SEO : You’re Prioritizing Your Content Creation All Wrong (Here’s How to Do It Based on Google Patents & Leaks)

Most SEOs prioritize content creation based on two main criteria:

1. Search volume – Go after the keywords with the most searches
2. Low competition – Target the easiest-to-rank keywords

Sounds logical, right?

This approach completely ignores what we actually know about how Google’s search engine works today. Thanks to Google’s leaked documents and published patents, we now have concrete evidence that search volume and competition levels are far from being the most important factors for ranking success.

Here’s what you should actually prioritize instead, based on real data from Google’s systems.

1. Prioritize Content Where You Have Unique Information to Share

This is the big one. And it’s backed by one of Google’s most revealing patents: the Information Gain Score.

What Is Information Gain Score?

The Information Gain Score measures how much new information a document provides beyond what users have already seen on that topic.

According to the patent:

• Pages with higher information gain scores can rank better because they provide more unique and valuable information
• This is crucial for preventing users from seeing repetitive information across multiple documents
• Information gain is used in ranking systems to ensure users receive the most valuable content based on their knowledge and needs

Two Ways to Apply This

Option A: Add unique information to an existing topic

Take a subject that’s already covered by many sites, but bring something new to the table. This could be:

• Exclusive data or research
• First-hand experience or case studies
• A perspective nobody else has covered
• Information that answers questions others haven’t addressed

Option B: Cover topics nobody has tackled yet

Find subjects that haven’t been properly addressed at all. Or subjects that will become trendy in the future. These are the real goldmines.

Real-World Evidence

I’ve tested this extensively on my own projects. The articles that made my sites explode in terms of traffic and authority weren’t the ones targeting high-volume keywords. They were articles on topics (or angles on topics) that nobody had covered before.

Each time I published 2-3 articles that filled a clear information gap, everything became easier: ranking, indexing, overall site performance. It’s like playing the role of an « investigative journalist with exclusive info » – and Google seems to reward that at a site-wide level.

I don’t have formal proof of the site-wide effect, but the pattern is too consistent to ignore. And even if it only helps those specific pages, it’s still massively beneficial for organic acquisition.

As Marco Giordano told me once:

The point: Stop chasing « safe » keywords everyone’s already targeting. Create content that fills real information voids.

2. Prioritize Content Based on Semantic Proximity to What Already Works

This one comes straight from the Google API leaks. Two specific metrics caught everyone’s attention:

What Does This Mean?

Google calculates your site’s average thematic focus. It then measures how close each page is to that focus.

The more thematically consistent your site, the easier it is for Google to understand what you’re about, and the better it can rank you. If your site is all over the place topically, Google struggles to predict what new pages will be about, which can hurt their ranking potential.

The Strategic Implication

Instead of randomly creating content based solely on search volume or keyword difficulty, prioritize topics that are semantically close to what’s already working on your site.

What if we did it differently?

The new approach: Prioritize topics semantically related to what’s already driving traffic, then gradually expand outward.

Concrete Example: The Dog Food Site

Let’s say you run a general site about dogs, but you notice that your articles about « small dog food » are crushing it in terms of traffic.

Old approach: Keep creating content on all dog-related topics based on search volume.

New approach:

Why this works: You’re building semantic authority in concentric circles. Each expansion strengthens your topical relevance before moving to adjacent topics.

What If Your Site Covers Multiple Topics?

Use topical silos. Keep different subject areas cleanly separated so each section maintains its own semantic consistency. This isn’t new advice, but it’s often poorly executed – and the leaked metrics prove it’s more critical than we thought.

3. Prioritize Keywords Close to Your Business Intent (The Conversion Factor)

This one’s a bit more obvious, but it deserves emphasis because too many SEOs still forget it.

Not all traffic is equal.

A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches means nothing if visitors bounce immediately because they’re not interested in what you actually sell.

The Right Approach

Prioritize keywords where the search intent naturally leads to what you offer. These are keywords where you can make a smooth, natural transition to your product or service without it feeling forced.

Why This Matters

The closer the search intent is to your core business:

• The higher your conversion rates
• The more qualified your traffic
• The better your content ROI

Many SEOs already do this to some extent, but it’s worth reiterating: traffic volume without conversion potential is a vanity metric. It looks good in reports but does nothing for your bottom line.

Putting It All Together: The New Content Prioritization Framework

Here’s how to actually prioritize your content creation moving forward:

1. Information uniqueness first

Before creating any content, ask: « Do we have unique information, data, or perspectives on this topic? » If yes, prioritize it. If no, think about how you can make it unique.

