How to Measure Content Quality (+ Checklist)
By Tameem Rahman (AKA The Saastronaut)
SaaS SEO Consultant | Helping 6-7 B2B software products scale organic revenue. Live in Toronto, 120+ happy clients, 5M+ traffic in 2023, 11 employees. Book a 1:1 with me 🧑🚀🚀
Is your content actually as good as you think?
You've spent hours creating what you believe is valuable material, but what metrics or framework do you use to truly measure content quality? It's a common frustration: figuring out whether your content resonates in a crowded digital landscape, full of blog posts, social updates, and videos all competing for attention.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to assess and improve your content’s quality.
We’ll be covering:
Core principles of content quality
Google’s E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Key performance indicators (KPIs) for quality measurement
Reliable metrics to track and improve content performance
Ready for more? Let's dive in.
Tip - Pair this with our tactical SaaS SEO checklist that covers the critical tech optimizations, keyword research process, on-page SEO, link-building, and complete toolkit that a SaaS brand needs to dominate SEO as a marketing channel.
TL;DR: How to Measure Content Quality
- E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) are essential to build credibility, improve content quality, and boost search rankings. Focus on showcasing expert knowledge, trusted sources, and firsthand experience.
- Qualitative KPIs like clarity, structure, relevance, and multimedia integration provide insight into how well your content meets user needs. These metrics focus on how engaging and informative your content is.
- Quantitative KPIs such as organic traffic, conversion rates, and scroll depth help measure content effectiveness. Avoid unreliable metrics like bounce rate or session duration, as they may give misleading results.
- SEO tools like Google Analytics and Search Console track keyword rankings, backlinks, and page performance. Use these tools to monitor changes in visibility and optimize content based on performance data.
- Structured data and schema markup boost visibility by enabling rich snippets, making your content stand out in search results and improving user experience through better SERP representation.
- Link usage should be strategic, with both internal and external links improving user engagement and boosting SEO. High-quality backlinks are a key indicator of content success.
P.S., We studied every nook and cranny of what it takes to rank top 3 on Google over the past 6 years and put it all into a complete SEO content checklist. Make sure to grab it below!
What does “quality content” mean?
Quality content refers to content that is valuable, relevant, and engaging to its intended audience. It is well-researched, clear, and actionable, solving specific problems or answering important questions for the reader.
High-quality content follows SEO rules so it shows up in search results, but it’s also written in a way that's simple to read, includes actionable information, and often includes visuals like images or videos to keep things interesting for people.
Am I just telling the reader what to do? Or how to do it, and how to do it WELL?
“As a business, a lot of your content will be around solving problems because that's what attracts leads. When it comes to measuring content quality, especially in the AI era, a good question to ask yourself is:
Am I just telling the reader what to do? Or how to do it, and how to do it well?
There's tools, templates, scripts, statistics, examples, and case studies—so many things to show someone HOW to do something WELL. That is tremendously more valuable.”
- Tameem Rahman (AKA The Saastronaut)
CEO @ TalktheTalk | Search Marketing for B2B SaaS
It can be challenging to balance content for both SEO and people. That is why we created a complete SEO content checklist that is ranking every other article we put out top 3 right now.
Preview of the SEO Content Checklist - by TalktheTalk
Content quality metrics fall under “Qualitative” and “Quantitative”
When it comes to measuring content quality, we can break it down into two main categories: qualitative and quantitative metrics. Both types are important to get a full picture of how your content is performing.
Qualitative metrics focus on things like how well your content resonates with your audience, while quantitative metrics rely on numbers to track things like engagement and traffic. Let's dive into each category to see how they help gauge content effectiveness.
Qualitative Metrics
Relevance: Does your content address your audience's needs, challenges, or questions?
Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T): How well does your content reflect knowledge, credibility, and reliability?
Clarity and Structure: Is your content easy to read, with logical flow and clear headings?
Grammar and Spelling: High-quality content is free from grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Engagement and Usefulness: Does your content solve problems or provide value to the reader? Engagement can also be measured by the number of comments, shares, or interactions on social platforms.
