SEO before you write another article

Start with a question you can answer well

Collect questions from enquiries, sales conversations, product feedback and your own support records. Keep the wording people actually use. A broad topic such as branding becomes useful when it addresses a decision: what belongs in a brand brief, or when does a visual identity need updating?

Choose questions connected to your offer and expertise. Record who is asking, what they know and what a satisfactory answer includes. Search demand can inform the choice, but a keyword list cannot establish whether your contribution is useful.

Give the question the right kind of page

Someone learning how an approach works needs explanation. Someone comparing options needs criteria and tradeoffs. Someone ready to buy needs a product or service page with practical details. Look at current search results to understand the mix, then use judgement: copying their format does not make your answer better.

Check your existing site first. The answer may belong in a service page, product description or FAQ instead of a new article. Give each page a distinct role. If two pages serve the same question, consider improving or combining them before adding a third.

Check the route and the technical basics

Place the article in a recognisable section and link to it from a relevant existing page. Use a descriptive title and headings that reveal the answer’s structure. A reader should understand the page’s purpose without guessing from the menu or the URL.

Confirm that the intended public URL loads correctly, is accessible without signing in and is not accidentally excluded from indexing. Check redirects, canonical settings and the rendered content, especially after a redesign. Indexability allows a page to be considered for search; it does not guarantee indexing, visibility or traffic.

Make the answer specific enough to use

Replace vague advice with a worked example, comparison, sample brief or checklist. Explain where the advice stops applying. A commerce guide might show how delivery information affects the questions a buyer still has; a branding guide could compare two fictional brief structures. Label invented examples clearly.

Verify claims against appropriate primary sources when they concern changing rules, product features or technical requirements. Link the source near the claim and record when it needs checking again. Identify the author and use real experience only when you can substantiate it. Remove unsupported numbers and borrowed certainty.

Connect the answer to a useful next step

Add internal links where another page genuinely helps: a definition, a deeper guide, a relevant service or a product category. Use link text that explains the destination. Then add links from older pages that naturally lead to the new answer; a published page can otherwise remain difficult to find.

Match the invitation to the reader’s readiness. A planning checklist may suit an early question; a consultation or purchase may fit a later one. Keep the article useful on its own, without requiring a contact form.

Measure the decision the page should support

Before publishing, define the intended outcome: relevant enquiries, product exploration or use of a resource. Record the starting position and check that your measurement works. Review search queries, landing-page behaviour and meaningful actions together rather than judging the article by one ranking or total visits.

Low traffic may reflect limited demand, poor discovery or the wrong question. A high visit count may bring few suitable customers. Seasonality, tracking changes and a small sample can distort comparisons. Review at a sensible interval, annotate changes and improve the weakest part of the journey before deciding to publish more.

Compare before you choose