A senior-led, 100-point SEO audit covering technical health, on-page hygiene, organic visibility, AI search citations, and a 90-day execution roadmap. Prepared by WE-DO for Riverbend Outfitters, a Bozeman-based fly fishing DTC brand.
Riverbend has a strong brand foundation and a healthy social audience but is leaving meaningful organic search revenue on the table. The site is technically sound at the page level but structurally underbuilt for category and intent capture. Most page-one losses trace to thin content depth and weak internal linking, both of which are fixable inside one quarter.
Push organic from 8,247 to 12,500 monthly sessions and recover 3 strike-zone keywords to page one. The work is mostly content build and internal link restructuring, not technical infrastructure. Realistic with two writers and a strategist over 12 weeks.
Riverbend Outfitters is a $4M ARR direct-to-consumer fly fishing brand based in Bozeman, Montana, founded in 2018. The 8-person team has built a defensible position in a niche category by combining founder-led storytelling on social, a tightly curated 142-SKU catalog, and a recently launched sustainable apparel line that's earning press coverage but underconverting. Riverbend ships nationally but ranks locally; organic discovery is concentrated around brand and Bozeman geo-modifiers, which means a typical Texas or North Carolina buyer isn't finding the catalog through search the way a comparable national brand would. The audit is timed to a Q3 push around the new apparel launch and a planned content investment, so recommendations are sequenced to compound through that window rather than fix everything at once.
Crawled with Screaming Frog on April 18, 2026. 427 URLs indexable, 38 redirects, 6 broken internal links. Foundation is solid; the gaps are in metadata coverage and JavaScript bundle weight on category templates.
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Total URLs crawled | 427 | OK |
| Indexable URLs | 389 | OK |
| Pages with thin content (<200 words) | 17 | P1 |
| Pages missing canonical | 9 (product pages) | P1 |
| Redirect chains (3+ hops) | 4 | P2 |
| Broken internal links (404) | 6 | P2 |
| Pages missing H1 | 3 | P2 |
| JS bundle weight (category template) | 2.4 MB | P2 |
| Median LCP (product pages) | 2.1s | Good |
| Median CLS | 0.04 | Good |
| Mobile-friendly errors | 0 | OK |
| HTTPS / mixed content | 0 issues | OK |
| XML sitemap valid | Yes (1 sitemap, 389 URLs) | OK |
| Robots.txt valid | Yes | OK |
Pages like /products/yellowstone-wading-boots and /products/madison-valley-vest rely on a single short paragraph plus bullet specs. In a category where REI, Orvis, and specialty brands publish 600 to 1,200 words per product page, Riverbend's pages don't carry enough relevance signal to compete on non-brand queries. Recommend a 4-section product page template (Overview, Build & Materials, Field Notes, FAQ) targeting 700 words minimum.
The Shopify theme is dropping canonicals on product variants when the URL includes ?variant query strings. Google is occasionally indexing the variant URLs separately, splitting authority across duplicates. Add explicit canonical to the master product URL via theme.liquid edit.
The category template is loading a 940 KB filtering library that ships with the theme but is only used on 3 of 12 categories. Conditionally load it. Estimated TTI improvement: 1.2s on 3G mobile, which is the median connection for organic mobile traffic to outdoor sites in Q1 2026 per CrUX data.
Legacy /shop/* paths redirect to /collections/*, which then redirect to /products/* via a Shopify default. Update the original redirects to point to the final destination. Three of the four chains include URLs that still receive backlink traffic (per backlink crawl), so the chain wastes link equity.
Riverbend ships only to the United States, so hreflang is not required. Document this for future international expansion.
