Track 2 of 4
Editorial SEO: write the piece that ranks, ship it live.
Most writing programmes teach you to write. The work here is different: you'll learn to write the specific piece that already deserves to exist on the Irish internet but no one has written yet. You find the gap. You research it properly. You ship a 1,200–2,000 word article that earns the rank.
What you'll learn
The Irish editorial sites in our portfolio (myid.ie, localnews.ie, tantra.ie, ourhouse.ie, and others) all rank because each page does one thing properly: it answers a specific question better than the existing top result, with Irish context. That's the skill you'll learn.
By the end of four weeks, you will have:
- Found and pitched a real topic gap using Google Search Console, search-results analysis and the site's existing structure.
- Written a topic brief — what's the question, who's asking, what's already ranking, what's missing.
- Researched the topic with primary sources where possible (CSO data, official .ie sources, named Irish experts).
- Drafted, peer-reviewed, edited and shipped a 1,200–2,000 word piece on a live Irish editorial site, with internal links, JSON-LD, and a hero image.
- Tracked your piece's first two weeks in GSC: impressions, clicks, position. Learned to read the curve.
Cadence
Four weeks. One outline, one draft, one revision, one ship.
Week 1
Find the gap. Mentor + SEO analyst share a topic shortlist; you pick one and write a brief. Brief is reviewed and locked.
Week 2
Research + outline. Primary sources gathered. Outline written, reviewed by peer + mentor. No drafting yet.
Week 3
Draft + peer review. First draft (full piece) submitted. Two cohort peers read it. Mentor reads it. Notes returned by end of week.
Week 4
Revise + ship. Final draft, accessibility + SEO + JSON-LD checks, hero image briefed (designer in cohort handles), publish, IndexNow ping, GSC submission. Reference paperwork signed.
What you'll ship in Cohort 1
If you take a Writer role in Cohort 1 (Carlow on localnews.ie), your shippable is a town page — a 1,000–1,500 word editorial piece on one Carlow town. Two writers in the cohort. We expect 5–10 town pages shipped between them.
Each town page includes:
- 200-word "what's the town like today" intro
- A short "what's been happening recently" section sourced from the cohort's sources researcher
- Big employers, schools, community institutions, GAA club, Tidy Towns or community group
- Outbound links to verified local sources
- An internal link to at least 3 other Carlow pages on localnews.ie
Example of what shipped editorial looks likeThe editorial pillar pages on
myid.ie are the closest shape. Pick one, read it end-to-end, look at the H1, the internal links, the structured-data block at the bottom. That's what we're aiming for.
Who this track is for
You'd suit this track if you've got two of these three:
- You can write clear factual prose. (Not flowery, not corporate — just clear.)
- You're willing to read the Carlow County Council annual report on a Tuesday night to fact-check a single paragraph.
- You enjoy figuring out why one article ranks and another doesn't.
You'd be less suited if you're hoping to write opinion pieces or personal essays — that's a different craft. The Academy's editorial track is about the findable, evidence-backed, structurally-sound kind of writing that turns into traffic.
Reference criteria
To graduate with a public reference at builtinireland.ie/references/<you>:
- At least one shipped article live on the project site, plus contributions to three more as peer reviewer / editor
- 4 weekly check-ins attended
- Mentor sign-off
- 2-paragraph self-reflection (becomes the letter text)
The reference will name your published piece(s) with a deep link, so anyone reading it can click through to your byline on a real Irish site. See a sample →
Cohort 1 needs two writers
Cohort 1 (Carlow on localnews.ie) has two Writer slots. We'll pick the people most likely to ship steadily, not the people with the most published clips.
Apply now →