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The site was structured to favor fresh, news-driven content over evergreen pages, making it difficult for long-term, high-value content to maintain rankings. While the editorial team was producing personal finance content, several obstacles prevented it from ranking consistently in search.
1️⃣ News-Driven Site Structure Overpowered Evergreen Content
The site’s algorithm prioritized fresh content, meaning that each time a new editorial piece was published, it would gain temporary visibility but then drop in rankings as newer content took priority. This lack of lasting internal signals prevented evergreen personal finance pages from establishing long-term authority in search.
2️⃣ No Clear SEO Framework for Editors
Editors were producing evergreen content, but they lacked a structured SEO rubric for ranking high-intent keywords like "best credit cards." Without clear guidelines on content structure, keyword intent, and internal linking, content performance was inconsistent.
3️⃣ Editorial Resistance to SEO
Many editors came from journalism and content marketing backgrounds and believed they already understood SEO, leading to hesitation in adopting structured SEO best practices. This resulted in missed optimization opportunities and inconsistent ranking performance.
4️⃣ Hesitation Around High-Value Content
There was uncertainty about ranking for competitive topics like "best credit cards" because the site lacked direct financial partnerships. Without established relationships, product recommendations relied on ad-driven widgets, making it difficult to compete with trusted financial review sites.
5️⃣ Thin Content Due to a Fast-Paced Publishing Schedule
The demanding editorial calendar meant that some high-potential personal finance content was rushed and lacked depth. Later, we found that explainers and long-form content had greater sticky power, improving engagement and ranking stability.
Since the news-driven model and editorial workflow were valuable to the brand, we needed a solution that balanced timely content with a structured SEO approach, allowing evergreen content to maintain visibility without disrupting the site's core focus.