sbc1-code · Nov 11, 2026 · Nov 11, 2026
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # CHANGELOG
 
+## 2026-11-10 - Crossing titles and descriptions match how people search (draft)
+
+- Crossing page titles now follow the query shape from Search Console: "<crossing> border wait times today" (EN) and "Tiempos de espera en <crossing> hoy" (ES). Bridges and ports of entry use the name people type: "Anzalduas International Bridge (Hidalgo/Pharr)", "Santa Teresa Port of Entry", "Andrade (Los Algodones)", "Eagle Pass International Bridge II" and others.
+- Descriptions are built per crossing instead of one shared template: the search name, the hour with the shortest typical wait over the last 30 days, and cameras where they exist. One function feeds the prerendered page and the client.
+- Why: Google Search Console, last 28 days: 51.1K impressions, 1.2% click rate, average position 9.6. "santa teresa port of entry" had 342 impressions and no clicks under the old "Santa Teresa · San Jerónimo" title.
+- New `src/lib/crossingSeo.js`, loaded only by crossing pages and prerender, so the entry bundle stays at 61.89 KB gzip (budget 62.25).
+- Checks: full `npm test` passes after a prerendered build. Measure: click rate per crossing page in Search Console 2 to 4 weeks after deploy.
+
 ## 2026-11-10 - Spanish and accessibility polish (Phase 4, draft)
 
 - Spanish: the mobile menu button is announced as "Abrir menú" / "Cerrar menú" instead of English. The blog index title, "Todos" tab, filter label and empty state follow the site language; all posts stay listed by default so Spanish readers can still open English guides. FAQ wording "job programado" is now "tarea programada".

@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ export function checkBuiltFaqScope(distDir = path.join(root, 'dist')) {
     { route: '/metodologia/', title: 'Metodología |', lang: 'es', types: ['BreadcrumbList'], hreflangs: twins('/methodology/', '/metodologia/') },
     { route: '/privacy/', title: 'Privacy and advertising |', hreflangs: twins('/privacy/', '/privacidad/') },
     { route: '/privacidad/', title: 'Privacidad y publicidad |', lang: 'es', hreflangs: twins('/privacy/', '/privacidad/') },
-    { route: '/crossing/san-ysidro/', title: 'San Ysidro: CBP wait times', types: ['Place', 'FAQPage', 'BreadcrumbList'] },
+    { route: '/crossing/san-ysidro/', title: 'San Ysidro border wait times today', types: ['Place', 'FAQPage', 'BreadcrumbList'] },
     { route: '/blog/', title: 'Border Pulse Blog |', types: ['Blog', 'BreadcrumbList'] },
     { route: enArticle, title: 'San Ysidro vs Otay Mesa:', types: ['BlogPosting', 'BreadcrumbList'], hreflangs: twins(enArticle, esArticle) },
     { route: esArticle, title: 'San Ysidro vs Otay Mesa:', lang: 'es', types: ['BlogPosting', 'BreadcrumbList'], hreflangs: twins(enArticle, esArticle) },

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { COMPARE_PAIRS } from '../src/lib/comparePairs.js';
 import { pageHreflangs, blogHreflangs } from '../src/lib/hreflang.js';
 import { snapshotHtml, snapshotDocument, injectSnapshot } from './lib/crossing-snapshot-html.mjs';
 import { SPANISH_HOME } from '../src/lib/homeMeta.js';
-import { crossingSearchTitle } from '../src/lib/crossingNames.js';
+import { crossingSearchDescription, crossingSearchTitle } from '../src/lib/crossingSeo.js';
 import { cameraSourceFor } from '../src/lib/cameras.js';
 import { googlePrivacyNotice } from '../src/lib/googlePrivacyNotice.js';
 import { privacyParagraphs } from '../src/lib/privacyParagraphs.js';
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ function renderCrossingHead(crossing, slug, aggregate) {
   // Title pattern matches what wins these SERPs: keyword-first, "today"/live
   // freshness signal, current year. Brand goes last where truncation is cheap.
   const title = crossingSearchTitle(crossing, 'en', cameraSourceFor(crossing.port_number)?.kind);
-  const desc = `Reported ${crossing.name} border wait time from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, plus 30-day hour-by-hour patterns, port hours, and historical standard-passenger wait patterns.`;
+  const desc = crossingSearchDescription(crossing, 'en', { bestHour: aggregate?.overall_best_hour ?? null, hasCameras: Boolean(cameraSourceFor(crossing.port_number)?.kind) });
   const canonical = `${BASE}/crossing/${slug}/`;
   const ogImage = `${BASE}/og/${slug}.png`;
 

