# Sources

> The competitor sites, subreddits and YouTube channels Seovyn watches for ideas and material: adding them, what each status means, and how Seovyn learns which ones pay off.

A **source** is a place Seovyn watches for ideas and material. Articles are written from what the sources actually say, which is what keeps them specific. Sources live on the **Sources** page, under **Watched sources**.

## Kinds of source

| Kind | What Seovyn takes from it |
|---|---|
| **Competitor site** | The pages competitors publish: topics worth covering and angles worth beating |
| **Subreddit** | The questions your audience asks right now, in their own words |
| **YouTube channel** | New videos in your field, transcribed so the writer can draw on what was said |

Each source writes one kind of page, which you choose when you add it: **blog posts**, **comparison pages** or **landing pages**. Competitor sites suit comparisons; subreddits and channels suit blog posts.

## Add sources

:::tabs
@tab Auto-discover
Choose **Auto-discover** on the Sources page. Seovyn reads your website, works out your niche, and proposes real competitors, subreddits and YouTube channels. Tick the ones that fit and choose **Add selected sources**. Only what you tick is added.

If it can't verify any real suggestions for your site, it says so; add sources yourself instead.
@tab By hand
Choose **Add source**, then:

1. Pick the kind: YouTube channel, subreddit or competitor site.
2. Give it a label, such as the channel's name.
3. Paste its address: the channel URL, the subreddit URL (`https://reddit.com/r/…`) or the competitor's site.
4. Under **Becomes**, choose the kind of page it writes.

The source is checked straight away. New ideas take a minute or two, then appear in your review queue as drafts once they're written.
:::

> [!NOTE]
> Seovyn also tops up your list on its own. Every three days it looks for subreddits and YouTube channels that fit your site and adds up to two, until you have three of each kind. Competitor sites are never added for you.

## How often sources are checked

Each source is checked about every hour. **Check now** runs one immediately.

Once a source's articles have been live for 30 days, Seovyn weighs what they earned: their clicks in Search Console, and how often you rejected that source's drafts. A source that pays off is checked more often (as often as every 40 minutes or so); one that doesn't is checked less (down to every two and a half hours) and starts fewer articles per run. Nothing is paused or deleted for you, and a source without enough history stays neutral.

## What the status means

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Not checked yet** | Added, waiting for its first check |
| **Top source** | Its articles earn clicks, so it's checked more often |
| **Low traffic** | Its articles earn little, so it's checked less often |
| **Failing** | The last few checks couldn't read it. Check the address still works; the notification bell flags it too |

## Limits that keep your blog varied

- **One competitor, at most eight articles.** A competitor source stops producing articles after eight, so no single site turns your blog into a run of near-identical "us vs them" pages.
- **Up to ten new items per check.** Anything more waits for the next check.
- **Ideas still have to earn a place.** A story from a source goes through the same checks as any other topic: does it fit your customers, does anyone search for it, do you already cover it. See [How topics are chosen](/docs/choosing-topics).
- **Keyword targets come first.** While you have open keyword targets, sources can use at most 40% of your monthly articles. The rest is kept for the searches you chose. With no open targets, sources can use all of it.

## Remove a source

Choose **Remove source** on its row. Drafts it already produced stay where they are, and Seovyn remembers the removal: the regular search for new subreddits and channels won't suggest it again. Remove a source that keeps producing off-topic ideas. Rejecting its drafts counts against it too: a source whose drafts you often reject is checked less.

## What Seovyn doesn't do with sources

It doesn't copy them. A source is research material: the article is written fresh, in your voice, and lists the sources it drew on. Articles are also checked against your own published ones, so nothing is a near-copy of something already on your site.