On-page is the highest-leverage area. Title and meta hygiene is inconsistent, H1/H2 structure is informal, and schema coverage stops at the homepage. None of these are hard fixes; together they are worth 2 to 4 ranking positions across the strike zone.
| Issue | Pages | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Title tags over 60 characters (truncated in SERP) | 23 | Rewrite to 50 to 58 characters; lead with primary keyword |
| Title tags under 30 characters (under-optimized) | 8 | Expand with category modifier and brand |
| Duplicate title tags | 12 | Consolidate or differentiate by use case |
| Meta descriptions missing | 31 | Write benefit-led 150 to 158 character meta with primary keyword in first 80 chars |
| Meta descriptions over 160 characters | 14 | Rewrite for SERP rendering |
11 pages have malformed heading structure. The most common pattern is multiple H1s on category pages where the page title and a "Featured" callout are both H1. Three pages have no H1 at all. The product page template uses H4 for spec rows where H3 would carry more weight. None of these are catastrophic, but together they make scannability and topical signal weaker than they should be.
| Schema Type | Status | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Organization (homepage) | Present | Validate logo URL renders |
| Product | Missing | Add to all 142 product pages with price, availability, brand, sku, AggregateRating where reviews exist |
| BreadcrumbList | Partial | Add to category and product templates |
| FAQPage | Missing | Add to top 5 informational pages with existing FAQ content |
| Article (blog) | Missing | Add to all 23 blog posts |
| LocalBusiness | Missing | Add to /pages/visit-our-bozeman-shop |
The site has 142 product pages and 23 blog posts but only 9 truly cross-linked content clusters. Most blog posts link out to one or two product pages and don't receive return links from products. Category pages don't link to relevant blog content. The "Madison Valley Vest" product page has 0 internal inbound links beyond its parent category, so authority isn't being routed to it. This is the single biggest reason individual product pages are stuck on page 2 for non-brand terms.
12 strike-zone keywords (positions 5 to 20) and 3 high-priority opportunities. Pulled from Google Search Console and DataForSEO, last 90 days, US only.
| Keyword | Pos | MSV | KD | Landing page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fly fishing waders mens | 7 | 3,600 | 38 | /collections/waders |
| yellowstone wading boots | 7 | 880 | 22 | /products/yellowstone-wading-boots |
| fly fishing vest with pockets | 9 | 1,300 | 31 | /collections/vests |
| dry fly fishing rod | 11 | 2,400 | 42 | /collections/rods |
| sustainable fishing apparel | 12 | 720 | 28 | /collections/sustainable |
| montana fly fishing gear | 13 | 590 | 26 | /pages/montana-fly-fishing-gear |
| madison valley vest | 14 | 320 | 19 | /products/madison-valley-vest |
| fly fishing gear montana | 14 | 1,100 | 35 | / |
| best fly fishing waders 2026 | 16 | 2,100 | 44 | /blog/best-waders-2026 |
| fly fishing apparel sustainable | 17 | 390 | 25 | /collections/sustainable-apparel |
| women's fly fishing waders | 18 | 1,600 | 36 | /collections/womens-waders |
| fly fishing tippet guide | 19 | 880 | 29 | /blog/tippet-guide |
Position 7, MSV 3,600, KD 38. Highest-volume strike-zone keyword. Page is currently a thin category template. Build out a long-form buying guide on /collections/waders, add a "How to choose waders" intro section, link to top 4 wader products. Estimated lift to position 3 to 5: 1,200+ monthly clicks.
Position 11, MSV 2,400, KD 42. Sitting just off page 1. Competitors winning the SERP have dedicated buying guides plus product comparison tables. Build a /pages/dry-fly-rods-guide hub linking to 6 rod products with technique-based recommendations.
Position 16, MSV 2,100, KD 44. The blog post exists but is 580 words against competitors averaging 2,400. Refresh to 2,500+ words, add a comparison table, embed expert quotes, update photography, add FAQPage schema.
Riverbend ranks #14 for its most strategic non-brand keyword. Here's what's beating them and why.
| # | Domain | Page type | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | bigskyanglers.com | Category hub | 2,800-word location-specific buying guide; 47 internal links to 12 products; LocalBusiness schema |
| 2 | orvis.com | Category page | Brand authority (DR 78); 1,200-word category intro; 142 referring domains to that page |
| 3 | flyfisherman.com | Editorial | 2018-published evergreen guide refreshed 2025; ranks for 340 related keywords |
| 4 | montanaflyfishing.com | Service site | Local relevance (Bozeman business); Google Business Profile signals; 89 RDs |
| 5 | backcountrylab.com | Affiliate listicle | "Best 10" format; product comparison table with affiliate links to 8 brands |
| 14 | riverbendoutfitters.com | Homepage | Brand-first, not topic-first; no category-specific content; 0 internal links from supporting articles |
Every page above Riverbend is either (a) a topic-specific hub with 1,500+ words and 10+ internal links, or (b) a high-authority domain. Riverbend can't beat (b) on authority in 90 days, but it can absolutely beat the topic-specific hubs by building a better one. Recommend creating /pages/montana-fly-fishing-gear as a dedicated hub with location-specific recommendations, gear by season, and links to 12 to 15 products.
