These are the areas where we think you can have the most impact quickly but for a more in depth look at improving your content and success on Tes, please look through the Author Academy.
1. Remove outdated products
It’s time to let go! Say goodbye to resources that are still lingering in your shop from the London Olympics or the Qatar World Cup! Don’t worry if they’ve got great ratings – your overall star rating in your shop will still take these into consideration even if you delete the resource.
2. Ensure content is up to date
I’ll split this down into a few different points to consider with this one...
a. Teaching practices evolve; the curriculum has updates; new activities are all the rage – have you made sure your resources have evolved to reflect this?
b. Content created around current events can quickly become outdated. In the past five years we have lived through a global pandemic, a number of conflicts and public figures that are ever changing. Do you have resources that refer to Queen Elizabeth II still being monarch or Joe Biden as being President? Do your resources reflect the changing global landscape in respect of ongoing conflicts? Do you have resources that are adapted for, and advertised as remote learning during a pandemic?
c. We’re seeing a growing trend in just updating titles and descriptions to reflect the current year but the content within is outdated – particularly when it comes to quizzes. This leads to resources being removed and unhappy customers seeking refunds. Remember to update the content within your resource!
If you are still in the classroom, this is something that you will be naturally doing with the resources that you are using – don't forget to upload your newer version.
3. Refresh previews and descriptions
Make sure your previews and description accurately demonstrates what the downloader is getting. We see some fantastic resources that are overlooked because there isn’t enough information available to aid the decision-making process. We say it all the time but make sure that you take a read of our SEO guidance – these is some great information in there and an example of a great resource description!
4. Check your price point
When was the last time you considered how much you are charging and if this is in line with current market trends? Regularly reviewing your pricing to make sure that you are not charging too much or too little for your resources is a must. Take some time to check out what other authors are charging for their resources, and what content they are offering in comparison to your own.
5. Review external URLs in your content
We see a huge number of reports of broken URLs from teachers who have downloaded content and have then found that it is littered with broken URLs. We understand that you can’t spend all day, every day checking links, but it is important that you do check them at regular intervals to avoid a bad customer experience.
Top tip: Collate all URLs on to one spreadsheet so that they are easier to check. You can either check them manually or use a broken link checker tool (there are free versions available online)
6. Ensure Author Code compliance
Is your content compliant with our rules? While you are refreshing your resources, make sure you’re clear on our expectations. Some of the bigger author errors come in the form of Intellectual Property infringement and unacceptable AI usage; these are things to bear in mind when adding new material and when reviewing your current content.