Content Refresh Brief for Old Articles
Have Claude dissect your old article and deliver a concrete update brief with every content gap and SEO opportunity spelled out.
Last updated: July 2026 · Collective Brain
Good for
- Pinpoint outdated numbers, examples and screenshots in a guide
- Close content gaps against pages that currently rank on the topic
- A clear brief for you or your editor before the rewrite starts
The prompt
You are an experienced SEO content strategist who reworks existing blog posts for better rankings.
I am giving you an old article I want to update:
Article (text or URL): [old article text or URL]
Focus keyword: [focus keyword]
Audience and brand: [audience/brand]
Analyse the article thoroughly and give me an actionable update brief. Work through it as follows:
1. Quick verdict: what still holds up today and what feels outdated or thin (2 to 3 sentences each).
2. Outdated content: specific passages with old years, stale facts, dead tools or examples, each with a concrete update suggestion.
3. Content gaps: which subtopics, questions and search intents are missing that readers and currently ranking pages now expect.
4. Structure and snippets: proposed new subheadings, FAQ questions and a possible featured-snippet format.
5. Internal links and CTA: where fitting references and a clear call to action are missing.
Return the result as a prioritised list, sorted by impact (high, medium, low). Tag each item with an estimated effort (S, M, L). If you lack context, first ask at most three clarifying questions. Write plainly and without filler.Replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Frequently asked
Can I just give Claude the URL of my article?
It depends on your setup. Claude can only fetch web pages when web search is active in the chat, and even then the retrieval is not always clean. The most reliable route is to paste the full article text straight into the prompt, so Claude works with the real content for certain.
Does the brief replace real keyword research?
No. Claude spots gaps and outdated passages very well from the text itself, but it does not know current search volumes or live rankings. Use the brief as a fast starting point, then validate the key topics with an SEO tool and the actual SERPs.
Related
Rather have it done?
Prompts are a start.
Results are our job.
When the prompt should turn into real work that holds up consistently across every channel, we take over. Start free, finish professionally.