Give every page a job before you publish it

Most membership sites collect pages the way a garage collects boxes. A “Resources” page that holds a bit of everything. An events page that also explains membership levels. A blog post that starts on one subject and finishes on another. Each page seemed fine when it went up, but together they leave visitors unsure where to click and leave search engines unsure what any of them is about.

The fix is a habit, not a tool: before a page goes live, decide what its one job is. Once you know the job, nearly every other choice (the title, the description, the address, the links, the image) follows from it.

Write the job down in one sentence

A page’s job has three parts: who it is for, what it helps them do, and what you want them to do next. Put it in a sentence before you write anything else:

This page helps [who] to [do what], and the next step is [action].

Here is how a professional association for bookkeepers might fill that in for three different pages:

• A public guide: This page helps people considering bookkeeping as a career understand how to get certified, and the next step is downloading the free study plan.
• An event page: This page helps members decide whether to attend the regional conference, and the next step is registering.
• A members-only resource: This page gives members a month-end close checklist they can use today, and the next step is joining the discussion thread about it.

For public pages, add one more line: the main phrase someone would type into a search engine to find it. For the career guide, that might be “how to become a certified bookkeeper.” You don’t need expensive research to choose it; listen to the words your prospects actually use.

One topic per page

A page that tries to do several jobs usually does none of them well. It is harder to read, harder to title and harder for search engines to match to a search. And when two of your pages cover the same topic, they can end up competing with each other for the same searches, so neither does as well as one strong page would.

Watch for these signs that a page has more than one job:

• You struggle to write a title without using “and” twice.
• The page has several headings that could each be their own article.
• You have another page that answers much the same question.

The bookkeepers’ association once had a page called “Membership, Events and CPD Information.” Split into three pages (one explaining membership levels, one listing events, one explaining continuing education requirements), each became clearer, easier to link to and easier to find.

Let the job write the title and description

The title is the clickable headline in search results and the text in the browser tab. The description is the short summary that often appears beneath it. If you have written the job sentence, these nearly write themselves.

Before: Title “Resources | Bookkeepers Association.” No description.

After: Title “How to Become a Certified Bookkeeper: A Step-by-Step Guide.” Description “The exams, experience and study time you need to become a certified bookkeeper, with a free study plan to get you started.”

The after version tells a searcher exactly what they will get. At a minimum, make sure every page has both and that they match its job.

Give it a clean, lasting address

The address, or URL, is part of the page’s identity. A clean address is short, readable and built from the words of the job. Compare:

• Messy: /page.cfm?id=4471&cat=2&ref=menu
• Clean: /careers/become-a-certified-bookkeeper

Use lowercase words separated by hyphens and leave out dates and filler words. Decide the address before publishing, because changing it later means setting up redirects so old links still work.

Connect it to the rest of your site

A page no other page links to is an orphan. Visitors rarely stumble on it and search engines may barely notice it. Before publishing, find at least two existing pages on related topics that should point to the new page, and decide which page the new one should point to as the natural next step.

The anchor text, meaning the clickable words, should describe the destination. “Our guide to becoming a certified bookkeeper” tells readers and search engines far more than “read more.” If your home page is the busiest page on your site, think about whether the new page deserves a spot there too; a well-planned home page that turns visitors into members is itself a page with a very clear job.

Choose the image it shows when shared

When someone shares a page in a message or on social media, most apps display a preview: a title, a short description and an image. If you don’t choose the image, the app will guess, and it often guesses badly, picking a logo, an icon or nothing at all.

Pick one clear, relevant image for each important page, check how it crops in a preview, and make sure the sharing title and description match the page’s job. For the career guide, a simple image with the words “Become a Certified Bookkeeper” works far better than the association’s logo.

Your pre-publish checklist

Copy this list and run through it for every page before it goes live.

1. Job: Can you state who the page is for, what it helps them do and the next step, in one sentence?
2. Search phrase: For public pages, have you chosen the main phrase it should be found for?
3. One topic: Is there no other page on your site doing the same job?
4. Title: Does it name the topic plainly, in the words searchers use?
5. Description: Does it summarize what the reader will get in a sentence or two?
6. Address: Is the URL short, readable and unlikely to need changing?
7. Links in: Have you linked to it from at least two related pages?
8. Link out: Does it point readers to their next step?
9. Sharing image: Have you chosen and previewed the image it will show when shared?
10. Access: Is it public or members-only on purpose? If you are unsure, revisit why your best content should not be behind the paywall.

Start by running the checklist on your five most important existing pages. You will almost certainly find at least one page doing two jobs, missing a description or sitting unlinked. Fix those first, then make the checklist part of your publishing routine.