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News Article Writing

SEO/UX/Accessibility Guide​

Best practices for ensuring news stories and articles are optimized for search engines and user experience, thereby improving visibility, engagement and overall performance.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)​

Exact Keyword Match​

  • Use Yoast’s Focus Keyphrase field to research potential keywords.
  • Ensure the focus keyphrase is included naturally within the content. Keywords can be used in the headline, subheadings and throughout the body copy.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing.

Slug/URL​

Create a clean, concise URL that includes the exact focus keyphrase, avoiding unnecessary words and keeping it simple for readability.

note

WordPress generates the slug/url based on the headline, however, these do not have to be the same.

Headline​

Craft a compelling headline that encourages readers to click through to read the article.

You may include the focus keyphrase in the headline, but it is not necessary for SEO purposes.

Subheadings​

  • Use at least two subheadings (H3) to break up content for readability and organization.
  • Incorporate the focus keyphrase or variations when possible.

First 200 Words​

  • Introduce the topic clearly within the first 200 words.
  • Ensure the focus keyphrase is included and the content is engaging to hook the reader into continuing through the article.

Meta Description​

  • Write a concise description including the exact focus keyphrase or variations.
  • The description should be between 100-150 characters
  • End with a call to action such as “Read more” or “Learn more.”

Alt Text for Images​

Add descriptive alternative text for all images. Include the focus keyphrase if relevant to improve image SEO and accessibility. The alt text should describe the image with enough detail for a vision-impaired person to understand the image content similarly to someone looking at the image.

Also consider that a screen reader will vocalize the alt text, followed by the image caption.

  • If relevant, place a call to action (CTA) near the beginning of the article, otherwise, use inline links within the content.
    • Click-throughs and reading through the whole article are both engagement metrics.
  • Include at least two internal links to relevant pages on the external/marketing website.
  • Do not use “Open in New Tab” for inline links, as users are accustomed to opening in a new link if desired.
  • Include at least two external links to relevant, authoritative sources that add credibility to the content.
  • Do not use “Open in New Tab” for inline links, as users are accustomed to opening in a new link if desired.
  • Ensure that ETAMU people within the article are listed in the “Related People” field.
  • You may also link to their profile page with inline links within the content.

Body Length​

Ensure that the body of the article is at least 150 words. Longer content tends to perform better, so aim for a more comprehensive length.

  • Choose a high-quality featured image that is relevant to the content. The image should be visually appealing and as close to a 16:9 ratio as possible. Try not to use the Preview Image field.
  • Do not use the “Inside of Post” option in the Featured Image Position field for vertical images.

Yoast Social Preview​

Check Yoast’s Social Preview section to ensure the text and image align correctly when shared on social media.

  • If the text and image appear side by side, the image is too vertical.
  • You may choose to create a separate preview image in Photoshop.

User Experience​

Do not use “Open in New Tab” for inline links, as users are accustomed to opening in a new link if desired.

  • Mobile users may become annoyed with multiple windows popping up.

Subheadings​

  • Subheadings should be brief thoughts that allude to the content that the subheading is introducing.
  • Use sentence-case capitalization
  • No punctuation other than question marks
  • Format in H3 style

Accessibility​

Reading Level​

News and article posts should be at a ninth-grade reading level, as rated by its Flesch-Kincaid score. You may use the Flesch-Kincaid calculator or similar tool to determine the reading level.

Flesch-Kincaid scores are based on two factors:

  • Sentence length As judged by the average number of words in a sentence
  • Word length As judged by the average number of syllables in a word

Additional tools​

Help from Grammarly:

  • Use this version (https://app.grammarly.com/) in addition to the one built into your Word program. Use the “Clarity” option to help make your sentences concise.

Help from Yoast:

  • You may also utilize Yoast’s Readability section within WordPress once the content has been placed.
  • The Yoast Readability section offers guidance on:
    • Passive voice
    • Subheading distribution
    • Consecutive sentences
    • Paragraph length
    • Sentence length
    • Transition words
    • Word complexity