Blog post structure for SEO and AI answers: a template
An SEO blog post template: query-first title, the answer in two sentences, question H2s, numbered steps, tables, FAQ, sources and one call to action.
LLaunchScaler·Published ·8 min read
An SEO blog post template that also works for AI answers has a title of about 60 characters that starts with the search query, an opening that answers the query in its first two sentences, H2 headings phrased as the questions people search, numbered steps where order matters, a table wherever options compare, and an FAQ, a source list and one call to action at the end. Each H2 opens with 40 to 60 words that answer its question on their own.
Below is the template section by section, with what goes in each part and why, followed by a Markdown skeleton you can copy.
What goes in the title and meta description?
Put the search query at the start of the title, keep the whole title to about 60 characters, and make it describe the page accurately. Google says there's "no limit on how long a <title> element can be," but the title link is "truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width." Write a unique one- or two-sentence meta description.
The 60-character figure is a working rule, not a Google limit. It keeps the query and the main promise visible before truncation. For comparison, the 2025 Web Almanac found the median title on the web is 77 characters on desktop and 79 on mobile, and noted that those numbers sit well above the often-cited 50 to 60 character "safe range". The title tag length guide covers truncation in detail.
Google's title guidance adds three rules worth following:
Be descriptive and concise, and avoid vague titles like "Home".
Avoid keyword stuffing. Google's example of what not to do is "Foobar, foo bar, foobars, foo bars."
Keep the H1 close to the title, since Google builds title links partly from the page's headings.
For the meta description, Google says it "primarily uses the content on the page" for snippets but "may also use" the meta description "when it describes the page better." There's "no limit on how long a meta description can be," and it is truncated to fit the device. Make each one unique: Google says identical descriptions across a site "aren't helpful when individual pages appear in search results."
How should the opening be written?
Questions, answered
What people ask about this
01
What is the best structure for an SEO blog post?
A title that puts the search query first, an opening that answers it in two sentences, H2 headings phrased as the questions people search, each answered in its first 40 to 60 words, then steps, tables, an FAQ, sources and one call to action.
Answer the query completely in the first two sentences. The first states the answer in the query's own words; the second adds the condition, number or next step that makes it complete. Everything else, including context and scope, comes after. A reader who stops after two sentences should still have the answer.
This matters for search snippets and for AI answers alike: a complete answer at the top is the easiest passage to quote. A short second paragraph can then say what the rest of the post covers, in one or two sentences, with no preamble before the answer.
A quick test: cover everything below the second sentence. If the visible text answers the question in the title, the opening works. If it only promises an answer, rewrite it.
How should H2 headings be phrased?
Phrase each H2 as a question people actually search, in their words and in sentence case, and put one question per H2. Under each, answer the question in the first 40 to 60 words so that passage stands on its own, then give the detail. Use H3s only to split a long section, such as items in a ranked list.
Google's SEO Starter Guide recommends breaking long content into "paragraphs and sections" with "headings to help users navigate your pages." It also says heading order is for people, not Google: semantic order is "fantastic for screen readers, but from Google Search perspective, it doesn't matter if you're using them out of order," and there's "no magical, ideal amount of headings."
The questions come from the searches your page already appears for in Search Console, the "People also ask" questions on the results page for your query, and what customers ask you. A content brief template is where they get collected before writing starts.
The 40 to 60 word answer block is a writing discipline rather than a search requirement. Google's generative AI guidance says there's "no requirement to break your content into tiny pieces" for its systems. The block exists so a reader skimming headings finds the answer immediately, and so any engine quoting the section gets a complete answer. The guide to writing content AI answers cite explains the reasoning.
When should you use numbered steps and tables?
Use a numbered list whenever the reader has to do things in order, and a table whenever two or more options, causes or settings are compared on the same attributes. Use plain bullet lists only for unordered items. Each format tells the reader how to read the content before they read it.
Content
Format
Why
A procedure (set up, fix, migrate)
Numbered steps, one action per step
Order matters and readers track their place
Options, tools, plans or causes compared
Table with the same columns for every row
Readers compare across rows
Error messages and their fixes
Table: message, cause, fix
Readers scan for their message
Unordered tips or requirements
Bulleted list
No order to preserve
A single definition or answer
Short paragraph
Nothing to structure
Keep tables in HTML, not images, so they can be read and quoted. Give every row the same columns, and write "Not published" where a fact isn't available instead of guessing.
How long should the post be?
