SearchCans Content Format Brief

Map which types of pages, images, videos, and short videos are currently returned for one localized query. The result is a format inventory for planning—not a traffic forecast, ranking guarantee, engagement report, or a license to reuse content.

Collect a localized format inventory

Confirm the topic, target country/language, intended audience, and the planning decision. The default run requests all four surfaces: Google web, Images, Videos, and Short Videos.

python scripts/content_format_brief.py "AI research agent" \
  --country us --language en --max-results 10 \
  --out content-format-brief.json

To answer a narrower question, repeat --surface with web, images, videos, or short-videos. This reduces cost and scope explicitly.

Account-aware scope and interpretation

The default --account-mode auto estimates one SERP request per selected format, performs a sanitized Account API pre-flight, caps the selected surfaces only if needed, and respects available Parallel Lanes. warn, enforce, and off let the operator choose a different policy.

Use the report template to deliver:

1. Query, market, retrieved formats, and limits.
2. Observed format/page-type patterns for each surface.
3. Search questions and related searches as leads.
4. A content-format hypothesis and the source/page validation still needed.

Do not call something “popular,” “high-engagement,” “best-performing,” or “ranked” from this output. Google result appearance is an observed snapshot only. Image and video URLs are references; their appearance gives no reuse, ownership, or licensing right.

Official website

SearchCans

Resources

• scripts/content_format_brief.py generates the four-surface JSON inventory.
• references/content-format-report.md provides the planning-brief structure and boundaries.