Most websites still produce content by picking a keyword, stuffing it in headers, and hoping Google cares. But Google doesn’t reward keyword presence, it rewards intent fulfillment. Behind every query is a job to be done: compare, decide, diagnose, evaluate, buy, fix, learn, or plan. When your content is built from intent, not just keywords, you answer the actual need. You know you’ve succeeded when visitors don’t need to return to Google to clarify their search. That’s what signals to ranking systems: “This page solved it.” So before writing a word, ask: what is the user trying to get done? Then build the page around that mission. Keywords get you seen, intent gets you chosen.

You don’t rank with more content, you rank with better coverage. Google rewards topical authority: one strong main page supported by a few tightly related pages that answer sub-questions and are smartly internally linked. This signals real expertise, builds trust, improves CTR, and leads to more stable rankings, modern SEO is about structure, depth, and consistency, not volume.

Google has announced a major step toward AI-driven shopping with the launch of its AI Mode Checkout Protocol and Business Agent, enabling AI to guide users from product discovery all the way to purchase without leaving Search or Gemini. Built on the new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), this system allows AI agents to access real-time product data, pricing, availability and complete checkout using supported payment methods. At the same time, Business Agent lets brands deploy an AI-powered, on-brand assistant directly in search results to answer questions, recommend products and eventually drive conversions. Together, these updates signal Google’s move toward agentic commerce, where AI doesn’t just inform decisions, but actively completes transactions for users.

Everyone obsesses about getting the click — CTR, impressions, rankings. But the real metric that moves the needle today? Being the last click. If someone searches → clicks your page → and doesn’t go back to Google to try again, that’s the signal. That tells Google you resolved the search. That’s retention. That’s intent match. That’s why your competitors with weaker backlinks and lower domain authority sometimes outrank you — they’re the last click more often. So stop measuring success only by traffic and positions. Start measuring how often people stay, scroll, engage, convert, or simply don’t bounce back to the SERP. Modern SEO is not about being the first result — it’s about being the final answer.

SEO Skool update: According to Danny Sullivan, all of Google’s ranking systems, including AI-powered search, reward content written for humans, not for algorithms, LLMs, or trendy acronyms like GEO or AEO; despite new AI search experiences, Google says there’s nothing new you need to do beyond what has always worked: create content that genuinely satisfies users, answers their questions clearly, and feels like “this is exactly what I was looking for,” because the more you optimize for specific systems or models, the further you risk drifting from the core goal, and as those systems improve, human-first content is what consistently stays ahead.