Jake Ward’s Q3 2026 content planning framework adds LLM retrieval as a prioritisation signal alongside keyword position, conversion potential and update opportunity.
Planning SEO content for the 2nd half of 2026?
PLEASE do this first:
1. Get all your blog URLs into a spreadsheet.
Use Screaming Frog to crawl your site and export the URLs. Then enrich the sheet with data from:
– Ahrefs
– Google Analytics
– Google Search Console2. Find the… pic.twitter.com/SNAfozwfBG
— Jake Ward (@jakezward) June 23, 2026
A content planning post from SEO strategist Jake Ward is drawing attention from teams preparing their SEO work for the second half of 2026.
The argument is simple: before briefing new articles, teams should understand what they already own.
That means crawling the site, exporting all blog URLs into a spreadsheet and enriching the list with data from Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
The important shift is not the spreadsheet. It is the planning logic behind it.
Content planning is no longer just a question of what to publish next. It is increasingly a question of which existing pages already have signals, rankings, traffic or commercial value and deserve attention before new work begins.
Start With the URLs You Already Own
Ward’s process starts with a full inventory of published blog URLs.
That sounds basic, but many content plans still begin with new ideas instead of existing assets. Teams open a calendar, add fresh topics and brief writers before checking whether older pages are already close to delivering results.
That is where opportunity gets missed.
A page ranking in position 8, bringing some conversions or already earning impressions may be a better Q3 priority than a completely new article with no history. It already has data. It already has a place in Google’s system. It may only need clearer structure, better internal links, updated sections or a sharper search intent match.
A crawl-based inventory forces that conversation. Every URL becomes visible. So do the pages that are underperforming, overlapping, outdated or quietly doing useful work.
Every URL Needs a Decision
Once the inventory is built, the next step is keyword mapping.
Each important URL gets a primary keyword, secondary keyword variations and current ranking data. Pages with no useful ranking range still need a target keyword assigned, otherwise they remain impossible to judge.
After that, every URL gets a verdict:
- Leave it if it is already doing its job.
- Update it if targeted edits could improve performance.
- Rewrite it if the page needs a new approach.
- Merge it if it overlaps with a stronger page.
- Delete it if it no longer has value.
This is where the framework becomes more useful than a normal content calendar.
It prevents teams from treating all old content the same. Some pages should be protected. Some should be improved. Some should be consolidated. Some should stop existing.
That is not glamorous work, but it is often where the faster gains are.
LLM Retrieval Is Now Part of the Audit
The most current part of Ward’s framework is the inclusion of LLM retrieval as a prioritisation signal.
In simple terms: if a page ranks in Google but does not appear in relevant answers from systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity, it may have a second visibility gap worth checking.
That does not mean every page needs to appear in AI answers. Some topics are not a good fit. Some pages are too transactional, too narrow or not the kind of source an AI system is likely to retrieve.
But for informational pages, comparison content, research-led articles or pages that explain a market clearly, LLM retrieval can now sit beside traditional SEO metrics.
That matters because AI visibility is often connected to many of the same things SEOs already care about: clear structure, strong topical coverage, useful sources and pages that already perform well in search. As The Query Post covered in a recent analysis, AI search has not made traditional SEO signals irrelevant. In many cases, it appears to build on them.
The practical takeaway is not “write for AI instead of Google.” It is simpler: pages that already rank and already have value may be the best candidates to improve for both search engines and AI retrieval.
Why New Content Should Not Be the Default
Most planning cycles naturally drift toward new content.
New articles are easy to brief. They make the calendar look active. They give teams something clean to deliver.
But new content is also slower. It starts with no ranking history, no internal performance data and no proof that users or search engines already care.
Existing content can be different. A page sitting in positions 4 to 20 already has a signal. A post with traffic but weak conversions already has an audience. A guide with impressions but poor click-through may need a better title. A page ranking in Google but absent from AI answers may need stronger structure, clearer sourcing or better topical coverage.
That is why the audit matters.
It shows where the site already has leverage.
What SEO Teams Should Take From This
For in-house teams, the framework is a useful filter before Q3 planning gets locked.
Before adding 20 new briefs, check whether 20 existing URLs deserve a decision first.
For agencies, it is also a good way to make planning more defensible. Instead of selling new content because the calendar needs filling, the team can show which pages have ranking potential, conversion value, update gaps or AI retrieval opportunities.
That makes the plan easier to justify and easier to measure.
It also reduces waste. Not every weak page needs a rewrite. Not every old post deserves to stay. Not every new idea deserves budget before existing assets have been reviewed.
