content-planning

Content Planning, Gap Analysis + 90-Day Calendar

Purpose

Synthesize all discovery findings into an actionable content strategy with ICE-prioritized content pieces and a 90-day execution calendar. Bridges the gap between research (what we know) and execution (what we build).

When to Use

• Step 7 (final step) of FWS Discovery workflow
• When building a content roadmap for a new or redesigned site
• When prioritizing what to write/build first

Inputs Required

This skill uses ALL previous discovery steps:

1. Sitemap analysis, existing pages, gaps, technical issues
2. Competitor research, content they have that we don't
3. Buyer personas, what content each persona needs at each stage
4. Keyword research, topic clusters, keyword-to-page mapping
5. UX/UI research, page types, design patterns
6. FAQ research, questions to answer, schema opportunities
7. Meeting transcription, client priorities and constraints

Read the full discovery-context.md before starting this step.

Workflow

Step 1: Content Audit Summary

Consolidate findings into a content inventory:

Existing Content Assessment (from sitemap analysis):

Page	Status	Action Needed	Priority
	Keep as-is / Optimize / Rewrite / Remove	Specific changes	High/Med/Low

Content Gap Inventory (from all steps):

Gap	Source	Content Type	Target Keyword	Persona
	Competitor/Keyword/Persona/FAQ	Blog/Service/Landing/Guide

Step 2: Content Type Matrix

Map content needs to page types and buyer journey stages:

Content Type	Count Needed	Purpose	Journey Stage	Avg. Effort
Service Pages		Convert visitors	Decision	Medium
Blog Posts		Attract organic traffic	Awareness	Medium
Landing Pages		Campaign conversion	Consideration	High
Case Studies		Build trust + proof	Consideration → Decision	High
Guides/How-to		Establish expertise	Awareness → Consideration	High
FAQ Pages		Answer questions + SEO	All stages	Low
Comparison Pages		Capture commercial intent	Consideration	Medium
Location Pages		Local SEO	Decision	Low
About/Team		Build trust	Consideration	Low

Step 3: ICE Priority Scoring

Score every content piece using ICE framework:

Impact (1-10): How much will this content move the needle?

Score	Meaning
9-10	Direct revenue impact, targets high-value commercial keyword
7-8	Significant traffic or conversion potential
5-6	Moderate SEO or brand value
3-4	Nice to have, supports other content
1-2	Minimal impact

Confidence (1-10): How sure are we this will work?

Score	Meaning
9-10	Proven keyword, clear search intent, competitor validated
7-8	Strong signals, good keyword data
5-6	Moderate evidence, some assumptions
3-4	Speculative, limited data
1-2	Purely experimental

Effort (1-10): How hard is it to create?

Score	Meaning
1-2	Quick page, template-based, minimal research
3-4	Standard page, some original content needed
5-6	Substantial content, research or design required
7-8	Complex page, multiple stakeholders, custom design
9-10	Major project, extensive research, professional assets

ICE Score = (Impact × Confidence) / Effort

Step 4: 90-Day Content Calendar

Month 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Focus: High-impact, quick-win content that establishes the site's core.

Priority criteria for Month 1:

• ICE score 7+ (highest priority items)
• Service pages (core conversion pages)
• Homepage optimization
• Key technical SEO fixes
• FAQ page with schema

Deliverables per week: 1-2 content pieces

Month 2: Growth (Weeks 5-8)

Focus: Build out topic clusters and supporting content.

Priority criteria for Month 2:

• ICE score 5-7
• Blog posts targeting informational keywords
• Case studies and social proof pages
• Comparison/alternative pages (commercial intent)
• Location pages (if local business)

Deliverables per week: 2-3 content pieces

Month 3: Optimization (Weeks 9-12)

Focus: Fill gaps, optimize existing content, build authority.

Priority criteria for Month 3:

• ICE score 3-5
• Supporting blog content (spoke pages)
• Guide/resource content (link-worthy)
• Content refresh on Month 1 pages based on data
• Internal linking optimization

Deliverables per week: 2-3 content pieces

Step 5: Per-Page Content Specifications

For each content piece in the calendar, define:

Spec	Requirement
Primary keyword	One target keyword
Secondary keywords	2-5 related terms
Search intent	Informational / Commercial / Transactional
Word count target	Based on SERP analysis
H1	Include primary keyword
Meta title	50-60 chars, keyword-front
Meta description	150-160 chars, compelling CTA
Schema type	FAQ, HowTo, Article, Service, etc.
Internal links	Min 3 relevant links
CTA	Aligned to buyer journey stage
EEAT signals	Author bio, sources, credentials
GEO optimization	Direct answer in first 150 words

Step 6: Topic Cluster Linking Strategy

Map internal linking between content pieces:

Hub: [Service Page - Commercial keyword]
├── Spoke: [Blog Post - Informational keyword] → links to Hub
├── Spoke: [FAQ Section - Question keyword] → links to Hub
├── Spoke: [Case Study - Social proof] → links to Hub
├── Spoke: [Guide - Long-tail keyword] → links to Hub
└── Hub links to all Spokes

Linking rules:

• Every spoke links to its hub (and vice versa)
• Related hubs cross-link to each other
• Every page has 3+ internal links minimum
• Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
• New content links to existing relevant pages

Step 7: Quality Benchmarks

Define measurable quality standards:

Metric	Minimum	Target	How to Measure
CORE-EEAT Score	60/100	80+	CORE-EEAT checklist
Readability (Flesch)	50	60-70	Hemingway/readability tool
Keyword Coverage	80%	95%	Primary + secondary keywords
Internal Links	3	5+	Per page count
Schema Markup	Required pages	All pages	Schema validator
Meta Data	All pages	Optimized	Title + description present
Mobile Friendly	Pass	Excellent	Google Mobile Test

Reference shared references/core-eeat-benchmark.md for the full 80-item quality framework.

Step 8: Content Production Notes

Practical guidance for the content team:

Workflow per content piece:

1. Brief (keyword, intent, outline, word count target)
2. Draft (writer creates first draft)
3. SEO review (keyword placement, meta data, internal links)
4. Client review (accuracy, brand voice)
5. Design (imagery, layout, CTA design)
6. Publish (schema, technical setup)
7. Index (submit to Search Console, check indexing)

Resource estimates:

Content Type	Avg. Hours	Typical Owner
Service Page	4-8h	Copywriter + designer
Blog Post (800w)	3-5h	Copywriter
Blog Post (1500w+)	6-10h	Copywriter + SME
Case Study	5-8h	Copywriter + client
Landing Page	6-10h	Copywriter + designer
FAQ Page	2-4h	Copywriter

Step 9: Update Discovery Context

Append to discovery-context.md:

• Total content pieces planned (by type)
• Month 1 priority list (top 5)
• Resource estimate summary
• Key dependencies or blockers
• Recommended content production workflow

Output

Write findings to 08-Content-Plan.md using the template.

Quality Checklist

• All previous discovery findings synthesized
• Content gap inventory complete
• ICE scoring applied to all content pieces
• 90-day calendar built with weekly deliverables
• Per-page content specifications defined for Month 1
• Topic cluster linking strategy mapped
• Quality benchmarks set
• Resource estimates provided
• Discovery context updated with content plan

Anti-Patterns

• Don't: Plan more content than the team can produce (be realistic)
• Don't: Front-load all hard content in Month 1 (mix quick wins with big projects)
• Don't: Skip the linking strategy (internal links are the backbone of SEO)
• Don't: Set quality benchmarks without measurement methods
• Don't: Plan content without keyword assignments (every page needs a target)