The headline is too long; Google cuts it off.
Why it matters to readers. Readers see a clipped headline and can't tell what the story is about.
Desk · 2 min
→ Write an SEO headline under 65 characters; the page headline can stay.
Galley · story grade
Your story, graded
B
Fix this firstThe headline is too long; Google cuts it off. Desk · 2 min
Quality against reach
Quality is what the page shows of the reporting: byline, named sources, depth. Reach is how well it is set up to travel: timing, demand for the topic, the site's standing. Read it as a guide to where effort pays, not a traffic forecast.
Potential
49
Quality
74
Reach
36
38 pt · held back
Quality 74, reach 36: good journalism that is not set up to travel · low potential
Where it can be found
Discover
34
- Held back by: Share picture, How recent it is (nothing to fix)
Google News
62
- Held back by: Byline, News sitemap (nothing to fix), How recent it is (nothing to fix)
Google Search
90
- Held back by: Links to sources
For your desk
Changes an editor or reporter makes in the CMS.
The summary is too long; Google cuts it off.
Why it matters to readers. Readers see an unfinished sentence under your headline.
Desk · 2 min
→ Trim the SEO description to under 155 characters.
Some photos have no description for blind readers.
Why it matters to readers. Screen-reader users hear nothing where the photo is.
Desk · 2 min each
→ Fill in each photo's alt text: one sentence on what it shows.
We couldn't find who wrote this story.
Why it matters to readers. Readers trust a story more when they can see who reported it.
Desk · 2 min
→ Add the reporter as author in the CMS; if it's there, ask the web team.
For your web team
- Technical term
author in page + JSON-LD- What to change
- Print the author's name on the page and in the NewsArticle author field.
- Example
"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Reporter Name","url":"https://example.com/author/reporter-name"}]- How to check it's fixed
- View source of a story and search "author": the reporter's name should follow.
The story links to no outside source.
Why it matters to readers. Readers can't check the report or data it relies on.
Desk · 5 min
→ Link the primary sources: the report, order, dataset or statement.
For your web team
Site changes. Most are made once and fix every story.
Trackers load with no sign of a consent banner.
Why it matters to readers. Readers are not asked before being tracked, which can breach their data-protection rights.
Web team · 1 day
For your web team
- Technical term
consent-management platform (CMP)- What to change
- Add a consent platform that holds trackers until the reader agrees.
- Example
Load the analytics tag only after the consent platform reports agreement.
- How to check it's fixed
- Open the site in a private window: a consent banner should appear before anything else.
The share picture is too small for a large card.
Why it matters to readers. Readers on Discover get a thumbnail they scroll past.
Web team · 1 hour
→ Use a featured photo at least 1200 pixels wide.
For your web team
- Technical term
og:image width ≥ 1200px- What to change
- Point og:image at the full-size image, not a thumbnail.
- Example
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/story-1200x675.jpg">
- How to check it's fixed
- View source, search og:image, open it: the picture should be ≥1200px wide.
15 of 18 checks passed.
Send to your web team
Every web-team item, as one checklist to copy, email or print.
For the web team — https://sabrangindia.in/sir-karnataka-six-major-conspiracies-exposed-in-the-final-electoral-roll/
[ ] 1. consent-management platform (CMP) (once for the whole site; 1 day)
Problem: Trackers load with no sign of a consent banner.
Change: Add a consent platform that holds trackers until the reader agrees.
Example: Load the analytics tag only after the consent platform reports agreement.
How to check it's fixed: Open the site in a private window: a consent banner should appear before anything else.
[ ] 2. og:image width ≥ 1200px (once for the whole site; 1 hour)
Problem: The share picture is too small for a large card.
Change: Point og:image at the full-size image, not a thumbnail.
Example: <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/story-1200x675.jpg">
How to check it's fixed: View source, search og:image, open it: the picture should be ≥1200px wide.
Graded by Galley · onlinejourno.com
That was one story.
After publication, Frontmatter goes through everything you publish with the same checks and finds the stories whose quality outran their reach.