Content Optimization Engine

6 min read

✍️ Content Optimization Engine

BaC Principle

“Content strategy without a content engine is just a wish list. Codify the brief, the optimization rules, and the output schema — then agents can execute it at scale.” — Business as Code Manifesto

Stage: S4 — Content Optimization Type: AUTO (~80% automated) Trigger: After Strategy Review (S3) produces approved_content_strategy Output feeds: 06-AEO-Structuring-Agent, 09-Human-Review-Gates (Content Review)

See Map of Content for full vault navigation.

🎯 Objective

For each item in the approved content strategy, produce publication-ready optimized content — either a net-new draft or an updated version of an existing page — that meets on-page SEO standards and is ready for AEO structuring.

🛠️ Tools & Integrations

tools:
  - name: SurferSEO / Frase
    used_for: On-page content score benchmarking against SERP competitors
    api: REST API (content editor scoring)
 
  - name: Claude API
    used_for: >
      Content drafting (new pages), rewriting underperforming sections,
      generating title/meta variants, internal link suggestions
    api: Messages API (extended thinking for long-form drafts)
 
  - name: Ahrefs / SEMrush API
    used_for: Internal linking opportunities, related keyword suggestions per page
    api: REST API
 
  - name: CMS / GitHub
    used_for: Publishing optimized content to the site
    api: CMS API or GitHub PR (depending on site stack)

⚡ Execution Steps

flowchart TD
    A["Receive approved_content_strategy<br/>from Strategy Review S3"]
    B{"Existing page<br/>or new page?"}
    C["Existing: Pull current content<br/>+ GSC performance data"]
    D["New: Generate content brief<br/>from keyword cluster"]
    E["Run SurferSEO audit<br/>Benchmark vs top 10 SERP"]
    F["Draft / Rewrite content<br/>Claude API"]
    G["Apply on-page checklist<br/>Title, meta, H-structure, word count"]
    H["Generate internal link map<br/>Links to/from existing pages"]
    I["Output: optimized_content_batch<br/>Ready for AEO pass"]

    A --> B
    B -- Existing --> C --> E --> F --> G --> H --> I
    B -- New --> D --> E --> F --> G --> H --> I

Step details:

  1. Strategy intake — Load approved_content_strategy (list of clusters + recommended content type + priority).
  2. Page classification — For each cluster: check if an existing page covers the topic (from audit inventory). If yes → update path. If no → new page path.
  3. Content brief generation — For new pages: generate a structured brief (see template below).
  4. SurferSEO benchmark — Run the target keyword through SurferSEO or Frase. Get: recommended word count, target keyword density, NLP terms to include, competitor heading structures.
  5. Draft / Rewrite — Use Claude API to draft new content or rewrite existing sections that score < 60 on content quality. Pass the brief + SurferSEO guidelines as context.
  6. On-page checklist — Apply SEO optimization checklist (see below).
  7. Internal linking — Identify 3–5 internal pages to link to/from. Add contextual links with descriptive anchor text.
  8. Output — Package content as optimized_content_batch (see output schema).

📝 Content Brief Template

content_brief:
  brief_id: "brief_C001_2026-04-02"
  cluster_id: "C001"
  primary_keyword: "business as code"
  page_type: pillar_page
  target_url: "/what-is-business-as-code"
  
  target_reader:
    role: "Operations leader or founder"
    goal: "Understand what BaC is and whether it's relevant to their company"
    prior_knowledge: "Familiar with automation, new to AI-native ops"
  
  content_outline:
    - h2: "What is Business as Code? (Definition)"
      purpose: "Anchor answer — first 2 sentences must define BaC clearly"
      aeo_note: "This section will become the primary LLM citation target"
    - h2: "How Business as Code Works"
      purpose: "Mechanism explanation with examples"
    - h2: "Business as Code vs. Traditional BPM"
      purpose: "Comparison — high AEO potential (contrastive queries)"
    - h2: "The 3 Core Principles of BaC"
      purpose: "Framework section — numbered lists are highly citable"
    - h2: "Business as Code in Practice: Use Cases"
      purpose: "Concrete examples — link to vault use cases"
    - h2: "Frequently Asked Questions"
      purpose: "FAQ schema target — pull from PAA questions in cluster"
  
  word_count_target: 3000
  tone: "Authoritative but practical. No jargon without definition."
  internal_links_target:
    - "/use-cases/cold-email/"
    - "/manifesto"
  supporting_keywords:
    - "codify business processes"
    - "AI-executable SOP"
    - "business process automation AI"

✅ On-Page Optimization Checklist

on_page_checklist:
  title_tag:
    - Contains primary keyword (near start)
    - 50–60 characters
    - Includes a differentiator (e.g., "The Complete Guide" or year)
  
  meta_description:
    - Contains primary keyword
    - 140–160 characters
    - Includes a clear value prop or CTA
 
  h1:
    - Matches or closely mirrors title tag
    - Contains primary keyword
    - Exactly one H1 per page
 
  heading_structure:
    - Logical H2 → H3 hierarchy
    - H2s contain secondary keywords where natural
    - No keyword stuffing
 
  content:
    - Word count within 10% of SurferSEO recommendation
    - Primary keyword in first 100 words
    - NLP terms from SurferSEO included
    - Short paragraphs (3–5 sentences max)
    - At least one numbered or bulleted list
    - At least one image with descriptive alt text
 
  internal_links:
    - 3–5 contextual internal links
    - Descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
    - No orphan pages
 
  technical:
    - Canonical URL set correctly
    - No duplicate content vs. existing pages

📤 Output Schema

{
  "batch_id": "batch_2026-04-02",
  "generated_at": "2026-04-02T18:00:00Z",
  "pages_in_batch": 8,
  "pages": [
    {
      "page_id": "page_C001",
      "cluster_id": "C001",
      "action": "new",
      "target_url": "/what-is-business-as-code",
      "title": "What is Business as Code? Definition, Principles & Examples",
      "meta_description": "Business as Code transforms business processes into machine-readable, AI-executable specifications. Learn the methodology, core principles, and real use cases.",
      "word_count": 3050,
      "surfer_content_score": 84,
      "on_page_checklist_passed": true,
      "internal_links_added": 4,
      "content_markdown": "[full markdown content]",
      "ready_for_aeo_pass": true
    }
  ],
  "batch_summary": {
    "new_pages": 5,
    "updated_pages": 3,
    "avg_surfer_score": 79,
    "checklist_pass_rate": 0.875
  }
}

📊 KPIs

MetricTargetAlert Condition
SurferSEO content score≥ 75/100< 60 → rewrite section
On-page checklist pass rate≥ 90%< 80% → review agent prompt
Pages produced per runPer strategy batch< 50% of batch → flag
Avg word count accuracy±10% of target> ±20% → adjust prompt
Internal links per page3–50 → flag as orphan risk

⚠️ Error Handling

error_rules:
  - condition: SurferSEO API unavailable
    action: Use Frase as fallback for content scoring
    fallback: Generate content without benchmarking; flag for manual score check
 
  - condition: Claude API draft scores < 60 on content quality after 2 attempts
    action: Flag page for human copywriter review
    fallback: Include in Human Gate #2 sample with "needs_review" flag
 
  - condition: Internal link suggestions point to non-existent pages
    action: Remove the link; log in content_inventory as "missing internal target"
    fallback: Leave anchor text but remove href; add to broken links backlog
 
  - condition: Content brief missing required fields
    action: Pause page processing; request updated strategy item from Gate #1 output

📎 Related Files

Graph View

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