Read the SERP first
Before optimizing anything, search your target term and study what's ranking. The results tell you what Google believes users want — the format, the depth, the angle.
The four intents
Informational, navigational, commercial investigation, transactional. A page targeting a transactional term with a 3,000-word explainer will lose to a tight product or service page every time.
Matching format to intent
Comparison intent wants tables and honest pros/cons. How-to intent wants numbered steps. Definition intent wants a crisp answer up top. Give the SERP what it's rewarding.
Depth without padding
Cover the subtopics real users care about — pulled from 'People also ask', related searches and competitor headings — but don't inflate word count for its own sake. Depth means completeness, not length.