Free template · Excel, Google Sheets, CSV
Content calendar template for Excel and Google Sheets.
A content calendar sets which topic goes live when, who creates it and how far along it is. Our template also plans what people search for, with columns for primary keyword, search volume and search intent. You get it as an Excel file and as a CSV, free and without an email address.
What’s inside
Three sheets. From first idea to live URL.
Most templates plan dates and channels. This one also plans whether anyone searches for the topic and what they expect to find. Seven filled-in example rows show what a real calendar looks like.
The “Calendar” sheet
One piece of content per row. Frozen header, filters on every column, dropdowns for search intent, format and status. The status cell changes color as work moves on.
- Publish date and topic
- Primary keyword and monthly search volume
- Search intent: informational, commercial, transactional, navigational
- Format: guide, how-to, comparison and more
- Status: idea to published, plus “Needs update”
- Owner, URL, notes
The “Topic ideas” sheet
Where everything goes that isn’t scheduled yet. For each idea you note where it came from and how important it is.
- Idea or customer question
- Source: customer question, support, “People also ask”, Search Console …
- Primary keyword, search volume, search intent
- Priority: high, medium, low
- Scheduled: yes or no
The “How to use” sheet
Everything you need to get started lives in the file, so teammates who never saw this page can use it too.
- The six steps to a calendar
- Every column with an example
- The four types of search intent
- Where to get search volume
- Overview: pieces per status, counted automatically
Step by step
How to create a content calendar in six steps.
The template gives you the columns. What makes a calendar good are the decisions before that: which topics, in what order, in which format.
Collect ideas before you plan
Add everything customers ask to the “Topic ideas” sheet. You already have the best sources: questions from sales and support, the queries in your Google Search Console and Google’s “People also ask” for your topics.
Note the source of every idea. A question customers really ask beats one that only seems logical to you.
Add primary keyword and search volume
For each idea, find the words people actually search with and how often that happens per month. An example from the template: “french press ratio” is searched around 8,100 times a month in the US, “how to store coffee beans” around 1,900 times (Google Ads, retrieved October 8, 2026).
Low search volume is no reason to drop a topic. A few precise searches can be worth more than many vague ones, for example when they come right before a buying decision.
Work out the search intent and pick a format
Search the keyword on Google yourself and look at what ranks at the top. Guides and how-tos mean people want to learn something. Comparisons and reviews: they are weighing options. Shops and product pages: they want to buy.
The format follows from that. Someone searching “how to descale espresso machine” needs a how-to, not a product comparison.
Merge duplicate topics
Two ideas with the same search intent belong in one article. That is why “cold brew ratio” isn’t a separate entry in the template but part of “how to make cold brew”.
Otherwise two of your own pages compete for the same search, and you split work and links across two pages instead of one.
Set dates and owners
Move the ideas with the highest priority to the “Calendar” sheet: date, owner, status “Planned”. Only schedule as many dates as you can reliably hit.
A rhythm you keep beats a full calendar that falls apart after three weeks.
Keep the status current and refresh old posts
Update the status at every step: idea, planned, writing, in review, published. Once a piece is live, its URL goes into the row.
Once a month, filter for “Published” and check in Search Console which articles are losing clicks or have outdated numbers. They get the status “Needs update” and a note on what to do.
Know-how
Search volume and search intent: how to fill in the SEO columns.
Two columns set this template apart from an ordinary content calendar. You don’t need a paid SEO tool for either of them.
The four types of search intent
Every search has a goal. Four categories are enough for planning, and they are also the dropdown options in the template. The examples come from the coffee roaster’s calendar.
| Search intent | What the person wants | Example | Matching format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | to understand or learn something | coffee grind size chart | Guide, how-to |
| Commercial | to compare options | best espresso beans | Comparison, buying guide |
| Transactional | to buy or enquire now | buy espresso beans | Product or category page |
| Navigational | to find a specific page | [brand] login | Homepage, login |
Search volume: three sources without an SEO tool
You don’t need an exact number, just the order of magnitude: is the topic searched ten times a month or a thousand?
- Google Ads Keyword Planner: monthly searches and new keyword ideas. Google requires a Google Ads account with billing information set up.
- Google Search Console: the queries your pages already appear for, and how often. The best source for topics where you rank just below the top results.
- Google Search itself: autocomplete and “People also ask” show what else people want to know. No numbers there, but the exact wording.
Excel, Google Sheets or Notion?
The template works in all three. What matters is who plans with you.
- Excel: if you plan alone or keep the file on a shared drive. Dropdowns, filters and colors are set up.
- Google Sheets: if several people plan and approve at the same time. Upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, or load it via “File → Import” in Google Sheets.
- Notion: if your team already works there. Import the CSV file as a database and add a calendar view by date.
Download
Download for free. No email, no sign-up.
content-calendar-template.xlsx
Excel (.xlsx)
Three sheets with dropdowns, filters and colors. Also opens in Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.
Download the Excel templatecontent-calendar-template.csv
CSV
The “Calendar” sheet only, for importing into Notion, Airtable or other tools. Comma-separated, UTF-8.
Download CSV- Google Sheets: upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.
- Notion: “Import → CSV” turns the CSV file into a database.
- Free to use and adapt, including for your team.
Questions
Good to know.
How do I create a content calendar?
In six steps: collect ideas, note the keyword and search volume for each, work out the search intent, merge duplicate topics, set dates and owners, then keep the status current. The template has a column for every step and explains each one on its “How to use” sheet.
What should be on a content calendar?
At minimum: publish date, topic, format, status and owner. If the content should be found on Google, add the primary keyword, its monthly search volume and the search intent. Add a URL column for live pieces and a notes column for sources, images and internal links.
What is the difference between an editorial calendar and a content calendar?
In practice, most teams use both terms for the same thing. Where people do separate them, the editorial calendar covers the publishing schedule of articles, while the content calendar spans all channels, including social posts and newsletters. This template works for both: one row per piece, any format.
Is there a content calendar template for Google Sheets?
Yes, this one. Upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, or use “File → Import” in Google Sheets. Google Sheets reads Excel (.xlsx) and CSV files directly.
Can I use it for social media?
Yes. Pick “Social post” as the format or type in your channel, your own values are allowed. Leave keyword and search volume empty for posts. The template is built for content that should be found through search, though: blog posts, guides, landing pages.
How often should I publish?
As often as you can keep the quality up. Google explicitly lists producing lots of content on many different topics, in the hope that some of it performs well, as a warning sign. One article a month that answers a real customer question better than the current results is a good start.
Is the template really free?
Yes. You download both files directly, with no email address and no sign-up. You are free to use and adapt them.
More templates
Plan and post belong together.
One row in the content calendar becomes the editorial brief of the blog post template.
Not a spreadsheet person? Claire fills in the calendar herself.
Claire looks at what your customers ask on Google and in AI search, and where your competitors get found and you don’t. That becomes a topic plan, biggest opportunities first. You can add your own ideas at any time.
- Topics from your keyword gaps, biggest opportunities first
- Finished articles in your voice, researched and sourced
- You approve, or Claire publishes on her own