SEO for journalists: make a story findable without changing the facts
Search can reveal real audience questions, but a headline and structure must remain faithful to the reporting.
Start with the public question
Before researching keywords, write what a reader needs to understand. Separate a fast-changing update from a durable explanation. Use recognizable language in the headline and opening, but do not repeat a phrase when it distorts meaning. Study the unanswered questions in existing coverage, then report the answer rather than inventing one from search suggestions.
Make evidence visible
Attribute each important claim, state when it was checked and distinguish confirmed fact from uncertainty. A heading should help navigation, not promise more than the paragraph delivers. Keep a correction record and change the modification date when a substantial review occurs. Reuters emphasizes accuracy ahead of speed and transparent corrections.
Make the page technically legible
Use a stable URL, distinct title, useful description and relevant internal links. Google explains that Article data can identify headline, author and dates; structured data does not replace good reporting or guarantee ranking. Check that text remains readable without scripts, images have alternatives and source links resolve.
Try it
Take one local story and write two entries: a factual update headline and a durable explainer of its central question. Ask another reader to identify what is confirmed, what is background and when the piece was reviewed.
Before publishing
Do not turn an old figure, rumor or tentative hypothesis into certainty to attract a click.