Next Steps: Basic Edits

Today, let's discuss 5 items which will lead to measurable SEO traffic growth.

  • Plan for Basic Edits: Review Comprehensive Strategy for "Basic Edits" of top 200 articles.
  • Pick 10 Articles for "Premium Edits" - Premium edits discussion will be in about 2 weeks.
  • Pick 10 Keyword Topics for Keyword-driven Projects - updated spreadsheet w/ new tab.
  • Review Current and Suggested Navigation.
  • Update all Category page SEO Titles and Meta Descriptions (per first meeting)

 

Podium Runner Spreadsheets

Keyword Buckets: shorturl.at/btINS
Metadata, Nav, Top Pages: shorturl.at/hjxyz

Women's Running Spreadsheets

Keyword Buckets: shorturl.at/cpxFZ
Metadata, Nav, Top Pages: shorturl.at/hjxyz

Triathlete Spreadsheets

Keyword Buckets: shorturl.at/dkorW
Metadata, Nav, Top Pages: shorturl.at/blu29

Basic Edits 

Our basic edits project is where we look at pages that deliver high volume traffic, and we respond with "medium-sized/basic" changes.  Since these pages represent a large piece of the editorial content, it’s important that they are high quality and a good reader experience. We are targeting evergeen content and not news pages.

Overall, we want to:

  • Target 1200+ words on average
  • Break down into readable subsections
  • Grammatically correct
  • The content is current and updated as recently as possible
  • Tweak titles and meta data
  • Ensure the opening deck reads very well to engage a reader
  • Removing old and out of date content

Editing Targets by Time

Google rewards sites that are fresh and current now more than ever.  The goal is to update ​each article (excluding news content and other impermanent post-types) every twelve months.​

Target a percentage of the site's articles to be updated each month and for as many articles possible to be updated annually. The key is each article must be improved, even if it’s just a few words better.

Prioritizing Editing

The two key variables are traffic from search engines and the last time an article was updated. It’s not important that this formula is exactly right because under this playbook every page is kept fresh.  However, prioritize pages by traffic so that more readers have a better experience sooner.

  • Create a list of articles that represent 80% of traffic (see basic edits tab)
  • Ensure these articles are best in class.
  • Estimate how many editors are needed to update 10% per month
  • In order of traffic, apply content producers to improve the content

 

Internal Linking

  • Habitually internally link to related content a when referencing key topics.
  • Try to internally link 2-4 times for each new piece of content created.

Expected Results:

By frequently improving the content and ensuring all articles are current, Google will reward sites with steady growth over time. By refreshing articles on an annual basis and building a core content, Pocket sites can expect strong organic search growth year after year.

Editor Resources:

Adding Content:

Use the following resources when adding content:

  • Google People Also Ask queries

 

 

  • Google Related Searches

 

  • Answer the Public

 

 

  • Google Search Console

Titles:

  • Content should answer the question of the title  
  • Titles should not be click-bait, but they should be engaging and interesting
  • Titles should use keywords but not be stuffed

Use these resources for titles:

  • Capitalize My Title (capitalizemytitle.com)
  • Moz Title Tag Preview Tool (moz.com/learn/seo/title-tag)

Best Practices:

Google your article's main queries and assess:

  • Competition:  how can we beat it
    • What type of content is being shown, e.g., videos, images, text only
    • Titles of main competition.  Can we improve our titles to compete? (How To Master The Arnold Press (Yes, That Arnold))
    • Featured snippets and People Also Ask questions
    • Utilize Inverted Pyramid:  Answer question of title at the top of the article and make your point above the fold
    • Optimize for Featured Snippet: Research main keywords and note if Featured Snippets is available. Use same format within article, e.g., bullets, paragraph, numbers, table.

    • Optimize for People Also Ask: create content within the article that answers the core questions asked by users.
    • Author bio: Build trust with an author bio that shows expertise. Create a bio from the content or from information shared on profile page. Quote education, awards, expertise, publications, social media, etc.
    • Break content up into scannable sections so that readers can find their answer quickly.
    • Headings should have answer right under the heading
    • Ensure that first paragraph is free of all errors
    • Add expert quotes and citations
    • Add reputable sources from fact checking research
    • Add original photographs or illustrations and avoid clip art or stock photography when possible.
    • Alt-tag is critical.
    • Rich, engaging captions are very beneficial.

Pick 10 Keywords for New Content

  • Lets review the roundup short-lists for each title.

 

Navigation Discussion

  • Lets look at current and suggested navs, and then discuss next steps.