@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import path from 'node:path';
 import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { snapshotHtml, snapshotDocument, injectSnapshot } from './lib/crossing-snapshot-html.mjs';
-import { crossingDisplayName, crossingSearchTerms, crossingSearchTitle } from '../src/lib/crossingNames.js';
+import { crossingDisplayName, crossingSearchTerms } from '../src/lib/crossingNames.js';
+import { crossingSearchTitle } from '../src/lib/crossingSeo.js';
 
 const crossing = { port_number: '240202', name: 'El Paso - Paso Del Norte (PDN)',
   hours: '24 hrs/day', port_status: 'Open', lanes: { passenger_standard: { status: 'No Delay', lanes_open: 1, delay_minutes: 0, update_time: 'At 6:00 pm MDT' } } };
@@ -79,8 +80,8 @@ test('local naming helps search without changing official identity or canonical
   assert.match(crossingDisplayName(crossing), /Santa Fe/);
   assert.ok(crossingSearchTerms({ port_number: '240201', name: 'BOTA' }).includes('puente libre'));
   assert.ok(crossingSearchTerms({ port_number: '240801', name: 'Santa Teresa' }).includes('san jeronimo'));
-  assert.match(crossingSearchTitle(crossing, 'en', true), /CBP wait times & cameras/);
-  assert.match(crossingSearchTitle(crossing, 'es', true), /esperas CBP y cámaras/);
+  assert.match(crossingSearchTitle(crossing, 'en', true), /wait times today & cameras/);
+  assert.match(crossingSearchTitle(crossing, 'es', true), /hoy y cámaras/);
 });
 test('built homepage and every crossing page contain their own useful visible snapshot', () => {
   if (!fs.existsSync('dist/index.html')) return;

