Analyzing and Improving the SEO of the Queens Chronicle
The Queens Chronicle is a weekly newspaper that covers the news and events of the Queens area, a role it has played since it was first established in 1978. They have Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as their website, however it is clear that they have not yet fully grasped how to maximize their presence on digital platforms. In particular, their SEO is weak. While the majority of their articles do include a photo, images are not always used and this weakens the piece both as a reader experience and in terms of searchability. In addition, headlines are sometimes unnecessarily vague or focused on producing puns that may work in print, but leave the online reader confused as to the subject of the article. There is a total absence of links within features, either to other Queens Chronicle work or to external sources, and the deck of the story is always very brief and therefore not as explanatory as it could be. Even with these unspecific starts, the ledes are often soft news approaches that provide further confusion until a few paragraphs in — something that could be avoided with a more suitable headline and deck.
Example 1
‘Man allegedly did illegal medical work’ , 09/24/15
Immediately it is noticeable that a picture is missing. If a photo of the man in question is impossible/illegal to include, then perhaps a photo of the practice itself could be used or a generic medical shot if necessary. The headline of this article has some of the key words — illegal, medical — however it is also very vague. The deck only elaborates on an example of his unprofessional behavior, noting that he ‘wrote prescriptions on post-its’. While this is attributed to the DA, this still leaves the big picture not adequately addressed and readers are required to get to the lede in order to understand what the actual issue is. It also might be better to write ‘District Attorney’ rather than ‘DA’. A more suitable headline could have been: ‘Man allegedly impersonates doctor, illegally sets up medical practice’. This includes the same key words as before, but adds ‘doctor’, ‘impersonates’ and ‘practice’. It also clarifies the crimes committed. The existing deck is already more useful as an extension of this headline, although it could be further improved by adding that he ‘performed medical procedures’ as this is more noteworthy and yet is hidden in the second paragraph. The lede is suitable for the existing article, but with the new headline could perhaps mention something else so as not to be repetitive. Links are absent, however it is difficult to see where they could be used here; maybe they could be implemented to link to the Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, or to the District Attorney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Additionally, if the allegations that he graduated from school in Columbia came from a news source, this piece could be linked to in order to provide further clarification.
Example 2
‘This ship will return to port, eventually’ , 09/10/15
The photo here is well-chosen and appropriate, although perhaps it could be a little bigger. The main problem is the ambiguity of the headline; the article is actually about a restaurant and not a boat. While this play on words is good for print, it is misleading online. Even the deck does not clarify that the story is about a restaurant, although it does introduce the problem of needing to replace the building and also mentions the name — as a local paper, perhaps this is sufficient to identify the type of establishment it is. By replacing the headline to ‘Pier 25A Seafood Restaurant intends to re-open’, the story is immediately clear and this also allows the deck to elaborate rather than it having to introduce the concept for the first time. It also means that the soft lede is now atmospheric and understandable, rather than further confusing the reader. Both of these could be kept the same. Links are still an issue, however. There should be links to the restaurant’s website, a link to the Bayside Hills Civil Association website and perhaps a link to an article where neighborhood residents ‘bemoaned the disappearance of the restaurant’, if this exists.
Example 3
‘After 6 months on the road, he’s back’ , 09/24/15
There is a nice, big picture here of the subject, which is great. The issue, again, is the headline: it doesn’t mention any specific places, clarify what the purpose of the trip was or allude at all to who ‘he’ is. A more suitable headline might have been: ‘Man who walked across America for charity returns home to Hillcrest’, with the final two words optional. This would allow the deck to then mention further specifics, e.g. ‘His 2,800 mile walk from Lewes to LA finally concluded after six months’. These include many specific keywords that people might search for and they also make easy to detect the focus of the story. With these changes, the soft lede then becomes atmospheric and emotive, rather than vague. A link could be clearly introduced for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, as well as possibly for Mindy Kaling’s book. There is also the opportunity to link to the tourist websites of particular towns or cities mentioned in the article, if these exist. As the piece is predominantly an interview with the Star himself, there are limited other opportunities for links to other articles or websites.
Overall, the problems facing the Queens Chronicle are consistent: vague headlines, insufficient deck clarification, the absence of links. By fixing these, they would greatly increase their traffic from online searches and improve the online reader experience.
