Every Keyword Brief includes:
Search Intelligence
Content Strategy
Creative Selections
Generation Prompt
Navigate: Briefs > Create Brief
Required:
Optional:
ILLIXIS analyzes the keyword, identifies search intent, and generates strategic insights. This phase determines the target keyword and creates preliminary analysis.
What's happening:
ILLIXIS fetches live search results and analyzes top-ranking competitors. This is the slowest phase because it includes batch analysis of competitor pages.
What's happening:
ILLIXIS selects creative elements tailored to your keyword and generates the final brief.
What's happening:
ILLIXIS checks for duplicates at two levels:
Brief Duplication If you already have a brief for this keyword, ILLIXIS shows a warning with the existing brief details. You can view the existing brief or create a new one (it will be saved with a suffix like "keyword (2)").
Content Duplication If you already have published content on this topic (70%+ similarity), ILLIXIS warns you and shows the existing article. You can create the brief anyway (useful for refresh scenarios) or cancel and update the existing content instead.
Override duplication checks only when you have a strategic reason to create redundant content (e.g., targeting different audience segments).
The Opportunity Score (0-100) measures how likely you are to rank for this keyword based on:
Interpreting scores:
Low opportunity scores don't mean "don't pursue." They mean "expect this to take longer to rank." If the keyword is strategically important, create the content anyway.
ILLIXIS uses AI to select 7 creative element types tailored to your keyword:
1. Title Format Examples: "The Ultimate Guide," "Numbered Listicle," "Versus Comparison," "The Solution"
2. Opening Hook The first 2-3 sentences that grab attention. Styles vary by topic and intent.
3. Perspective Brand voice angle. Examples: "Expert Authority," "Insider Coach," "Transparent Peer"
4. Content Format Overall structure. Examples: "Deep Dive Exploration," "Step-by-Step Guide," "Problem-Solution Framework"
5. Content Elements Specific components to include. Examples: "Expert Quotes," "Data Visualizations," "Personal Anecdotes," "Case Studies"
6. Conclusion Format How to end the article. Examples: "Challenge CTA," "Recap Summary," "Motivational Close"
7. Image Style Visual aesthetic for hero image. Examples: "Editorial Lifestyle," "Bold Product Hero," "Aspirational Scene"
These selections are editable. You can regenerate individual elements or manually override them after the brief is created.
Once analysis completes, you see the brief detail page with:
Brief Overview Section
Strategic Intelligence Section
Creative Selections Section
Actions
Click "Edit Creative Selections" to manually override AI choices.
When to edit:
Editing tips:
Click "Regenerate All Creative Selections" to get fresh AI recommendations. ILLIXIS will select different elements while maintaining strategic fit.
When to regenerate:
Regeneration calls AI again, so it takes 20-30 seconds. The brief intelligence and SERP analysis remain unchanged.
analyzing: Phase 1-2 in progress (intelligence gathering + SERP analysis) processing_creative: Phase 3 in progress (creative element selection) completed: Brief ready for content generation error: Something failed (error message explains what) analysis_queued: Brief waiting (tenant already has active analysis)
ILLIXIS processes one brief at a time per tenant to avoid rate limit issues. Queued briefs start automatically when the active brief completes.
If a brief fails, click "Retry Generation" on the brief detail page. Common failure reasons:
SERP Fetch Timeout The search data fetch took too long. Retry usually succeeds.
Competitor Analysis Error One or more competitor URLs couldn't be analyzed. ILLIXIS proceeds with available data.
Creative Selection Failure AI call failed. Retry or manually select elements.
Check the error message for specific guidance. Most errors resolve on retry. If a brief fails repeatedly, contact support with the brief ID.
1. Use Specific Keywords "Content marketing" is too broad. "Content marketing for B2B SaaS" gives ILLIXIS clearer context.
2. Check Existing Content First Before creating a brief, search your Content Hub for similar topics. Avoid unintentional duplication.
3. Review Opportunity Score in Context A 35 opportunity score isn't always bad. If the keyword drives qualified traffic, create the content despite competition.
4. Let ILLIXIS Calculate Word Count The AI analyzes top-ranking content and recommends optimal length. Manual word counts often undershoot or overshoot.
5. Edit Selections When Needed Don't assume AI selections are perfect. If something feels off, change it before generating content.
6. Generate Content Soon After Brief Creation SERP data becomes stale over time. Generate articles within days, not weeks.
7. Use Source Tagging Consistently Tracking whether manual, GSC, or discovery keywords perform better helps refine your content strategy.
Q: How long does a Keyword Brief take to create? 3-5 minutes on average. Phase 2 (SERP analysis) is the slowest because it fetches and analyzes competitor pages.
Q: Can I create multiple briefs simultaneously? No. ILLIXIS processes one brief per tenant at a time to avoid rate limits. Additional briefs queue automatically.
Q: Does ILLIXIS fetch real-time SERP data? Yes. SERP data is live. Results reflect current rankings, not cached data.
Q: What if the AI selects the wrong search intent? Edit the brief and manually change the search intent field. This updates the strategic approach.
Q: Can I reuse a brief to generate multiple articles? Yes. The stored prompt is reusable. Generate multiple variations of the same brief if testing different content approaches.
Q: What's the difference between a Keyword Brief and a Custom Brief? Keyword Briefs start with a keyword and analyze search results. Custom Briefs start with a topic or idea and derive the best keyword. Choose Keyword Brief when you know the exact keyword you're targeting.
Q: Does opportunity score affect content quality? No. Opportunity score measures ranking potential, not content quality. Low-score briefs still generate high-quality articles.
Q: Can I edit the brief after it's completed? Yes. Click "Edit Brief" to modify keyword, word count, search intent, or any analysis fields. This doesn't regenerate the brief—it updates stored values.
Q: What happens if I regenerate creative selections? ILLIXIS calls AI again and selects new elements. The SERP analysis and intelligence remain unchanged. Useful if you want variety or the initial selections don't fit.
Q: Why did my brief fail with "SERP Fetch Timeout"? The search data service occasionally takes longer than expected. Click "Retry Generation" and it usually succeeds. Timeouts don't indicate a problem with your keyword.
Monitor your keyword positions over time, spot trends before they become problems, and get alerted when rankings shift.
Google Search Console GSC provides search performance data that powers ILLIXIS features like content decay detection, competitive gap discovery, and Maya's search opportunity recommendations.
SERP Intelligence analyzes Google's top 100 search results to reveal competitive landscape data for your target keywords. This intelligence powers strategic decisions about word count, content structure, and positioning.
ILLIXIS automatically identifies opportunities to link related content within your site. Every article gets analyzed for semantic relevance to your existing content library, with AI-generated anchor text and contextual placement recommendations.
Keyword Discovery expands your SEO keyword universe by finding related terms, questions, and long-tail variations from seed keywords. AI filtering removes irrelevant results, leaving actionable keyword opportunities.
One platform. You approve. ILLIXIS executes. Marketing that just happens.
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