What is in the template
Seed Keywords
5-8 seed terms that describe your product and the problems it solves. Columns for volume, difficulty, and intent classification.
Keyword Expansion
Paste your Ahrefs/Semrush export here. Pre-formatted columns for keyword, volume, KD, CPC, SERP features, and parent topic.
Cluster Groups
Group keywords by search intent. SERP overlap analysis column to confirm clusters. Assign each group to a cluster name.
Prioritization Scoring
Score each cluster on intent alignment, keyword difficulty, and cluster completeness. Weighted formula auto-ranks your clusters.
Content Map
One row per page. Columns for target keyword, cluster, content type (pillar/blog/comparison/glossary), assigned writer, status, publish date, and internal link targets. This becomes your production calendar.
How to use it
- Copy the template to your own Google Sheets or Excel.
- Fill Tab 1 with your seed keywords (see the playbook for how to choose seeds).
- Export keyword data from Ahrefs or Semrush and paste into Tab 2.
- Group keywords into clusters in Tab 3 using SERP overlap analysis.
- Score and rank clusters in Tab 4. Start with the highest-scoring cluster.
- Map content assignments in Tab 5. This is your build plan.
Copy the template structure
Create a new Google Sheet with these five tabs. Each tab uses the column headers below.
Tab 1: Seed Keywords
Seed Term | Category | Monthly Volume | KD | Intent Type | Notes
Tab 2: Keyword Expansion
Keyword | Parent Topic | Volume | KD | CPC | SERP Features | Seed Source
Tab 3: Cluster Groups
Keyword | Cluster Name | SERP Overlap Score | Intent | Priority
Tab 4: Prioritization
Cluster | Intent Score (1-5) | Avg KD | Completeness (pages needed) | Weighted Score | Rank
Tab 5: Content Map
Cluster | Target Keyword | Content Type | Title | Writer | Status | Publish Date | Links To | Links FromWe fill in this map with your team, then publish against it on a schedule. Your first process is built on us.