87 referring domains, 1,247 backlinks, 12% spam score. Modest profile for the category but cleaner than expected. Anchor diversity is the area to address.
| Anchor type | % of backlinks | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Branded ("Riverbend Outfitters", "Riverbend") | 61% | Healthy |
| Naked URL | 18% | Healthy |
| Generic ("click here", "shop now") | 14% | Low |
| Exact match commercial keyword | 3% | Healthy (under threshold) |
| Partial match topical | 4% | Underweight |
Anchor profile is conservative to a fault. The exact-match and partial-match commercial percentages can safely move up to 8 to 12% combined without raising spam flags, and that's the bucket most likely to lift category rankings. Pair the existing PR engine with 6 to 10 targeted topical guest posts on outdoor publications over the quarter, anchored on terms like "fly fishing waders" and "Montana fly fishing gear" where Riverbend wants ranking lift.
8 missing topical pillars where competitors rank that Riverbend has no published content. Together they represent ~14,800 monthly searches in addressable demand.
| Pillar topic | MSV | Big Sky Anglers | Montana Fly Fishing Outfitters | Trout Republic Gear | Riverbend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to choose fly fishing waders | 2,900 | Yes (pos 4) | Yes (pos 11) | Yes (pos 8) | Missing |
| Fly rod weight guide | 3,400 | Yes (pos 6) | No | Yes (pos 14) | Missing |
| Beginner fly fishing gear list | 1,800 | Yes (pos 3) | Yes (pos 9) | Yes (pos 12) | Missing |
| Sustainable fishing apparel guide | 720 | No | No | Yes (pos 7) | Thin (collection page only) |
| Bozeman fly fishing season guide | 880 | Yes (pos 2) | Yes (pos 5) | No | Missing |
| Wader sizing guide | 1,100 | Yes (pos 4) | No | Yes (pos 10) | Missing |
| Best flies for Montana rivers | 2,400 | Yes (pos 1) | Yes (pos 6) | No | Missing |
| Fly fishing gift guide | 1,600 (seasonal) | Yes (pos 5) | No | Yes (pos 8) | Missing |
Recommendation: build 8 pillar pieces over the quarter, each at 1,800 to 2,500 words, with internal links to 6 to 10 product pages. Lead with the 4 highest-volume pillars and ship in pairs (research and write Pillar A while editing Pillar B).
3 closest competitors by SERP overlap, ranked by organic strength.
DR 38, 12,400 monthly organic visits, 218 RDs.
Strength: Topic-specific buying guides. Every product category has a 2,000+ word hub page with rich internal linking.
Weakness: Product detail pages are thin; brand storytelling is generic.
Steal: The hub page format. Replicate it for waders, rods, vests, and Montana gear.
DR 31, 6,800 monthly organic visits, 142 RDs.
Strength: Local SEO authority. Crushes Bozeman geo-modified queries. Strong GMB and citations.
Weakness: Site UX dated; mobile conversion likely poor; product photography weak.
Steal: Their citation network. Reverse-engineer their local backlink profile and target the same outdoor and Bozeman directories.
DR 44, 18,200 monthly organic visits, 312 RDs.
Strength: Sustainable angle is core to brand and content. Ranks for sustainable fishing terms across the board.
Weakness: No local relevance; no Montana-specific content; weaker on rods and reels.
Steal: The sustainable apparel content angle. Riverbend's new line is the natural counter; build content that competes directly.
Site converts at 2.1% which is at category median for outdoor DTC ($87 AOV, $4M ARR). 3 fixable friction points could move that to 2.6 to 2.8% based on benchmarks.
