Rank Fast with these Topical Authority Tactics Ep.589
In this podcast episode featuring SEO Specialist Matthew Bertram, the focus is on demystifying Topical Authority in SEO and providing actionable…
Link Building
A New Era Begins - Passing the Best SEO Podcast Torch Ep. 578
Chris Burris is passing the Best SEO Podcast hosting duties to Matt Berkshire while pursuing his supplement company and oil and gas podcast, with the show continuing to cover SEO and AI topics.
Key takeaways
- Dig deep into client business goals before choosing keywords; a low-volume long-tail phrase can outperform obvious high-volume targets.
- AI raises the content quality bar but does not replace strategy; Google only has top 100 spots and rewards unique, differentiated content.
- 75% of all searches are still new searches to Google, so answering questions in content remains a high-value tactic.
- SEO is a custom turnkey project, not a managed service; client collaboration is required to complete the feedback loop.
If you think that chat GBT is going to get you there, you're wrong. Okay. You need to do a lot more than that.
About this episode
In this special episode, we mark a significant turning point in the history of our podcast as we bid a heartfelt farewell to our beloved host Chris Burres. After more than a decade of insightful conversations, laughter, and learning, Chris Burres has decided to pass the torch to his esteemed co-host Matthew Bertram. We'll give a sneak peek into the exciting vision and plans that Matthew Bertram has in store for the…
Questions this episode answers
Why is Chris Burris leaving the Best SEO Podcast?
Chris is shifting his focus to a new podcast called Live Beyond the Norm tied to his supplement company My Vital C, and to an oil and gas podcast on OGGN. He says he wants to free up Matt Berkshire to take the show in new directions without the existing format holding him back.
How should SEOs use AI tools like ChatGPT for content?
According to the episode, ChatGPT should be used as a creative aid, not a replacement for strategy. You should identify angles that have not been covered, use the tool to help assemble that unique content, and add human language throughout, because Google rewards differentiation and uniqueness above generic AI output.
What does EWR Digital say about keyword research and client strategy?
The hosts say a proper discovery process can completely change keyword targeting. In one example, spending over an hour with a client revealed that a low-volume, long-tail sub-category phrase with under 100 searches per month was the right target, rather than the obvious high-volume keyword they would have chosen using analytics alone.
What SEO changes are coming with AI according to this episode?
The hosts say the bar for content quality is rising because AI lets everyone produce decent content, making differentiation the key ranking factor. They also say search is moving toward images, many blog pages are going unindexed because content is stale, and voice search combined with YouTube is a major coming frontier.
In their words
If you think that chat GBT is going to get you there, you're wrong. Okay. You need to do a lot more than that. You can use chat GBT to help get you there.
Matt Berkshire
Google's looking for the differentiator, the uniqueness. What are you adding to the national conversation? They only have the top hundred spots.
Matt Berkshire
SEO is not a managed service. It's very customized. We've tried to simplify it. We have processes that absolutely work, but it's not a managed service. So it's important. It's a custom turnkey project.
Matt Berkshire
Terms defined in this episode
- Long-tail key phrase
- A highly specific, low-search-volume search query that targets a sub-category of a sub-category, which the hosts say can convert better than broad high-volume terms.
- E-E-A-T
- Expertise, authoritative trust, and experience signals that Google uses to evaluate content quality; the hosts refer to it as expertise, authoritative trust, ad management, ad experience.
- Token (AI content)
- A unit of output from a large language model; the hosts recommend breaking up tokens and adding human language so AI-generated content does not read as purely machine-written.
- Custom turnkey project
- How EWR Digital describes SEO work, meaning it is fully built out for each client rather than delivered as a standardized managed service.
Full transcript is being added.
This episode answers
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint
Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.
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