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
How To Conduct A Content Audit Step-By-Step (Part 2) Ep. 566
A content audit tracks metrics like bounce rate, backlinks, time on page, and conversions to reveal what content works, then informs a refreshed strategy that deletes, rewrites, or repurposes underperforming pages.
Key takeaways
- A bounce rate above 80% is a signal to revisit content and rethink the user flow.
- Track backlinks over time because losing one high-quality backlink can tank rankings more than anything else.
- Backlink quality matters more than quantity, niche-specific links outperform links from all-category sites.
- Pages per session is a key metric, aim for two to three pages per session per visitor.
- Audit content often because what works today may not work tomorrow and top pieces can quickly become outdated.
About this episode
Your content is what draws visitors to your website. Is yours pulling its weight? Perform a content audit to get the most from yours.
Questions this episode answers
What is a good bounce rate for websites?
According to the episode, a range of 26 to 45% is average for retail and e-commerce sites, B2B sites fall into the 25 to 55% range, and for blogs the number can be as high as 90%. A bounce rate above 80% is a signal to revisit that content.
Why should you track backlinks during a content audit?
Backlinks change over time and not all are good. A page might accumulate hundreds of backlinks but many could be spam or low quality. Losing a high-quality backlink can tank rankings, so monitoring the profile and recovering lost quality links is critical.
What actions should you take after completing a content audit?
Add a column to your spreadsheet indicating what action each piece needs: deleting, refreshing, rewriting, reusing, or just tracking it. Use the findings to develop a new content strategy with specific goals, informed by what topics and formats performed best.
How many pages per session should you target for content performance?
The hosts recommend targeting two to three pages per session per visitor as a starting goal. If users land on one page and leave immediately, the site is not offering the right solution and Google will recognize that users returned to search results unsatisfied.
In their words
Really specific niche backlinks are really important. That's why there's other LinkedIn strategies of roundups and other things that people do to help create homogeneous backlink profiles, which is really, really important.
Chris Burris
Monitor the backlinks, and if you lose backlinks that are really high-quality backlinks, figure out why you lost it. Maybe go back and get it, because that hurts you more than anything else.
Chris Burris
Content audits are absolutely essential. Remember that what works today may not work tomorrow and your top performing pieces can quickly become outdated.
Host
Terms defined in this episode
- Bounce Rate
- The percentage of website visitors who arrive on a page and exit without engaging further. A range of 26 to 45% is average for retail and e-commerce, while blogs can see rates as high as 90%.
- Homogeneous Backlink Profile
- A backlink profile where links come from niche-relevant, consistent sources rather than all-category sites, making the link pattern look natural and useful to search engines.
- UTM Parameters
- Custom tracking codes added to URLs that help identify exactly where content traffic is coming from, used because Google does not always provide all traffic source data on its own.
- Pages Per Session
- A metric tracking how many pages a user views after landing on a piece of content, indicating whether the site is successfully guiding visitors deeper into the site.
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.
Related episodes
How to Do Keyword Research for SEO Ep. 582
In this episode, Matthew Bertram delves into the world of keyword research and its pivotal role in shaping a successful SEO strategy. Discover how…
Link Building
10 Different Ways To Get Organic Page 1 Google Rankings Ep. 560
Discover 10 ways to go beyond the old 10 blue links and get more traffic from Google's enhanced organic search results. Author: Miranda Miller…
Link Building
12 Ways to Get Quality Backlinks by SpyFu Ep. 547
12 Ways to Get Quality Backlinks to your site to achieve higher ranking on the SERP's (SEO) Getting quality backlinks to your web pages is within…
Link Building
The show explains it. EWR Digital does it.
The Best SEO Podcast breaks down SEO and AI search; EWR Digital, the agency behind the show, implements it for operators. Start with a free, no-pitch audit of where you stand in Google and in AI answers.
Get a free AI visibility audit