Before a page goes on the plan, run the idea through four filters: does it touch what you sell, does anyone search for it, can an article win there, and can you add something the top ten do not have. One no and the idea is not ready. The check takes fifteen minutes. The page takes hours, and the wrong page costs you the right one.
The four gates
I think of the filters as 'four gates' in a row, because the order matters. The first gate takes a minute to check and the last one takes ten, so you want the cheap gates to catch the bad ideas first.
The rule: an idea passes all four gates in order, and one no stops it. The consequence is that most ideas die at gate one or two in a minute each. That is the point. You should end up with fewer pages than you started with, and every one of them earned its place.
| Gate | The question | How to check | It fails when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Business | Does it touch what you sell? | Finish the sentence "Someone searching this is about to …" | The sentence ends in "learn" and nothing else |
| 2. Demand | Does anyone search for it? | Autocomplete, People also ask, or a keyword tool. Yes or no, and a size bucket | Nobody searches, and it is far from the money |
| 3. Shape | Can an article win here? | Search it and sort the ten results by shape | The page is shops, a map, or one brand's own site |
| 4. Gain | Can you add what the top ten do not have? | Read three results. Write down the one thing you would add | You cannot name it |
One idea through all four gates. "Best espresso machine under 500". Gate 1: someone searching this is about to buy a machine, and you sell machines. Pass. Gate 2: the choosing topic has thousands of searches a month behind its head terms ("best espresso machine" alone is 4,400). Pass. Gate 3: the results are roundups and reviews, an article shape. Pass. Gate 4: you have pulled shots on the machines you stock and you know which two you would send back. That is what the top ten do not have. Pass. Now compare "espresso machine deals": gates 1 and 2 pass, gate 3 shows shops. An article cannot win. Build a category page, or let it go.
Worked example: the same shop, two ideas
The checklist
- Finish the sentence "Someone searching this is about to …". If it ends in something you sell, or one step before it, go on. If it ends in "learn", stop, unless the topic is on your map for coverage.
- Check demand: yes or no, and a bucket. Tens, hundreds, thousands. No volume plus far from the money is a no. No volume plus one step from the sale is still a page.
- Search it and sort the ten results by shape. Guides and roundups pass. Shops, maps and brand sites fail for an article. Forum threads mean first-hand experience only.
- Read three of the results and write the one thing you would add. A number from your own work, the mistake you see, where you disagree. If you cannot write it in a sentence, stop.
- Write the verdict next to the idea. Pass, or the gate it failed at. Ideas that failed gate 3 can come back as a different kind of page. Ideas that failed gate 1 do not come back.
When you need this, and when you don't
You need it for every new page, and once for every page you already have. Run your existing pages through gates 1 and 4 in an afternoon. In my experience that is where old blogs lose most of their pages, and losing them is a good thing.
You don't need it for pages that exist for other reasons: your about page, terms, a page a customer asked you for. They are not on the map.
Next
- Step 2 is done. Next: step 3, Build your topic map, starting with Your topic map, where the surviving ideas become clusters and pages.
- Gate 3 in one click: the free What Ranks Here tool tells you whether an article can win for a keyword.
- If you would rather have all four gates run across your whole market, with the verdicts named: Done for you.