The provided source materials detail several aspects of SEO, ranging from basic website setup to advanced strategies for news websites. A significant portion of traffic to news sites—ranging from 16% to 40% for the publishers analyzed—originates from News and Top Stories Search Engine Results Page (SERP) features. Optimizing for these features, often referred to as News SEO, can substantially increase website traffic. The documents outline checklists covering basic SEO, technical SEO, on-page optimization, content creation, off-page strategies, and ongoing maintenance. These checklists provide a framework for improving a website’s visibility in search results, but the emphasis for news sites should be on time-sensitive content and recent publication dates.
SEO Basics Checklist
The foundation of any SEO strategy begins with basic setup and keyword research. The documents recommend identifying core and related keywords relevant to a business or website. This process should start with brainstorming terms customers might naturally use when searching for related products or services. For example, a local thrift store might target keywords like “vintage t-shirts in [city]” or “thrift shop [city],” while an electrician could use “electricians in [city]” alongside informational queries. Assessing keyword value and rankings is also crucial, though the provided materials do not detail specific methods for this assessment.
Technical SEO Considerations
Technical SEO focuses on optimizing a website’s underlying infrastructure. The documents highlight the importance of website architecture, robots.txt files, and XML sitemaps. Website architecture should be optimized using tools like Screaming Frog. The materials also emphasize the need for site security and page speed, though specific recommendations for improving these factors are absent. Schema markup is mentioned as a component of technical SEO, but the specific types of schema markup to implement are not detailed.
On-Page Optimization Checklist
On-page optimization involves refining elements within a webpage to improve its ranking potential. The documents list several key areas, including domain names, URLs, title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, content, keyword insertion, internal links, and images. The materials do not provide specific guidance on optimizing these elements beyond their inclusion in the checklist.
Content Creation & News SEO
For news websites, content creation is paramount. The documents emphasize the importance of optimizing time-sensitive articles to rank higher in Google News, top stories carousels, and Discover feeds. A strong news SEO strategy can also improve a website’s chances of appearing in Large Language Models (LLMs) like Google’s AI Overviews, as these models often prioritize recently published articles. The documents do not detail specific content optimization techniques beyond the general recommendation to optimize for news-related SERP features.
Off-Page SEO: Backlinks, Citations & Brand Signals
Off-page SEO encompasses activities conducted outside of a website to improve its search rankings. The documents identify backlinks, online directory listings, online reviews and ratings, social signals, and brand signals as important components of off-page SEO.
Backlinks are mentioned as a key factor, but specific strategies for acquiring them are not detailed. Online directory listings are particularly important for local businesses, and the documents recommend claiming Google Business Profile and Bing Places listings, as well as joining industry-specific directories (e.g., the American Dental Association for dentists). Maintaining name, address, and phone number (NAP) accuracy across these listings is also crucial.
Online reviews and ratings are described as endorsements of a business, and the documents recommend promoting review outlets and responding to reviews. Social signals, generated through social media profiles on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, are considered to have low importance but can still provide search engines with context about a brand. Brand signals, such as online mentions of a brand, products, or services, are also valuable. The documents suggest tracking online mentions with Google Alerts, publishing press releases, hosting events, and participating in online forums to strengthen brand signals.
Local SEO Checklist
For businesses with a physical location, local SEO is essential. The documents recommend claiming and optimizing Google Business Profile and Bing Places listings. Maintaining NAP consistency across online directories is also highlighted. The documents suggest promoting review outlets offline, monitoring reviews regularly, and responding to user feedback.
Social Media SEO
The documents indicate that social media profiles can provide search engines with context about a brand and offer users a place to learn more. Creating profiles on reputable networks like Facebook and LinkedIn and optimizing them with NAP information is recommended. Regular posting of curated content and engagement with users are also suggested. Partnering with micro-influencers for cross-promotion is another potential strategy.
Ongoing SEO & Analytics
SEO is not a one-time effort; it requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments. The documents recommend using SEO checkers, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, and Google Analytics 4 to track performance and identify areas for improvement. Screaming Frog is also suggested as a tool for technical audits. The materials do not specify key performance indicators (KPIs) to track or specific actions to take based on analytics data.
News SEO: A Deeper Dive
The data provided highlights the significant impact of News and Top Stories features on traffic for major news publishers. Yahoo, for example, receives 25.1% of its total traffic from these features, while USA Today receives 39.0%. This underscores the importance of a dedicated News SEO strategy. While the documents do not provide detailed tactical guidance, they emphasize the need to optimize for recent publication dates and time-sensitive content to increase visibility in LLMs and traditional search results.
Conclusion
The provided source materials offer a comprehensive SEO checklist encompassing technical, on-page, and off-page strategies. For news websites, the data emphasizes the critical role of News SEO in driving traffic and improving visibility in search results. While the documents provide a broad overview of SEO best practices, they lack specific guidance on implementation details and advanced techniques. The checklists serve as a useful starting point for optimizing a website, but further research and experimentation are necessary to achieve optimal results.