Beyond Keywords: Optimizing for User Intent & Topic Authority

APEX / June 27, 2025

In the world of SEO, the question often arises: Should we chase keywords with high search volume, or prioritize those with low competition? The answer is simpler and more effective than you might think: Focus on the user and the solution they’re seeking, not just the keyword itself.

Google Keyword Planner gives us estimated search volumes, but that number doesn’t fully represent your potential audience. A significant portion of those searches might be informational, not transactional, and only a fraction are poised for conversion. Take the word “bark,” for example. Is the user looking for information about tree bark, or the sound a dog makes? The intent behind the search fundamentally changes what content will be relevant.

If you’re selling dog training books, a broad search for “bark” might not be your primary target keyword, but “how to stop a dog from barking” certainly is. This highlights the power of optimizing for the overall topic and the user’s underlying intent.

Optimize for Solutions and Topics

Instead of merely stuffing keywords into your content, headers, and titles, shift your strategy to optimize for the broader topic. Ask yourself: “What problem is the person searching this keyword trying to solve?” Then, build comprehensive content that directly addresses those needs.

For conversion-oriented phrases, integrate relevant questions and solutions into your product or collection pages, perhaps within the main copy or in dedicated FAQs. When a keyword carries both informational and conversion intent (like “micro needling”), you should develop various content types to support the customer at every stage of their journey:

• Visual Content: Pages showcasing before-and-after results, segmented by skin type or age.
• Informational Content: Blog posts and guides detailing the process, alternatives, and comparisons with similar procedures.
• Direct Conversion Pages: Clear pathways to onboard leads or facilitate purchases.

By creating in-depth guides and resources that address a topic comprehensively, your website becomes a stronger authority in the eyes of search engines. Machine learning and AI are increasingly sophisticated at understanding the true purpose of content and its ability to solve problems. Content that demonstrates clear knowledge, expertise, and is backed by facts can rank for relevant keywords even without explicit keyword stuffing. Once your content effectively addresses user intent, remember to add Schema markup (Article/BlogPosting for informational content; Product, Collection, or Service for transactional pages) to further clarify your content’s meaning to search engines.

Understanding Keywords and Search Volumes

While high search volumes are tempting, don’t get fixated on individual keyword volumes. Instead, group similar keywords that contribute to a larger topic. Your ultimate goal is to create the ultimate resource for that topic – whether it’s answering a specific question, providing a comprehensive guide, or detailing product compatibility.

When you create such comprehensive content, the potential search volume can multiply exponentially, allowing a single page to rank for multiple high-volume phrases. This strategic approach also helps prevent content cannibalization, where multiple pages on your site compete for the same keywords. A clear content map, defining which page addresses which topic and intent, ensures your efforts are focused and effective.

Why Competition Scores Don’t Matter

Competition scores generated by SEO tools are not used by search engines. Google’s primary objective is to provide the most accurate, easily digestible, and fastest answers to user queries. If your content excels at this, you have a strong chance of ranking, regardless of perceived competition.

For highly competitive phrases, building authority and trust is essential. But waiting to create content because you deem it “too competitive” is a missed opportunity. It happens frequently that well-crafted, trustworthy content attracts backlinks naturally from authoritative sites, boosting your site’s overall stability and performance during core algorithm updates. If you don’t create the content, you’ll never have the chance to rank when these opportunities arise.

Finally, when analyzing keywords (even those with 500+ monthly searches), never overlook long-tail phrases. These often represent specific consumer questions that, when addressed within your comprehensive topic-focused content, can provide a more complete solution to the user. A page that answers all their questions significantly increases the likelihood of conversion or subscription, establishing you as a valuable solution provider.

In our keyword research, we prioritize user benefit and topic alignment. While high search volumes are a welcome discovery, we don’t stress over a lack of reported volume. Data from sources like Google Discover, which isn’t tied to traditional keyword volumes, demonstrates that aligned, high-quality content can still attract massive visitor traffic if it resonates with user interests.

This intent-driven approach empowers your content to perform optimally in today’s AI-driven search landscape.