The most common on-page mistake isn't a missing keyword — it's a page that answers the wrong question. Here's how to fix it.
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.
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