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
Search Insights 2024 Unveiled Ep.593
Backlinks remain essential Google signals in 2024, but high-quality content, topical authority, core web vitals, and E-E-A-T together drive rankings more than link building alone.
Key takeaways
- Backlinks are signals that tell Google others are voting for you, but Google also judges whether each link is legitimate or purchased.
- The top search result captures 40 plus percent of all traffic for a keyword, making top-three placement critical for SEO to work.
- Writing only informational or only transactional content creates funnel gaps; both types are needed to build authority and convert visitors.
everything that Google does is built on backlinks. I don't think it's going anywhere.
About this episode
Join us as Matthew Bertram, SEO Consultant unravels the intricacies of Google's ever-evolving algorithms, exploring the impact of numerous updates on SEO strategies in 2024. Our episodes dissect key algorithm changes, from core updates to specialized tweaks, shedding light on their real-world implications. Uncover the secrets behind what Google deems "helpful content" and how it influences your website's ranking.…
Questions this episode answers
How important are backlinks for SEO in 2024?
According to Matt Bertram, everything Google does is built on backlinks and they are not going away. They act as signals that someone is voting for your site, but Google evaluates whether each link is legitimate, purchased, or passes any ranking value at all.
What is topical authority and why does it matter for rankings?
Topical authority means establishing expertise across a subject area so Google categorizes your site for related terms. Matt Bertram explains that sites already ranking for topical authority can appear in results quickly, while sites not yet in the index may take 60 days or more to be categorized.
Should you delete low quality content from your website?
Matt Bertram advises against simply deleting low quality content because doing so can change the link equity of your site. Instead, improve it to high quality, combine it with related content, redirect it to a more valuable page, or drive it back to the parent page.
How do core web vitals affect Google rankings?
Matt Bertram estimates page experience and core web vitals account for roughly 30 to 40 percent of total ranking. He recommends treating Search Console errors as a roadmap and working to get that error count to zero as a foundational step.
In their words
that top spot is worth 40 plus percent of all the traffic for that keyword. So, you know, it's a horseshoe hand grenades like it's all or nothing.
Matt Bertram
if you just do the basics, right, you're going to crush 87% of people and then there might be some heavy lifting that you might need to SEO specialist or consultant to do.
Matt Bertram
Terms defined in this episode
- E-E-A-T
- Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trust signals that Google uses to evaluate content quality, with experience added to address AI-generated content that lacks first-hand proof.
- Core Web Vitals
- Google ranking factors covering site speed, interactivity, and visual stability, which Matt Bertram estimates make up roughly 30 to 40 percent of total ranking weight.
- Topical Authority
- A site's demonstrated depth of expertise on a subject area, which helps Google categorize and rank that site faster for related keywords.
- Helpful Content Update
- A Google algorithm update targeting content that lacks genuine usefulness or first-hand experience, rewarding content that proves the author actually engaged with the subject.
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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