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Create an article outline

Plan an article section by section — goals, keywords and a word budget for each — from a brief or from a keyword alone.

Before you start

  • A project, and enough credits for an outline (the button shows the cost).

  • Optional: a content brief to start from — see Create a content brief.

Steps

  1. Step 1: Open the outline form

    Go to Planning and, under The usual path, choose Article outline — or choose Create outline on a finished brief (the brief is then preselected).

  2. Step 2: Set up the outline

    Under Outline setup:

    • Project.
    • Start from a brief — pick one, or choose No brief — start from a keyword.
    • Target keyword — required when no brief is picked.
    • Working title, Language, Target country and Target length.

  3. Step 3: Create the outline

    Choose Create outline for … credits. Once confirmed it cannot be stopped; a failure is refunded automatically one hour later.

  4. Step 4: Write the article

    Open the finished outline and choose Generate article. The article form opens with the outline selected, so the draft follows its sections and word budget.

What you’ll see

The outline is saved under Planning. An article built from it follows the outline’s structure and inherits its research and search intent.

Troubleshooting

“Enter a target keyword, or pick a brief.”

An outline needs one of the two. Pick a brief in Start from a brief, or type a Target keyword.

The article form refuses my length when building from an outline

Your plan caps article length. Choose a shorter Target length or Auto on the article form.

Related guides

  • Create a content brief

    Research one keyword before you write: title angles, search intent, reader pain points, structure, entities and FAQ ideas.

  • Build a topical map

    Turn one seed topic into a pillar page plus three supporting clusters, with intent, priority, a suggested publishing order and internal links.