Multimedia Integration: Are you using images, videos, infographics, and other visual aids to enhance comprehension and engagement?
Quantitative Metrics
Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate might indicate that the content isn't engaging or relevant.
Average Session Duration: The time a visitor spends on your site. Longer session times generally suggest higher engagement.
Pages per Session: The number of pages a visitor views during a session. More pages indicate strong interest in your content.
Scroll Depth: Measures how far down the page a user scrolls, showing how much of the content they consumed.
Organic Traffic: How much traffic comes from search engines, indicating how well your content is optimized for SEO.
Social Shares and Backlinks: The number of times your content is shared on social platforms or linked to by other websites, reflecting its value and credibility.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (like signing up for a newsletter), showing how persuasive and effective the content is.
These metrics together offer a holistic view of how well your content is performing in terms of quality and effectiveness.
Google's Quality Rater Guidelines and E-E-A-T
Google's algorithms rely heavily on its Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) to evaluate content quality. These guidelines are used by human raters to assess how well search results meet user needs. A key element in this evaluation is E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This framework helps Google determine how credible and reliable content is, ensuring users get the best possible results.
What is E-E-A-T?
Experience: The latest addition to Google’s framework, this focuses on firsthand knowledge. Content that comes from personal experience or direct interaction with the subject—such as product reviews or how-to guides—is seen as more reliable.
Expertise: This reflects how knowledgeable the content creator is. For example, a medical article written by a certified doctor holds more weight than one written by a casual blogger.
Authoritativeness: This refers to the reputation of the author or website. Well-known sources with a solid track record in their field are considered more authoritative.
Trustworthiness: This ensures the content can be trusted, especially for sensitive topics like finance or health. Transparent authorship, cited sources, and accurate information are crucial for building trust.
How E-E-A-T Impacts SEO
While E-E-A-T is not a direct ranking factor, it significantly influences how Google’s algorithms assess content quality. Sites that demonstrate high levels of E-E-A-T are more likely to rank well, especially for high-stakes topics like health, finance, or legal information. Google is continuously refining its algorithms to prioritize trustworthy and expert content, making E-E-A-T a critical factor for improving visibility.
How to Improve Your E-E-A-T
To ensure your content aligns with Google's latest guidelines, consider the following strategies:
Highlight Firsthand Experience: If the author has personal experience with the topic, make it clear. Include case studies, real-life examples, or firsthand product reviews to add credibility.
Emphasize Expertise: Provide detailed author bios, showcasing relevant credentials, certifications, or industry experience. This not only boosts the perceived authority of the content but also signals trustworthiness to users and Google.
Cite Authoritative Sources: Always link to credible, well-regarded sources. Reference trusted studies, reports, or well-known industry experts to strengthen your content’s authority.
Ensure Transparency and Security: Use HTTPS to ensure a secure site experience and be transparent about your content's sources and purpose. Avoid misleading information, and always present data accurately to build trust with your readers.
Keep Content Current: Regularly update your content to reflect the latest information, trends, and developments. Google favors fresh, accurate information, especially in fast-changing fields like technology or health.
How Google’s Quality Guidelines Translate into Your Content
As an SEO, I’ve spent time reviewing Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. Essentially, the guidelines ensure that websites are user-friendly, reputable, and provide content that matches the search intent.
Google expects the purpose of your page to be immediately clear and to address the search query effectively.
Both facts and opinions should be well-supported with information about the author, and the main content (MC) should thoroughly cover the topic while adhering to quality standards. Additionally, Google wants websites to avoid keyword stuffing, spammy links, and poor grammar, all of which can hurt your credibility.
What Defines High-Quality and Low-Quality Content?
According to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines, a high-quality webpage typically includes the following:
Clear purpose that benefits the user.
Titles that effectively summarize the content.
Ads that do not obstruct the main content.
Adequate information about both the website and content creator.
Content that reflects a high level of effort, originality, skill, and talent.
A positive online reputation for both the creator and website.
High levels of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
In contrast, a low-quality page often includes one or more of the following:
Misleading or harmful information.
Untrustworthy or unsecure content.
Insufficient information about the website or creator.