As long as the answer needs and no longer. Google lists "writing to a particular word count because you've heard or read that Google has a preferred word count" among its warning signs, and answers its own question: "No, we don't." Length follows from how many questions the reader has.
A narrow troubleshooting question may be fully answered in 800 words; a comparison of six tools may need 2,500. Let the H2 list decide: if every question a searcher has gets its own section and nothing is padded, the length is right. The blog post length guide goes into this question in depth.
What goes at the end of the post?
End with an FAQ of three to six real follow-up questions, a list of the sources you used, and one call to action that fits the post. Don't end with a summary that repeats the post, and don't add a second or third call to action; a reader who reached the end needs one clear next step.
The FAQ answers the questions that didn't earn a full H2: "how long does it take", "is it free", "what if X happens". Keep each answer to one to three sentences that stand alone. One change to plan around: Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in Search on May 7, 2026, and has since removed the feature's documentation. Write the FAQ for readers; don't add it expecting an FAQ rich result in Google.
List sources with their titles and links, official documentation first. Put the call to action last, stated as what the reader gets and what it costs, not as a slogan.
What metadata should every post carry?
Every post needs a visible byline linked to an author page, a visible published date and an updated date when the content really changed, and matching Article or BlogPosting structured data. Google's byline date guidance asks that visible and structured dates "match." Structured data is recommended, not required for Google's AI features.
Google's generative AI guidance says "structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there's no special schema.org markup you need to add," while still calling it "a good idea" as part of overall SEO. Add headline, author (with a url to the author page), datePublished and dateModified.
What does the full template look like?
Here is the whole structure as a Markdown skeleton. Replace each bracketed line with your content; keep the order.
# [Query first, about 60 characters: the answer's promise]
[Sentence 1: the direct answer, in the query's words.]
[Sentence 2: the condition, number or next step that completes it.]
[One or two sentences on what the post covers.]
## [Question people search, in sentence case]?
[40 to 60 words that answer this question on their own.]
[Detail, examples, evidence with sources.]
1. [Step, if order matters]
2. [Step]
## [Next question]?
[40 to 60 word answer.]
| Option | [Attribute] | [Attribute] | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| [A] | [fact] | [fact] | [who] |
## [Next question]?
...
## FAQ
- [Follow-up question]? [One to three sentences.]
## Sources
- [Official doc title](link)
[One call to action: what it does, what it costs, the link.]
Before publishing, run five checks against the finished page, not the draft in your editor:
Read the title as it will appear in results; the query should be in the first few words.
Read the first two sentences alone and confirm they answer the title's question.
Read the first 50 or so words under each H2 alone and confirm each answers its heading.
Confirm every number, price and limit links to a source and carries a date where it can change.
Confirm the byline, the published date and the structured data all match what the page shows.
Get drafts that already follow a structure, from your own data
Filling this template for every post, every week, is the slow part. LaunchScaler's content engine plans a month of articles from your own Search Console queries, the searches you already rank for just off page one, writes one a day in your voice from what your product does, and by default puts every draft in your workspace for you to rewrite, trim or scrap before it publishes to WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Shopify, Notion, Medium or a signed webhook.
It costs $99/mo per website, with 3 days free before the first charge. Start the engine and your first draft is ready on day one.
Google sets no limit but truncates title links to fit the device width. Keeping the title to about 60 characters, with the query at the start, keeps the important words visible; the 2025 Web Almanac found the median title is 77 characters.
03
Should blog posts have an FAQ section?
Yes, if readers have follow-up questions, but not for a Google rich result: Google stopped showing FAQ rich results in Search on May 7, 2026. Write the FAQ for readers and keep each answer short enough to stand alone.
04
How many headings should a blog post have?
Google's SEO Starter Guide says there is no ideal number of headings and that heading order doesn't matter to Google Search. Use one H2 per question the reader has, and H3s only to break a long section into parts.
05
Does a blog post need a meta description?
It helps. Google mainly builds snippets from page content but may use the meta description when it describes the page better. Write a unique one- or two-sentence summary for each post; Google sets no length limit and truncates to the device width.
A content brief template with every field filled for a sample article: queries, intent, the two-sentence answer, sources, question headings, links and CTA.
Refresh posts that lost clicks over the last 3 months first, then posts ranking 4 to 20. How to find both in Search Console and what an update must change.
Content ROI = (value of signups a post brings − what it cost) ÷ its cost. How to fill in each number from GA4, and why to judge at 90 days and 12 months.
