New Question Candidates
A controlled process for deciding whether new user questions deserve FAQs, videos, page updates, support pages, or new indexed URLs.
New question candidates
This page controls whether a new user or search question deserves new content. It is intentionally conservative because uncontrolled expansion is how feeder sites turn from useful hubs into duplicate-content aquariums.
A candidate question should be scored for repeated demand, commercial intent, distinct routine gap, existing asset match, video potential, quiz relevance, and claim risk. If the question already fits an existing page, update that page first. If the question is repeated but narrow, add an FAQ or answer snippet. If the question is visually explainable, add it to Phase 12 video later. If the question introduces a distinct decision path, then a new indexed page may be allowed.
| Candidate rule | Action |
|---|---|
| Same intent as existing page | Merge into existing page or FAQ. |
| Repeated search query with low CTR | Improve title, intro, and direct answer. |
| Repeated quiz confusion | Improve quiz wording and handoff logic. |
| Repeated social comment | Create short video or FAQ first. |
| Distinct routine gap | Consider new indexed page after validation. |
Candidate file
Use new-question-candidates.csv to log potential new questions without automatically creating pages. Revolutionary restraint, apparently.
New page caution
Do not create state-of-mind variants that say the same thing with new synonyms. A new page needs a distinct decision path, not just a different wording for the same serum confusion.
How this feedback system prevents content bloat
The feedback loop is designed to stop FindYourSerum from creating a new indexed page every time a slightly different query appears. A query should first be matched to the current knowledge catalog, answer snippet library, citation briefs, question clusters, and agent-ready actions. If the existing page already covers the intent, the correct action is a refresh, not another URL.
The refresh process should improve the asset that already has the strongest relationship to the query. That may mean adding a direct answer block, a better comparison table, a stronger FAQ, a clearer intro, more precise internal links, a better quiz handoff, or a cleaner title tag. New pages should be reserved for cases where repeated demand shows a genuinely separate skin signal, routine gap, or decision path.
This process also protects the site from doorway risk. A doorway-style page usually exists only to capture a variant phrase while saying almost the same thing as another page. Phase 13 avoids that by forcing every query to pass through the signal-gap-role map before publication. Tedious, yes. Cheaper than explaining to Google why the site suddenly has twelve pages about the same serum confusion wearing different hats.
Monthly operating cadence
Run the feedback loop after each full month of data. Export Search Console and Bing queries, then add quiz responses, support questions, ad comments, social comments, and internal site-search terms. Classify each item by source and intent. Keep the raw wording because the exact phrasing often reveals what the buyer did not understand.
After classification, assign the best existing asset. If the query already has a page, improve that page. If it has an answer snippet, improve the snippet. If it has a citation brief, confirm the brief still matches the safest answer. If it appears frequently in comments, save it for Phase 12 video work later. If it causes quiz confusion, improve the quiz handoff or question wording.
The final step is review. Record every change in the refresh log, set a review date, and compare impressions, click-through rate, average position, and quiz clicks after enough data has accumulated. Do not declare victory after one day. Search data is slow because apparently even algorithms enjoy suspense.
Candidate scoring model
Each new question candidate should be scored before it becomes public content. Useful scoring fields include monthly query frequency, commercial intent, current page match, routine-gap uniqueness, quiz relevance, video potential, and claim risk. A high score does not automatically mean a new page. It means the question deserves an action.
Questions with strong demand but an existing page match should become updates to that page. Questions with strong social repetition should become short videos later. Questions that expose quiz confusion should become quiz language improvements. Questions with a unique routine gap may become new indexed pages, but only after confirming they are not just a synonym for an existing article.
This candidate process should be ruthless. The site does not need to answer every possible wording with its own URL. It needs to answer every meaningful decision path clearly. The distinction is small, but so is the line between useful topical authority and a content landfill with skincare adjectives.
Frequently asked questions
How often should this process run?
Run it monthly after enough query and behavior data has accumulated.
What should be updated first?
Update the existing best page, answer snippet, FAQ, citation brief, internal link, or quiz handoff before creating new indexed URLs.
When is a new indexed page justified?
A new indexed page is justified only when repeated demand shows a distinct skin signal, routine gap, comparison angle, or decision path.
What should be avoided?
Avoid creating duplicate pages, thin support pages, doorway-style variants, and medical product claims.