Should you really focus on targeting the right keywords or has it become an SEO myth?

Why does Google place so much emphasis on the idea of 'right searches'?

Google's statement may seem mundane on the surface, but it contains a fundamental distinction that is often overlooked: not all clicks are created equal. The search engine encourages webmasters to move beyond purely volumetric thinking.

When Google refers to 'the right people', it points to the concept of intent matching. An e-commerce site that positions itself on 'cheap shoes' instead of 'women's Nike running shoes' may attract more volume, but it suffers from a catastrophic bounce rate and ridiculous conversion rates. The crawl budget is wasted, and behavioral signals plummet.

What is the difference between business objectives and user needs?

Google introduces a tactical nuance here. The business objective is your conversion funnel: selling, generating leads, driving sign-ups. The user need is what the person behind the query is actually looking for.

The magic happens when both align perfectly. A concrete example: a project management SaaS site targeting 'free Excel planning template' generates traffic (user need), but misses its business objective because those visitors will never pay for a monthly subscription. Conversely, 'collaborative planning software for remote teams' has less volume but qualifies better.

Does this approach change anything about traditional keyword targeting?

Yes and no. The fundamentals remain: semantic analysis, competition study, potential evaluation. But Google encourages integrating an additional dimension: filtering by commercial intent and conversion capability.

An SEO practitioner must now cross-reference positioning data with GA4 conversion metrics by landing page. If a page generates 5,000 sessions/month but zero conversions, it signals that the targeted keyword attracts the wrong audience, even if the positioning looks good.

• Aligning search intent with the conversion funnel becomes more critical than mere traffic volume
• Behavioral signals (bounce rate, time on site, pages viewed) indirectly influence ranking through engagement metrics
• A low-volume transactional keyword can yield more ROI than a high-traffic informational keyword that is poorly qualified
• Google recommends segmenting keywords by stage of the customer journey: awareness, consideration, decision
• Analyzing the actual SERP (featured snippets, People Also Ask, result types) reveals the dominant intent that Google attributes to a query

Is this statement consistent with what we observe on the ground?

Absolutely. SEO audits consistently reveal sites generating tens of thousands of organic sessions with conversion rates below 0.5%. The reason? A content strategy focused on the volume of informational keywords without links to the commercial offer.

Google’s algorithms (notably Helpful Content Update) now penalize this approach. A site amassing unqualified traffic sees its engagement signals deteriorate, ultimately impacting overall ranking. Google's message is clear: better to have 1,000 qualified visitors than 10,000 curious ones who leave after 10 seconds.

What nuances should be added to this statement?

First point: Google remains deliberately vague about the definition of 'right searches'. Is it based solely on final conversion? On engagement? On aggregated behavioral signals? [To be verified] since no official documentation details the exact weightings.

Second nuance: this approach works perfectly for transactional sites (e-commerce, SaaS, services), but becomes more complex for editorial sites whose model relies on display advertising. For them, volume remains a critical KPI, even if Google suggests otherwise.

In what cases does this rule not strictly apply?

Content hub strategies can legitimately target high-volume informational keywords to build thematic authority, even if direct conversion is low. The goal is then to capture the audience in the awareness phase for nurturing via newsletters, retargeting, or internal linking to commercial pages.

Media sites and pure players that monetize through display advertising have an opposite economic model: the higher the volume, the better. For them, the notion of 'right search' is limited to 'query generating profitable ad impressions', which is very different from Google's e-commerce vision.

How can I concretely identify the 'right' keywords for my site?

Start by mapping your conversion funnel and linking each stage to query types. Awareness (informational), Consideration (comparative), Decision (transactional). Use Google Search Console to extract current queries, then cross-reference with GA4 to identify those that genuinely convert.

Next, analyze the SERP for each targeted keyword. If Google predominantly displays forums, blog posts, or YouTube videos, it signals that the intent is informational. If you see product sheets, comparison sites, or category pages, the intent is commercial. Do not target a keyword whose SERP does not match your content type.

What mistakes should be avoided in this qualitative approach?

A classic mistake: completely ignoring informational keywords on the grounds that they do not convert directly. They remain essential for building thematic authority and feeding the top of the funnel. The challenge is to use them intelligently through internal linking to commercial pages.

Another trap: focusing solely on high commercial intent keywords without considering competition. If you are a small e-commerce site up against Amazon and Cdiscount on 'buy iPhone 15', even with the right intent, you will never rank. Favor niche queries where the commercial intent remains strong but competition is manageable.

How can I measure if my keyword strategy is meeting the right objectives?

Set up a dashboard that cross-references SEO and business metrics. Conversion rate by landing page, average value of organic sessions, bounce rate by keyword cluster. If a query category generates traffic but has a bounce rate >70% with zero conversions, it's a signal of poor targeting.

Also, use session recordings (Hotjar, Smartlook) to observe the actual behavior of visitors arriving via certain queries. If you find they leave immediately or desperately search for information you do not provide, the keyword is misaligned with your content or offer.

• Segment keywords by funnel stage (awareness, consideration, decision) and type of intent (informational, navigational, transactional)
• Systematically analyze the actual SERP before targeting a keyword to verify its alignment with your content type
• Cross-reference Search Console + GA4 data to identify queries generating qualified traffic and conversions
• Evaluate realistic competition: a perfect keyword on paper but dominated by giants is useless
• Establish business KPIs (conversion rate, value per session) by keyword cluster, not just SEO metrics
• Test and iterate: if a keyword cluster underperforms after three months, pivot to other queries that align better