For a wader brand, sizing is the #1 abandonment cause per heatmap analysis on /products/yellowstone-wading-boots (recorded 480 sessions). 38% of mobile users scrolled to FAQ looking for sizing before adding to cart. Add a "Find your size" button next to the size selector that opens a modal sizing tool.
Mobile checkout has a 4-step flow with shipping calculation only at step 3. Move shipping calc to cart page. Add Shop Pay express checkout button (data shows 18% lift in mobile checkout completion across comparable Shopify sites).
Reviews exist but aren't surfaced in the buy box. No "30-day returns" or "Free shipping over $75" callouts above the fold. Add a 3-icon trust strip below the price.
We tested 10 ChatGPT queries a fly fishing buyer might run. Riverbend was cited 0 times. Big Sky Anglers was cited 4 times. Trout Republic Gear was cited 6 times.
| # | Query | Riverbend cited? | Brands cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What are the best fly fishing waders in 2026? | No | Simms, Orvis, Patagonia |
| 2 | Best fly fishing gear for the Madison River | No | Big Sky Anglers, Orvis |
| 3 | Sustainable fly fishing apparel brands | No | Trout Republic Gear, Patagonia |
| 4 | Fly fishing gear shops in Bozeman, Montana | No | Bozeman Fly Supply, Big Sky Anglers, Montana Fly Fishing Outfitters |
| 5 | How to choose fly fishing waders | No | Big Sky Anglers, Trout Republic, Field & Stream |
| 6 | Best beginner fly fishing kit | No | Orvis, Trout Republic Gear |
| 7 | Fly fishing vests with the most pockets | No | Simms, Fishpond |
| 8 | Best dry fly rods under $400 | No | Echo, Redington, Trout Republic |
| 9 | Fly fishing tippet sizing explained | No | Orvis, Big Sky Anglers |
| 10 | Where to buy fly fishing gear online USA | No | Orvis, Trident Fly Fishing, Trout Republic Gear |
AI search is the discovery layer for the next 5 years. ChatGPT cites the sources it was trained or grounded on. The brands cited above are present because they (a) publish substantial topical content, (b) are referenced by authoritative third parties, and (c) have schema markup that AI crawlers parse cleanly. Riverbend has none of those three signals at the depth required. The content gap pillar work plus Product schema deployment plus the topical guest post strategy is the path. Realistic 90-day target: 2 to 4 ChatGPT citations across the 10 queries, primarily in the sustainable apparel and Montana-specific queries where Riverbend has the strongest claim.
Every finding from the audit consolidated and ranked. P1 = ship in first 30 days. P2 = days 31 to 60. P3 = days 61 to 90 or quarter 2.
Each 1,800 to 2,500 words. Internal links to 8 to 12 products. The single highest-leverage move on the audit. Owner: WEDO + content writer. Effort: H. Impact: H.
Use 4-section template. Owner: copywriter. Effort: M. Impact: H.
Required for rich results and AI parsing. Owner: dev. Effort: S. Impact: H.
Theme.liquid edit. Owner: dev. Effort: S. Impact: H.
Mobile cart abandonment fix. Owner: dev. Effort: S. Impact: H.
Continue the content build. Owner: WEDO + writer. Effort: H. Impact: M.
Owner: WEDO. Effort: M. Impact: M.
Owner: dev. Effort: M. Impact: M.
Owner: dev. Effort: S. Impact: M.
Owner: dev. Effort: M. Impact: M.
Owner: PR. Effort: H. Impact: M.
Owner: writer. Effort: M. Impact: M.
12 specific actions sequenced over 12 weeks. Effort and impact rated S/M/H. This is the plan we'd hand to a team and run.
Organic sessions: 8,247 to 12,500 monthly (+52%). Strike-zone keywords moved to page 1: 3 to 5 of 12. AI citations: 2 to 4 of 10 tested queries. Conversion rate: 2.1% to 2.6%. Combined effect on monthly organic revenue: +$18K to +$24K.
Sample deliverable for demonstration. Riverbend Outfitters is a fictional company. All data, keywords, and metrics are illustrative.