Frase Tutorial

Step 1: Sign Up and Set Up Your Account

Head to frase.io and click the 'Start for free' button. I recommend signing up with Google for speed. You'll be taken through a quick onboarding survey—be honest about your role and goals, as it helps tailor the interface. Once in, connect your Google Search Console. This is crucial. I tested Frase with and without this connection, and the data richness is night and day. It allows Frase to pull your actual site's performance data for smarter recommendations. Next, go to 'Settings' (the gear icon) and fill in your website's URL and primary language. This ensures all content briefs and optimizations are relevant to your site. You'll land on the main Dashboard, which might feel busy, but don't worry—we'll break it down next.

Step 2: Navigate the Dashboard

The left sidebar is your command center. 'My Content' is your document hub. 'Analyze' is where you paste a URL to get a competitor scorecard—a feature I use daily. 'Briefs' is for standalone research documents. 'Answers' is a goldmine: a database of real questions people ask online, sourced from forums like Reddit. The central dashboard shows recent docs and suggested tasks. What surprised me was the 'Content Gap' widget; it suggests topics you haven't covered but your competitors have. Ignore the noise for now. Click 'Create New' at the top right. You'll see options for a Document, Brief, or Report. For your first project, always start with a 'Document'—it combines research and writing in one place.

Step 3: Create Your First Optimized Document

Click 'Create New' > 'Document'. A pop-up appears. Name your document (e.g., 'Beginner's Guide to Indoor Gardening'). In the 'Keyword' field, enter your primary target phrase. Be specific; 'indoor herb garden' is better than 'gardening'. Click 'Create Document'. Frase will now work its magic, analyzing the top 20 Google results. This takes about 30 seconds. You'll then see the 'Content Brief' panel on the left. This is Frase's core value. It shows average word count of top pages, key terms to include, headline ideas, and a list of semantically related topics. Scroll down to see questions from the 'Answers' database. My stance: don't skip this step. Review this brief for 2 minutes—it tells you exactly what to write to compete.

Step 4: Generate and Customize Your Outline

In your new document, look for the 'Write with AI' button in the top toolbar. Click the dropdown arrow next to it and select 'Generate Outline'. In my experience, this is where beginners get stuck—they start typing into a blank page. Don't. Let the AI propose a structure based on the top-ranking content. A full outline will populate in seconds. You'll get H2 and H3 headings. Now, customize it. Drag to reorder sections. Delete irrelevant ones. Click on any heading and use the '+ Add Subheading' option. I always add a 'FAQ' section at the end and pull in 3-5 relevant questions from the 'Answers' panel on the left. This outline is your blueprint; a good one cuts writing time in half.

Step 5: Write and Optimize with the Content Score

Start writing under each heading. For help, highlight a section title and click the 'Write with AI' button (or press Alt+Enter). It will generate a paragraph. I use this more for inspiration than full copy—always edit the output. On the right sidebar, keep the 'Optimize' tab open. Here, you'll see the real-time 'Content Score'. This is Frase's SEO grading system. It checks for keyword usage, topic coverage, readability, and more. Your goal is to get it to green (70+). As you write, you'll see recommendations like 'Use this term more' or 'Add a relevant image'. Address these one by one. What surprised me was how effective simply following these prompts is for on-page SEO. Don't obsess over 100%; hitting 75-85 is the sweet spot for readable, optimized content.

Step 6: Export, Share, and Explore Next Steps

Once your score is green and you're happy, click the three-dot menu in the top right. Select 'Export'. You can export to Word, Google Docs, HTML, or just copy the plain text. I always export to Google Docs for a final proofread. To share, use the 'Share' button next to Export. You can invite team members by email to view or edit. Now, explore! Go back to the Dashboard and try 'Analyze' on a competitor's URL. It will show you their Frase score and gaps. Also, check out 'Templates' under 'My Content' for faster repeats of this process. In my daily use, I've saved templates for product reviews, how-to guides, and listicles, which saves hours.