Published September 9, 2026
Published September 9, 2026.
A journey-gap check follows one reader decision across existing pages and identifies the point where a useful next step is missing.
Identify the operating fact
Choose a real entry page and state what its visitor is likely trying to decide. Follow only the links that genuinely advance that decision, noting where the path changes topic, repeats itself, or ends too early.
Make one bounded move
The answer is not automatically “add more links.” Sometimes the destination exists but the anchor hides its purpose. Sometimes the article should finish the task itself. Add a link only when another page supplies a distinct next step.
Leave a usable record
Record the source paragraph, proposed anchor, destination, and reader benefit. Then open the destination and confirm that its current title and content still fulfill the promise.
A practical closeout
Ask whether another editor could repeat the decision from the record without guessing. Keep the note proportionate to the risk, connect it to the article’s actual next gate, and avoid treating process activity as proof of a reader benefit. The routine succeeds when it makes good daily article creation and SEO improvement easier to review, not when it produces more paperwork.
For a related daily control, use the editorial queue first look to choose the work before applying this check.