Match content to user intent
Websites that were not affected by 2020's Google updates all did an excellent job of matching their content to the user's intent. This is something that we, in the SEO industry, have been preaching for a while now.
Being able to effectively understand what the searcher's intent is and not only accommodating it but also predicting what that user's next steps will be after finding what they are looking for will always win.
Again, this is not difficult to do.
If you're looking to rent an apartment in Sydney, is Google going to show you an article/blog-post on how to rent an apartment in NSW Metro, or are they going to show you actual apartment listing websites? Think about that.
Figure out which pages on your website are the best places for users to start their journey based on query and intent. The best way to do this is to see which page types are currently ranking for these keywords.
People who perform broad queries "Red Marbles" should land on your eCommerce website's product listing pages (product category pages) where you show them all the red marbles in your inventory. Landing them there will help the user decide which red marbles they want based on size, weight, manufacturer, etc.
Now, if the user is searching for something specific like "10mm Red Marbles", Google will show them a SERP filled with product pages because the intent is to purchase a product.
Competitive Research Tools
To get intent dialled-in while deciding on a new piece of content, do some research. See what type of pages your competitors are ranking for the keywords that you want to target.
You can use Vogue's Competitor Analysis Report to do this.
As well for free, you should also always go to Google to see what kind of results and page types are ranking in the top four-five spots and learn how to get there.
Enjoy your weekend.
Comments