surfup

From brief to publication

A sequence for research, outlining, drafting, and editorial review.

Use these steps as a working checklist and adapt them to the project’s evidence, scope, and constraints.

Practical steps

  • Bring the audience, page goal, facts, and sources together in a concise brief.
  • Check search intent and separate known information from hypotheses.
  • Create an outline with a direct answer and verifiable points.
  • Draft with links to primary sources and clear limitations.
  • Complete editorial, factual, SEO, and legal review before publication.

Latest materials

All materials

Practical articles and guides by SurfUp.

Guide · 10 min

“What is…” pages and AI answers: lost clicks or falling demand

A bank’s reference section lost 24% of visits as demand fell 13%. How to tell clicks lost to an AI block from falling demand and how to measure it.

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Guide · 8 min

Traffic dropped after a Google update

How to tell whether a traffic drop comes from a Google update, seasonality or a site fault. 2026 update timeline, a six-question check and a plan for the first 14 days.

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Guide · 9 min

Demand fell or the site lost: reconciling traffic with Wordstat

Demand for deposits fell 75%, traffic 37%; for cards demand −35%, traffic −63%. How to reconcile traffic with demand and not blame the site for the market.

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