Distracting ads that block the main content.
Spammy content with no clear purpose or security risks (like hacking).
Content that shows a low level of effort (e.g., bad grammar, weak or thin content).
A lack of E-E-A-T or reliance on auto-generated content.
Unreliable Metrics for Measuring Content Quality
Average session duration: Even if a user reads an entire post, Google Analytics might log their session as zero if they don’t trigger another action. This makes it an unreliable measure of actual engagement.
Bounce rate: A high bounce rate can be misleading. It may indicate that visitors found what they needed quickly or that the content didn’t engage them at all, but this metric doesn’t clarify which is the case.
Pages per session: While more pages per session might seem positive, it could also mean users are struggling to find the information they need, rather than engaging with the content.
Time on page: Longer time spent on a page could reflect high engagement, or it might mean users are confused and taking extra time to figure out your content.
Click-through rate (CTR): A high CTR might seem good, but it can be misleading if users click through but leave quickly because the content doesn’t meet their expectations.
Single-session visitors: Focusing solely on single-session visits overlooks the value of returning visitors, who often engage more deeply and contribute to long-term success.
Tools to Measure Content Quality
Quantitative content quality measurement is not only easier to grasp, but with the right tools, you can automate much of the work.
Google Analytics: This is the go-to tool for tracking content performance. It provides insights into traffic sources, scroll depth, downloads, and conversions, allowing you to set up custom events to measure content effectiveness.
Google Search Console: A valuable tool for tracking your content’s average position in search results, CTR, and mobile usability. It helps monitor how well your content is performing for target keywords.
SEO Tools: Platforms like Ahrefs and SEMrush are perfect for tracking keyword rankings and identifying new ranking opportunities. They also monitor backlinks—a major indicator of content success if they’re from quality sources—and help you run technical SEO audits to spot issues affecting content quality.
Page Speed Tools: Tools like GTMetrix are essential for ensuring your content loads quickly and offers a seamless user experience. Page speed directly impacts quality, and these tools provide scores that reflect your site's performance.
Social Media Analytics: Each platform provides data on how content is performing in terms of reach, engagement, clicks, and shares. It’s a great way to measure brand awareness through signals like mentions, tags, and comments.
Reporting Tools: Platforms like DashThis aggregate data from various sources (Google Analytics, SEO tools, social media platforms) into one dashboard. This allows you to create custom widgets for tracking content quality KPIs in one place.
Need a Content Audit?
Measuring content quality doesn't have to be overwhelming. By understanding the importance of E-E-A-T, leveraging Google's ranking factors, and focusing on qualitative KPIs like copy standards and multimedia elements, you're already ahead. Remember, strategic link usage and avoiding unreliable metrics, like bounce rate, will lead to more accurate insights.
Key Takeaways
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is critical for content credibility.
Google's ranking factors can support your content's visibility.
Focus on qualitative KPIs like copy clarity, structure, and multimedia integration.
Avoid unreliable metrics like bounce rate and session duration for measuring quality.
Strategic internal and external linking enhances content effectiveness.
If you’re not sure about the quality of your content and want an expert pair of eyes to provide personalized improvements to your content, book a content audit with our team here.
Read next:
FAQs on Measuring Content Quality
How do you identify quality content?
Quality content is relevant, engaging, and useful to your audience. It demonstrates expertise and authority, is well-researched, and delivers actionable value. Well-structured, clear, and free of errors, quality content solves reader problems. Want to know how to improve content quality further?
What are 4 ways to measure quality?
You can measure content quality through these key metrics: relevance to the audience, engagement (such as comments or shares), expertise and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), and clarity and structure. Each factor helps assess whether your content meets user needs. Curious about specific tools for these metrics?
How do you test content quality?
To test content quality, evaluate reader engagement, SEO performance, and the clarity of your message. You can use analytics tools like Google Analytics to monitor key metrics, or conduct user surveys for feedback. Need help setting up content tests?
What are the parameters of content quality?
The parameters of content quality include relevance, engagement, clarity, expertise, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). These factors ensure your content resonates with your audience while maintaining credibility. Want more insights into setting quality benchmarks?
