Introducing Media Tech Report's Back to Basics

"Make the website better" sounds simple, but with so many technical opportunities, it's easy for it to feel less like a to-do list and more like an avalanche of everything you're doing wrong.

Introducing Media Tech Report's Back to Basics series, where every week, we review one easy-to-accomplish solution to an extremely common problem.

In this week's issue:

📍 Cookies don't crumble for Chrome

📍 Guardian's new app helps with recipes

📍 Your beehiiv newsletter is now an app (or is it?)

📍 Media Company of the Week: the LAist

📍 Back to Basics: "About" & "Editorial Policies" pages

Continue reading 👇

Cookies dont crumble for Chrome

After a lot of confusion and stress over the death of cookies by 2025, Google has reversed decision. The decision to keep third-party cookies in Google Chrome has caused mixed reactions from advertisers. It is not exactly clear what caused the change in direction or what will replace it, but Google says it will offer users more data control.

Forbes speculated that Chrome will offer a choice between third-party cookies, Topics API, and its private browsing feature.

Guardians new app helps with recipes

The Guardian launches Feast, a cooking app with 30,000 recipes, to boost subscriber engagement and attract new audiences. It costs $3.99/month as a standalone app, but it's free with some bundled subscriptions. With over 100,000 downloads, it offers features like hands-free' cook mode' and ingredient-based recipe searches.

Guardian’s Feast is the latest example of news and media companies developing new products. After the New York Time’s success with Wordle and gamified finance apps developed by Norkon, publishers will continue to come up with new apps.

Your beehiiv newsletter is now an app (or is it?)

beehiiv announced it’s adding mobile app versions of all newsletters on the platform for free. These “apps” provide more than just access to newsletter content–they allow for push notifications and real-time audience engagement.

The name “app” may be misleading. The new beehiiv offerings are not much more than browser shortcuts added to your device's Home Screen.

I tried following the instructions to activate it for Media Tech Report, but it didn't work as it was supposed to.

beehiiv is one of the rare tech companies to start an update streak for its products and create hype. That makes you wonder if it’s more of a marketing tactic than a drive to improve their product.

Media Company of the Week: the LAist

Living in LA, a multi-platform newsroom like LAist is essential. It offers newsletters and radio programs and is known for its strong community ties and careful coverage of local news, arts, and culture. LAist captures the diverse voices of Southern California, making it invaluable for residents.

Back to Basics: "About" & "Editorial Policies" pages

Last week, I highlighted some of Sherwood Media's strengths and weaknesses. I left one thing out: the brand's smart "About Us" and the "Editorial Standards" pages. It sounds too simple to be impactful, but detailed About Us and Editorial Policies pages are vital for establishing authority—for both readers and search engines. If you don't have a robust About page, here's your sign to prioritize creating one.

About Us

The About Us page improves your website's standing in search, clarifies your brand image, and secures readers' trust. A well-crafted page with rich content of around 2,000 words is ideal—it will boost your site's standing with both search engines and readers.

Why You Need an About Us Page

• It tells your story: Yes, your editorial content should speak for itself, but with trust in media at an all-time low, it's crucial to establish credibility for anybody looking for it. Introduce your team and share your story. What are your values? How are you different? Who creates the content?

• Builds trust: Share what drives your team and the values that support your site's content. Without this page, readers may question your authenticity.

• Improves SEO: Google cares a lot about site authority. An "About" page boosts a brand's so-called E-E-A-T scores, a framework Google uses to establish which URLs come up in organic search results. The term stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. An "About Page" is dedicated exclusively to establishing a brand in those terms. In addition, brands can use high-value keywords to boost visibility in search results.

What an About Us Page Needs

You don't need 1,000+ words of fluff. You need 1,000+ words of substance. A stand-out "About" page can include the following:

1. The mission — To be frank, what is the point of your website? Why was it created? What are you offering to the world?

2. The history — Every business has a story, and this is your opportunity to tell yours. As with any good story, be sure to build a world, create tension, and close satisfyingly. Add plenty of color and details.

3. Editorial policies — This can be a part of the About page or a separate URL entirely—it depends on how long and detailed you'd like to be. It could be where you disclose how your work is funded, how research is conducted, and how content is created, edited, and published.

4. Links to popular or high ROI content — Highlight your favorite or most profitable posts.

5. Multi-sentence bios for employees — A masthead is great, but a sentence or two for every employee is better. Thissignals to readers and search engines that yours is a high-value enterprise forged by experts in the field.

6. Shout-out other products — If you have a brand presence outside your website, give it a moment in the spotlight here. This includes podcasts, newsletters, YouTube channels, Instagram, Discords, LinkedIn accounts, ebooks, and online courses.

7. CTA for potential partners, sponsors, advertisers, and/or premium members — Don't forget to give people the opportunity to help fund your business.

Editorial Policies

Defining your editorial values and policies helps build credibility and trust, especially considering Americans' trust in media has recently plummeted to historic depths. An Editorial Policies page boosts reader confidence in its authenticity by

• Supporting credibility: This page shows you're serious about content integrity and standards, which helps build trust.

• Showing professionalism: Explaining how you manage submissions and publishing reassures writers and researchers that your site is a worthy place for their work.

What an Editorial Policies Page Needs

1. Mission and Values — Share what your organization believes in and why you publish. This helps readers understand your main goals.

2. Editorial Standards and Practices —This section makes up the heart of this page, and it can have multiple subsections. Detail standards for accuracy, fairness, and integrity. Include roles of editors, workflow, and practical details.

3. Fact-Checking and Source Transparency — Explain how you verify facts and cite sources to ensure the truth is told.

Websites Doing it Well

• Glossy [About]

• The Verge [About] [Ethics Statement]

• Sherwood News [Editorial Standards]

• The Juggernaut [About]

• LAist [Editorial Ethics and Guidelines]

Subscribe to Media Tech Report to catch next week's discussion on how to boost SEO for taxonomy landing pages.