Over the previous few months, I’ve deeply analyzed how Google’s AI Overviews deal with long-tail queries, dug into what makes manufacturers seen in massive language fashions (LLMs), and labored with manufacturers attempting to future-proof their Search engine optimisation methods.

As we speak’s Memo is the primary in a two-part sequence the place I’m masking a tactical deep dive into one of the crucial ignored mindset shifts in Search engine optimisation: optimizing for matters (not simply key phrases).

On this subject, I’m breaking down:

  • Why keyword-first Search engine optimisation creates surface-level content material and cannibalization.
  • What the precise variations are. (Isn’t this only a pillar-cluster method? Nope.)
  • Ideas from different execs throughout the online.
  • Easy methods to discuss by these points together with your stakeholders, i.e., purchasers, the C-suite, and your groups (for premium subscribers).

And subsequent week, I’ll cowl the best way to construct a subject map, and operationalize a topic-first method to Search engine optimisation throughout your workforce.

In case you’ve ever struggled to persuade stakeholders to assume past search quantity or questioned the best way to develop authority, this memo’s for you.

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Sooner or later over the past 12 months, it’s seemingly you’ve heard the steering that key phrases are out and matters are in.

The Search engine optimisation pendulum has swung. In case you haven’t already been optimizing for matters as an alternative of key phrases (and you actually ought to have), now’s the time to lastly begin.

However what does that truly imply? How will we do it?

And the way are we supposed to observe topical efficiency?

With all this discuss LLM visibility, AI Overviews, AI Mode, question fan-out, entities, and semantics, after we optimize for matters, are we optimizing for people, algorithms, or language fashions?

Personally, I feel we’re making this tougher than it needs to be. I’ll stroll you thru the best way to optimize for (and measure/monitor) matters vs. key phrases.

Why Optimizing For Subjects > Key phrases In 2025 (And Past)

In case your workforce remains to be targeted on key phrases over matters, it’s time to elucidate the significance of this idea to the group.

Let’s begin right here: The standard keyword-first method labored when Google primarily ranked pages primarily based on string matching. However in at present’s search panorama, key phrases are not the atomic unit of Search engine optimisation.

However matters are.

In actual fact, we’re dwelling by what you (and Kevin) may name the death of the keyword.

Consider it like this:

  • Subjects are the muse and framing of your website’s natural authority and visibility, just like the blueprint and construction of a home.
  • Particular person key phrases are the bricks and nails that assist construct it, however optimizing for particular person queries on their very own with out optimizing for the matters to anchor them, properly, they don’t pull a lot weight.

In case you focus solely on key phrases, it’s like obsessing over choosing the right brick coloration with out realizing the blueprint is incomplete.

However if you plan round (and optimize for) matters, you’re designing a construction that’s constructed to final – one which search engines like google and yahoo and LLMs can perceive as authoritative and complete.

Google not sees an excellent search consequence as a direct match between a consumer’s question and a key phrase in your web page. That’s some previous Search engine optimisation considering that all of us have to let go of fully.

As a substitute, search engines like google and yahoo interpret intent and context, after which use language fashions to develop that single question into dozens of variations, a.okay.a. query fan-out.

That’s why a piecemeal method to focusing on Search engine optimisation key phrases primarily based on search quantity, stage of the search journey, and even bottom-of-funnel (BOF) or pain-point intent might be wasted time.

And don’t get me mistaken: Concentrating on queries which can be BOF and remedy core painpoints of your viewers is a sensible method – and you ought to be doing it.

However personal the matters, and you may see your model’s natural visibility outlast massive algorithm adjustments.

Key phrase-Solely Considering Limits Development

And in any case that, if it’s nonetheless a problem convincing your stakeholders, purchasers, or workforce to pivot to topic-forward considering, clarify the way it limits progress.

Groups caught in keyword-first mode usually run into three issues:

  1. Floor-level content material: Articles develop into skinny, narrowly scoped, and straightforward to outcompete.
  2. Cannibalization: Content material overlap occurs usually; articles compete with one another (and lose).
  3. Blind spots: You miss associated subtopics, tailoring content material to personas, or exploring issues inside the matter that your viewers really cares about.