@@ -16,12 +16,3 @@ export function crossingSearchTerms(crossing) {
     LOCAL_NAMES[String(crossing?.port_number)]?.terms].filter(Boolean).join(' ')
     .normalize('NFD').replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g, '').toLowerCase();
 }
-
-export function crossingSearchTitle(crossing, language = 'en', hasCameras = false) {
-  const name = crossingDisplayName(crossing, language);
-  const enCamera = hasCameras === 'approach' ? ' & road cameras' : hasCameras === 'external' ? ' & camera sources' : hasCameras ? ' & cameras' : '';
-  const esCamera = hasCameras === 'approach' ? ' y cámaras viales' : hasCameras === 'external' ? ' y fuentes de cámaras' : hasCameras ? ' y cámaras' : '';
-  return language === 'es'
-    ? `${name}: esperas CBP${esCamera} | Border Pulse`
-    : `${name}: CBP wait times${enCamera} | Border Pulse`;
-}
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { crossingDisplayName } from './crossingNames.js';
+
+// How people actually search for a crossing (Search Console queries), used only
+// in titles and descriptions. Unlisted crossings fall back to the display name.
+const SEARCH_NAMES = {
+  '250201': 'Andrade (Los Algodones)',
+  '230503': 'Anzalduas International Bridge (Hidalgo/Pharr)',
+  '230902': 'Donna International Bridge (Progreso)',
+  '230901': 'Progreso International Bridge',
+  '535503': 'Los Indios International Bridge (Brownsville)',
+  '535502': 'Veterans International Bridge (Brownsville)',
+  '535504': 'Gateway International Bridge (Brownsville)',
+  '535501': 'B&M Bridge (Brownsville)',
+  '230301': 'Eagle Pass International Bridge I',
+  '230302': 'Eagle Pass International Bridge II',
+  '240801': 'Santa Teresa Port of Entry',
+  '240401': 'Tornillo Port of Entry (Marcelino Serna)',
+  '240301': 'Presidio Port of Entry',
+  '260401': 'Nogales DeConcini',
+  '260402': 'Nogales Mariposa',
+  '260403': 'Nogales Morley Gate',
+};
+export function crossingSearchName(crossing, language = 'en') {
+  return SEARCH_NAMES[String(crossing?.port_number)] || crossingDisplayName(crossing, language);
+}
+const hasPlaceWord = (name) => /bridge|port of entry|puente|garita/i.test(name);
+
+// Title mirrors the query shape: "<crossing> border wait times today".
+export function crossingSearchTitle(crossing, language = 'en', hasCameras = false) {
+  const name = crossingSearchName(crossing, language);
+  const enCamera = hasCameras === 'approach' ? ' & road cameras' : hasCameras === 'external' ? ' & camera sources' : hasCameras ? ' & cameras' : '';
+  const esCamera = hasCameras === 'approach' ? ' y cámaras viales' : hasCameras === 'external' ? ' y fuentes de cámaras' : hasCameras ? ' y cámaras' : '';
+  return language === 'es'
+    ? `Tiempos de espera en ${name} hoy${esCamera} | Border Pulse`
+    : `${name}${hasPlaceWord(name) ? '' : ' border'} wait times today${enCamera} | Border Pulse`;
+}
+
+// One description for the prerendered page and the client, built from the
+// crossing's own data: its search name, its historical quietest hour, cameras.
+export function crossingSearchDescription(crossing, language = 'en', { bestHour = null, hasCameras = false } = {}) {
+  const name = crossingSearchName(crossing, language);
+  const hour = Number.isInteger(bestHour) ? `${bestHour % 12 || 12} ${bestHour >= 12 ? 'PM' : 'AM'}` : null;
+  if (language === 'es') {
+    return `Tiempo de espera actual en ${name} según CBP, por carril.${hour ? ` En los últimos 30 días, la espera típica más corta fue cerca de las ${hour}.` : ''}${hasCameras ? ' Incluye cámaras de la zona.' : ''} Horarios del puerto y tendencias históricas por hora.`;
+  }
+  return `Current ${name} wait time from CBP, by lane.${hour ? ` Over the last 30 days, the shortest typical wait came around ${hour}.` : ''}${hasCameras ? ' Includes nearby road cameras.' : ''} Port hours and historical trends by hour.`;
+}
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import EmbedSnippetModal from '@/components/dashboard/EmbedSnippetModal';
 import CrossingShare from '@/components/dashboard/CrossingShare';
 import CrossingCameras from '@/components/dashboard/CrossingCameras';
 import { cameraSourceFor } from '@/lib/cameras';
-import { crossingDisplayName, crossingSearchTitle } from '@/lib/crossingNames';
+import { crossingDisplayName } from '@/lib/crossingNames';
+import { crossingSearchDescription, crossingSearchTitle } from '@/lib/crossingSeo';
 import SantaTeresaActions from '@/components/dashboard/SantaTeresaActions';
 import SanYsidroDecision from '@/components/dashboard/SanYsidroDecision';
 import { subscribeToBorderData } from '@/lib/liveDataSubscription';
@@ -392,11 +393,9 @@ export default function CrossingDetail() {
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!crossing) return;
-    const hasHistoricalPattern = Array.isArray(aggregate?.by_hour) && aggregate.by_hour.length > 0;
-    const title = crossingSearchTitle(crossing, language, cameraSourceFor(crossing.port_number)?.kind);
-    const desc = language === 'en'
-      ? `Reported ${crossing.name} border wait times, refreshed regularly. Official CBP data${hasHistoricalPattern ? ', historical trends, and best crossing times' : ', lane status, and port hours'}.`
-      : `Tiempos de espera en ${crossing.name}, actualizados con regularidad. Datos oficiales de CBP${hasHistoricalPattern ? ', tendencias históricas y mejores horarios para cruzar' : ', estado de carriles y horarios del puerto'}.`;
+    const cameraKind = cameraSourceFor(crossing.port_number)?.kind;
+    const title = crossingSearchTitle(crossing, language, cameraKind);
+    const desc = crossingSearchDescription(crossing, language, { bestHour: aggregate?.overall_best_hour ?? null, hasCameras: Boolean(cameraKind) });
     const url = `https://borderpulse.com/crossing/${canonicalSlug}/`;
     updatePageMeta({ title, description: desc, ogTitle: title, ogDescription: desc, ogUrl: url, canonical: url });
     return () => resetPageMeta();