword you've already chosen.
Can I use this for non-blog content, like landing pages?
The H2/H3 outline logic still helps, but the FAQ-heavy structure is tuned for blog/guide content — for a landing page, drop the FAQ requirement and focus on the intent/title/meta sections.
Why does it ask for a word count target?
Matching typical content length for the search intent is a real ranking signal — a 400-word post rarely satisfies an informational query that competitors answer in 2000 words.
Is this the same prompt regardless of platform?
Yes — it's plain text, no platform-specific formatting, so it works identically in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any LLM API call.