However, a topic-first method means that you can construct deeper, extra helpful content material ecosystems.

Your purpose is to not simply reply one question properly; it’s to develop into a go-to useful resource for your entire topic space.

Understanding The Matter Maturity Path: Outdated Approach Vs. New Approach

Let’s take a better take a look at how these two approaches are totally different from each other.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Outdated Approach: Key phrase-First Search engine optimisation

The traditional method to Search engine optimisation centered round selecting particular person key phrases, assigning every one a web page, and publishing content material that aimed to rank for that phrase.

This mannequin labored properly when Google’s rating alerts had been extra literal (assume string matching, backlink anchor textual content, and on-page optimization carrying a lot of the weight).

However in 2025 and past, this method is displaying its age.

Key phrase-first Search engine optimisation usually seems to be like this:

  • Minimal inner cohesion throughout pages; articles aren’t working collectively to construct matter depth or reinforce semantic alerts.
  • Content material choices are sometimes pushed by common month-to-month search and tool-based key phrase issue scores, reasonably than intent or persona-specific wants.
  • A high-effort, low-durability content-first Search engine optimisation technique; posts might rank initially and maintain for some time, however they hardly ever stick or scale.
  • Monitoring efficiency is usually targeted on site visitors projections and carried out by web page kind, Search engine optimisation-tool-informed intent kind, question rankings, and (sure) even typically matter teams.

However even when groups undertake a matter cluster-first mannequin (like grouping associated key phrases into matter clusters or deploying a topic-focused pillar + cluster technique), they usually keep tethered to outdated key phrase logic.

The consequence? Floor-level protection for single key phrases, frequent content material cannibalization, and a website construction that may appear organized however nonetheless lacks strategic matter optimization.

With out persona insights, or a transparent content material hierarchy constructed round core matters, you’re constructing with bricks, however no actual authority blueprint.

Wait a second. Is optimizing for matters any totally different from the traditional pillar + matter cluster method?

Sure and no.

A pillar + cluster mannequin (a.okay.a. hub and spoke) is a framework that may manage a topical method.

However strategists ought to shift from matching pages to actual key phrases → masking ideas deeply as an alternative.

This traditional framework can help matter optimization, however provided that it’s carried out with a topic-first mindset.

Listed below are the first variations:

  • Key phrase-driven pillar + cluster mannequin: Pillar = covers seed key phrase goal(s); clusters = cowl long-tail variations of seed key phrases.
  • Matter-driven pillar + cluster mannequin:Pillar = gives a complete information to the subject; clusters = present in-depth help for key ideas, totally different personas, associated issues, and distinctive angles.

Merely deciding on high-volume key phrases to optimize for in your pillar + cluster technique plan doesn’t work prefer it used to.

So, a pillar + cluster plan may help you manage your method, however you’ll have to cowl your core matters with depth and from a wide range of views, and for every persona in your target market.

New Approach: Matter-First Search engine optimisation

Your future-proof Search engine optimisation technique doesn’t begin with a concentrate on key phrases; it begins with focusing in your goal individuals, their issues, and the matters they care about.

Matter-first Search engine optimisation approaches content material by the lens of the real-world options your model offers by your services and products.

You construct authority by exploring a subject (one that you could straight communicate to with authority) from all related angles: totally different personas, intent sorts, ache factors, business sectors, and contexts of use.

However remember: Matter-first Search engine optimisation isn’t precisely a web page quantity recreation, though the breadth and depth of your matter protection are essential.

Matter-first Search engine optimisation includes:

  • Protecting your core, focused matters throughout personas.
  • Investing in “zero-volume” content material primarily based on precise questions and desires your target market has.
  • Producing content material inside your matter that gives totally different views and scorching takes.
  • Constructing authority with information gain: i.e., new, contemporary knowledge that gives distinctive insights inside your core focused matters.

