A Step-by-Step News Article Template with SEO Best Practices

By John Shehata

Mon, 14 August 2023

Optimizing your News Article Layout is an important task especially for big publishers. Optimizing this one template results in optimizing 80%+ of your organic search traffic. Find below a step-by-step SEO guide for each of the news article elements.

For a printable PDF, click here.

Check our Master News SEO Series

URL

This component has a minimal impact on rankings. So, don't fret over URL optimization. An optimized headline will naturally optimize your URL.
Keep URLs free of dates.
Recommendations include the use of lowercase and hyphens.
Eliminate stopwords.

<HTML> Title (SEO Title)

This is visible in Google's Top Stories.
Compose clear, descriptive, and unambiguous headlines to appeal to readers scanning search results.
Ensure your primary keywords/entities are placed at the start or as early as possible in the title. Place quotes and brands towards the end.
Aim for optimized rankings (SEO Keywords) and clicks (Engaged).
Use passive voice when required (e.g., "[Celebrity Name] was bitten by a dog").
Include entities (like full names, organizations, events, locations) coupled with keyword qualifiers whenever you can.
Avoid abbreviating crucial terms unless they are commonly recognized.
Prefer digits over text (e.g., "9" instead of "Nine").
Use terms people are actually searching for and avoid uncommon language (e.g., prefer "Pope John Paul Dies" over "Papacy Change").
For annual events, the year should follow the event name (like "Oscars 2019").
Steer clear of generic franchise headlines like "Things to Know this Morning".
Aim for headlines of 60-65 characters (or 512 pixels).

Article Headline

Should always be the only H1 on the page
Same SEO as SEO Title when possible
This is the visible headline in the article and Google News.
A headline length of 5-12 words is optimal.
It should closely align with the SEO title.
While it can be creative, it must include main keywords.

DEK

helps readers get an idea of the story and make a decision about whether they should continue on to read the full article

Byline

By Author: The author of the article.
Publish or Modified Date and Time.

Images & Videos

Include and optimize Rich Media for better rankings.
High-quality images (1200 px minimum + enabled max-image-preview-large) are strongly advised, particularly for Google Discover.
Provide captions for gallery images.
Embed keywords within image filenames & video files.
Use keyword phrases to describe images in alt text - necessary for ADA compliance and useful for SEO.

First Paragraph (lede)

In the first one to two paragraphs of your article, include all keywords and entities and answer the 5 W's: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
Maintain a focused writing style, applying the Inverted Pyramid method where the most critical content facts are stated first.

Article Body

Engage readers with unique and valuable content, enhancing readability by using short paragraphs and bullet points. Remember to naturally incorporate keywords throughout.
Start your content with a location when relevant.
Naturally incorporate keywords into the first paragraph & throughout the body – remember to write for your readers and Google.
Highlight and embolden important words throughout.
Publish fast, then update - News content should be at least 100 words.
Avoid embedding (social media) in the first 100 words.
Trigger Freshness Signals by: updating content when new significant info is available, add/swap images, update headline, tweak subheadings
Answer relevant questions, especially the ones that appear in Google People Also Ask.

Bolded H2 Subheadings

Use subheadings to break up the article every few paragraphs, giving an indication of the upcoming content and providing multiple entry points for the reader.
Make content more readable for those who scan content.
Highlight secondary keywords.

End of Article

End the article with a compelling CTA to engage readers, increase conversion rates, and guide users towards the desired action.

Behind the scenes

Ensure usage of the NewsArticle JSON-LD Schema.
The NewsArticle Headline should match the SEO Title and appear in Google's Top Stories.
Include the following info: Author, author.name, author.url, datePublished, dateModified, Image.
Optimize your OG:Title for social media and Google Discover.
Meta Description: Think of this as a brief summary for search engines, which helps in driving click-throughs. Include your focus keyword and maintain a length of 150-160 characters.

Social Sharing

Boost visibility by incorporating easy social sharing options for readers.

Language: English

Written by John Shehata

CEO, Founder of NewzDash, GDdash

John Shehata is the CEO and Founder of NewzDash (Real-Time News SEO Software) & GDdash (Google Discover Analytics and Optimization), founder of NESS (News and Editorial SEO Summit), and the former Vice President of Audience Development Strategy at Condé Nast overseeing SEO, Social Media Strategy, Email Strategy & Operations for 16 premium brands (Wired, Vanity Fair, Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, etc.).

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