Free resources for topical maps

Run every page through these seven checks before it goes live.

1. The page has one search intent, and the title and first heading show it.
2. The first paragraph answers the question in the heading, in 30 to 45 words.
3. The page links up to its parent and across to at least one sibling page.
4. Every number has a source, a measurement, or a placeholder for the client to fill in.
5. No competitor name appears in the title, headings or body.
6. Every image has alt text that names the subject and what it shows.
7. The Arabic version uses the glossary terms and reads as Modern Standard Arabic.

Fill these fields before a writer starts. A brief with a blank field is not ready.

1. Page title and URL: the topic and the address, both set by the topical map.
2. Search intent: one of definition, comparison, how-to, or buy or hire.
3. Primary keyword and two or three supporting keywords, in the language of the page.
4. The question the first paragraph must answer, in one sentence.
5. Outline: the headings in order, each one a question or a clear noun phrase.
6. Facts the page must include, each with its source or a placeholder for the client to fill in.
7. Internal links: the parent page and at least one sibling page.
8. What to avoid: competitor names, invented numbers, and claims about how search engines rank pages.

These are editorial rules we use. They are not claims about how any search engine ranks pages.

1. Answer the heading question first. Put the main noun in the first sentence.
2. Write a fact as a fact when you have the source. Do not invent numbers.
3. Keep one idea in each paragraph. End each section with a sentence that introduces the next one.
4. Match the page to its intent: a definition, a comparison, a how-to, or a service page. Do not mix them.
5. In Arabic, write headings and body in Modern Standard Arabic. Use dialect words only as synonyms.
6. Link each page to its parent and to a sibling page, with link text that names the target topic.

For the person who approves a page. Approve only when every item is a yes.

1. Does the page match its brief: intent, primary keyword, and outline?
2. Is every fact either sourced or marked for the client to confirm?
3. Is every price, date, and service area the client gave, not a guess?
4. Does the page read as a human wrote it for this reader, in one clear voice?
5. Are the Arabic and English versions consistent in facts and links?
6. Do the internal links point to live pages, and does the page link back up to its parent?
7. Is the page free of competitor names and of promises about rankings?

Work in this order. Do not write any page before its topic is placed in the map.

1. Name the subject in one sentence, and list the businesses or readers it serves.
2. Collect the questions people ask: autocomplete, related questions, and terms from your own customers.
3. Group the questions that have the same intent, and name each group.
4. Set one pillar page for the whole subject, and one hub page for each main group.
5. Put the articles under their hub. An article answers one question.
6. Link each page to its parent and to its siblings, and check that no page is orphaned.
7. Write the briefs for the first wave only, then publish in the order the map sets.