And guess what? This method aligns with how Google now understands and ranks content material:

  1. Entities > key phrases: Google doesn’t simply match “search strings” anymore. It understands ideas and audiences (and the way they’re associated) by the information graph.
  2. Content material constructed round individuals, issues, and questions: You’re not answering one question if you optimize for a subject as a complete; you’re fixing layered, real-world challenges on your viewers.
  3. Content material journeys, not remoted posts: Matter-first methods map content material to totally different consumer sorts and their stage within the journey (from studying to purchasing to advocating).
  4. Extra sturdy visibility + stronger hyperlinks: When your website deeply displays a subject and tackles it from all angles, it attracts each natural queries and pure backlinks from individuals referencing actual perception and utility.
  5. That E-E-A-T we’re all purported to concentrate on: Kevin discusses this a bit extra when he digs into Google High quality Rater Tips in building and measuring brand authority. However that is an absolute no-brainer: Taking a topic-first method actively works towards establishing Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

I wished to know the way others are doing this, so over on LinkedIn, I requested on your ideas and questions.

Listed below are some that caught out to me that I feel we will all profit from contemplating:

Lily Grozeva asks: “Is masking a subject and establishing a model as an authority on it nonetheless a quantity recreation?”

My reply: No. I feel Backlinko is an efficient instance. The positioning constructed unbelievable visibility with just some, however very deep guides.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Diego Gallo asks: “Any tips about the best way to resolve if a query ought to belong to a web page or be its personal web page?”

My reply: “In my expertise, one option to decide that’s cosine similarity between the (tokenized, embedded) query and the principle matters / intents of the pages that you could choose from.”

Diego additionally left an excellent tip for masking all related intents: Construct an “intent template” for every web page (e.g., product touchdown web page, weblog article, and so on.). Base the template on what works properly on Google.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Matthew Mellinger known as out that you should utilize Google’s Individuals Additionally Requested inquiries to get readability on which inquiries to reply on a web page.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

By the way in which, you can even use the intent classifier I constructed for premium subscribers for this job!

Gianluca Fiorelli put a cool analogy on the desk:

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Not Strategizing With A Matter-First Mindset? You’re Outdated

Subsequent week, we’re going to take a deep take a look at operationalizing a topic-first Search engine optimisation technique, however listed below are some closing ideas.

Whereas there are such a lot of unknowns within the present search panorama, there are just a few truths we will floor ourselves in, whether or not optimizing for search engines like google and yahoo or LLMs:

1. Your model can nonetheless personal a subject within the AI period.

As proven within the knowledge by way of the UX study of AIOs, model/authority is now the primary gate customers stroll by when contemplating a click on off the SERP, search intent relevance the second; snippet wording solely issues as soon as belief is secured.

If persons are going to click on, they’re going to click on on the acquainted and authoritative. Be the topical authority in your areas of experience and choices.

Have your model present up once more, and once more, and once more in search outcomes throughout the subject. It’s easy, but it surely’s onerous work.

2. I don’t assume specializing in a topic-first mindset may backfire in any manner (in 2025 or past).

Demonstrating to your core ICPs – whether or not they discover you by way of paid advertisements, natural search, LLM chats, socials, or word-of-mouth – by authoritative, branded web site content material that you just perceive the matters they care about, questions they’ve, and supply the options for his or her wants particularly solely builds belief … irrespective of how your model is discovered.

3. Construct matter programs, not simply articles or pages.

Integrators have to take a web page out of the aggregator’s product-led SEO playbook: Create a complete system (much like TripAdvisor’s thousands and thousands of programmatic pages supported by user-generated content material (UGC) opinions, however you don’t want thousands and thousands 😅) constructed round your matters of experience that deal with views, options, and questions round every persona kind for every sector you serve.

Construct the organizational construction inside your website that makes these matters and personas simple to navigate for customers (and straightforward to crawl and perceive for bots/brokers).

4. Persona or ICP-based content material is extra helpful, much less generic, and constructed for the subsequent period of customized search outcomes.

‘Nuff stated. In case you strategize matter optimization by the lens of personas (even to the purpose of together with actual interviews, surveys, feedback, and ideas from these persona sorts), you’re including to the dialog with depth and distinctive knowledge.

In case you’re not constructing audience-first content material, does optimizing for LLMs and search bots even matter? You’ll acquire visibility, however will you acquire belief when you lastly earn that click on?

Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal


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