Understanding search intent is the key to moving my clients from mediocrity to targeted, focused writing. When someone uses Google to search for a keyword or topic, they have a specific goal in mind. They might be interested in learning more about a particular subject. Sometimes, they may require instructions. They might want to see if a specific item is available at a nearby store. There are numerous reasons for this. Your goal is to identify the most common reasons why a user might search for topics related to your business and determine what content would satisfy them. Then create that content. Put yourself in the position of the reader. Get a sense of that person’s knowledge level, why they are looking for this topic, what they hope to achieve, and how you can best assist them. Reduce the amount of fluff and long summary sections that tell them things they already know. Get right to the “nuggets” of information and divide your article into digestible chunks. Your goal should be to make your reader happy with the information they have learned. It is not enough to write about a keyword; you must also understand the “why” behind that keyword’s popularity. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to align your topic with user intent and capture significantly more traffic from each post. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of blogging and content marketing, especially for small businesses that outsource their blog posts. Relevance is all about answering the reader’s question. Google will be pleased that they completed their task, the readers will be pleased that they found the information they sought, and you will be happy that your blog post is now a strong performer. Everyone benefits.