Free worksheet · CSV template
Know which page owns the job before you create another.
Use this worksheet to turn an unverified coverage guess into a reviewable inventory. The output is one coverage state for the page-decision tool—not a keyword-to-URL list.
Useful output
One owner. One evidence state. One coverage classification.
Do not inventory the whole website by default. Start with one declared user job, collect only plausible owners and competitors, then record what each URL actually promises. A sitemap is a source list; it is not the decision.
Worksheet contract
Eight fields are enough to expose most collisions.
| Field | Record | Why it changes the action |
|---|---|---|
| URL | The exact current or candidate page. | Prevents decisions about an unnamed page. |
| Indexability | Indexable, noindex, redirect, 404, or unknown. | A non-indexable URL cannot silently own the search job. |
| Canonical URL | The declared representative URL. | Separates duplicates from distinct page promises. |
| Primary user job | Learn, compare, choose, act, or troubleshoot. | Two titles can still compete when the job is the same. |
| Page promise | One sentence describing the outcome delivered. | Exposes vague ownership and repeated introductions. |
| Evidence state | None, secondary, primary, or observed. | Weak proof blocks publication even when a gap is real. |
| Coverage state | None, section gap, page gap, substantial, overlap, or unknown. | This is the bounded input used by the decision engine. |
| Notes | Unique proof, links, conversions, maintenance owner, and open checks. | Prevents an automatic merge or redirect without equivalence evidence. |
Four-step review
Inventory only what could change the decision.
- 01
Declare one job
Write the reader outcome before searching the site. If the job changes, start a separate review.
- 02
Collect plausible owners
Use navigation, internal search, sitemap URLs, analytics or Search Console where available. Include a page only when its visible promise materially serves the job.
- 03
Read the page, not the slug
Verify status, canonical, H1, main promise, evidence, next step and maintenance owner. Similar words do not prove equivalent intent.
- 04
Choose one coverage state
Record overlap only when several URLs serve the same primary job. Record unknown when the inventory cannot be verified; do not convert uncertainty into a new page.
Canonical check
Consolidate only real duplicates.
Google documents redirects, canonical annotations, and sitemap inclusion as canonicalization signals. That supports using one representative URL for duplicate or very similar pages; it does not prove that two pages have equivalent user intent.
Google Search Central: canonical URLsStop condition
A clean inventory can end in no action.
If one canonical page already owns the job with credible evidence, record the review and stop. If the inventory remains unknown, gather evidence before drafting.
Use the coverage state in the tool