Pitching for SEO stories

Digital journalists are perpetually chasing trending topics: we always want to top the google rankings for news as well as evergreen content.

This means, of course, that we update older content that people are googling hoping to satisfy those who find it with the most current information.

It’s almost never random: we monitor visits and if there’s a spike we respond accordingly. And often, we see it coming. For instance, Gwyneth reveals her shoddy sunscreen application which goes viral – so we update our guide as people search for SPF tips.

We also use google trends to identify when non-newsy search terms might spike during the year. I imagine PRs do the same, and it’s great to have suggestions for topics ahead of their search peak, so we can have updated content at the ready.

For example – similar to our longer-lead counterparts – we begin working on Christmas in October (more on this soon), then revisit it tirelessly until the big event.

To get in on the SEO action, these tips might benefit us all:

• When talking to digital journos ask what we’re updating instead of only focusing on newness.

• Know which topics your target websites are authorities in according to google (their articles will come top in a search). It’s likely this content will be updated frequently, demanding fresh details which you might be able to provide.

However…

• From our point of view there’s a big difference between our planned updates vs adding to articles ad-hoc. Seen something go live and feel your client would have been the perfect fit? Please don’t presume we can just ‘add them in’ (we get asked this a lot) but do make us aware of your offering for potential future updates.

Make it easy for us. Often, updates are done expeditiously – and having all the info and assets in one email is invaluable.