Planning content your buyers are looking for.

Match each page to what the searcher needs

People search with a purpose. A page does well when its format and tone suit that purpose:

• Learning: they want to understand something, for example "how long does planning permission take". Explain it clearly and keep the sales pitch for later.
• Comparing: they are weighing options, for example "design and build or a separate architect". Give fair criteria, a table and the trade-offs.
• Ready to act: they want to buy, book or get a quote, for example "office fit-out quote London". Give prices or what they depend on, what is included and an easy way to get in touch.
• Already a customer: they want help with something you sold them. Clear help pages save your team time and show buyers you look after customers.

Group pages around a topic

Readers struggle to follow posts on unrelated topics, and so does Google. Group them instead:

One main page covers a broad topic, such as office interior design, and links to shorter pages that each answer one part of it in detail, such as cost, process or choosing a designer. Each of those links back to the main page, with link text that says what it is.

This shows Google that you cover the whole topic, and it stops your own pages competing with each other for the same search.

What a writer’s brief should include

A title and a word count produce general filler. A good brief tells the writer:

1. The searches it should answer: taken from Search Console or keyword research.
2. Your angle: what you know from your own work that competitors miss or get wrong.
3. Facts to check: figures, rules or prices that must be confirmed before the page is published.
4. Structure: the headings in order, the questions to answer directly, and any structured data the page needs.
5. What not to do: no invented examples or figures, and no stock phrases. If you do not have time to research and write briefs, our Content Research & Strategy service prepares them from your search data.

Keep older pages up to date

Pages go out of date: prices change, rules change, links break and competitors publish better answers. Set aside regular time to look after what you already have:

• Find pages that are slipping: in Search Console, compare the last three months with the same months a year earlier, and look for pages that lost clicks.
• Update the facts: prices, dates, screenshots, broken links and anything that is no longer true.
• Retire what nobody needs: remove pages that get no visits and help no customer, and redirect their address to the closest useful page.

Measure what content brings in

Lots of visits from people who will never buy are worth very little. Judge content by what it does for the business:

• Enquiries, bookings or sign-ups that started on the page or passed through it.
• New customers who mention a guide or article when they first talk to you.
• Growth in Search Console for searches from people who are comparing options or ready to act.

A one-page content plan

A plan does not need software. One page with the same six fields for each piece is enough.

• The question or search the page answers.
• Who is asking, and what they want to do next.
• The page that will answer it: a new one, or an existing one to improve.
• The one fact the page must get right.
• The date to review it.
• The enquiry or action that would tell you it worked.

Start with five rows. Finish and measure those before you add more.

Questions people ask

How many pages should I publish?

Enough to answer the questions your customers really ask, and no more than you can keep accurate. A few good pages beat many weak ones.

Should I update old pages or write new ones?

Update first when an old page already gets impressions. Write a new one when a real question has no page that answers it.

Who should write the content?

Someone who knows the subject, then someone who checks it reads plainly. An assistant can draft, but a person who knows your business must review every claim.

Try this on your own site in 10 minutes

Open the Performance report in Search Console and choose the last 3 months.

1. List the 10 searches that show your pages most often, and mark the ones from people ready to buy.
2. Find two of your pages that answer the same question, and decide which one to keep.
3. Compare clicks with the same months last year to find pages that are slipping.
4. Pick one slipping page and update its facts, its title and its opening paragraph.