2. Semantic proximity second

Look at what’s already working on your site. Prioritize topics that are semantically close to your winners. Expand in concentric circles rather than jumping randomly to distant topics.

3. Business intent third

Among your semantically relevant options, prioritize keywords where search intent aligns closely with what you sell. These will drive the most valuable traffic.

Want a simpler way to do this? Jump to the SUB Score section below for a practical scoring formula that combines all three pillars.

The SUB Score: A Simple Formula to Prioritize Your Content

Alright, I promised you a practical scoring system. Here it is.

The SUB Score stands for Semantic proximity, Uniqueness, and Business intent. It takes the three pillars we just discussed and weights them according to their actual impact on ranking and conversion success.

The Formula

SUB Score = ((0.7 × U) + (0.5 × S) + (0.2 × B)) / 1.4

Where:

• U = Uniqueness score (0-10)
• S = Semantic proximity score (0-10)
• B = Business intent score (0-10)

We divide by 1.4 at the end to normalize the score to a 0-10 scale. The higher the score, the more you should prioritize that keyword/topic.

Why These Weights?

Let me explain why each pillar gets its specific coefficient, because this is based on both Google’s actual systems and real-world SEO results.

Business intent (0.2): The lowest weight, but that’s strategic

Yes, it’s always better to write content that’s close to conversion. But that shouldn’t stop you from creating more indirect content.

Remember Google’s concept of the Messy Middle? When we create content, we’re not always there to directly convert the reader. We’re creating touchpoints, building trust points that, over time, will make them remember our brand when they’re ready to buy. They’ll come back to our site when purchase time comes.

So yes, if we can prioritize content that directly leads to conversion, we do it. But it’s not the most important criterion. Building brand awareness and trust across the customer journey matters too.

Semantic proximity (0.5): The second pillar in importance

This one’s about playing to your strengths and not confusing Google with your site’s semantic reading.

If you’re already considered somewhat of an expert and you have the search engine’s trust on a micro-topic, then exploit that micro-topic to the bone. Go all in.

Why jump to a completely different topic where you have zero authority when you can dominate an area where Google already trusts you? Expand your semantic territory strategically, in concentric circles, not randomly.

Uniqueness (0.7): The highest coefficient, and here’s why

This is a personal choice based on my experience, but it’s the one I’m most confident about.

The best quick win in SEO to rapidly gain traffic and credibility in search engines’ eyes is to play the role of bringing unique information. Information that answers either a current need or a future need of your persona, where for a period of time, you’re the only one giving the answer.

Think about what this does:

• It eliminates competition – You’re the only one with the answer, so you’re the default choice
• It’s amazing for readers – They get information they can’t find anywhere else
• It builds brand credibility – You’re the only credible brand for that specific need

This is insane leverage. When you’re the sole source of valuable information, everything compounds faster: rankings, authority, trust, traffic.

That’s why I weight it highest. It’s not just about ranking. It’s about becoming the reference.

How to Score Each Component

Uniqueness (U) – Score 0 to 10:

• 0-3: A topic that’s been done to death. Everyone’s already covered it, and you have nothing new to add. Zero unique information.
• 3-6: A well-covered topic, but you’re bringing some additional information to the table: personal experience, practical tips, case studies, or specific insights. Ideally, at least 20% of your content should be unique information that you’re adding to the internet.
• 7-10: Either you’re the first to talk about a super important topic for your persona (or one that will become important in the future), OR you’re the first to find a different and useful angle on an existing topic.

Example: For the keyword « best jazz festivals, » everyone just talks about their own festival as the best. You create a comparative ranking of multiple festivals instead. Same topic, completely different (and more useful) angle.

Semantic proximity (S) – Score 0 to 10:

• 0-3: Off-topic compared to your site’s main theme. This topic doesn’t fit your site’s semantic focus at all.
• 3-6: The topic stays within your general theme, but it’s not necessarily close to the micro-topics where you’re already performing well in SEO.
• 7-10: You’re exploring a new topic within a micro-theme where you’re already crushing it. You’re doubling down on your strengths.

Business intent (B) – Score 0 to 10:

• 0-3: Not much connection to what you actually sell. The topic is too distant from your offering.
• 3-6: There’s a somewhat distant link to what you sell, but the person searching for this type of content isn’t there to buy your products. They’re earlier in their journey.
• 7-10: The topic is directly related to what you sell and is designed to help the reader make a purchase decision. Strong conversion potential.

How to Use the SUB Score

Score 7-10: High priority. These should be your next content pieces.

Score 4-7: Medium priority. Good candidates if high-priority topics are exhausted or if you have specific strategic reasons.

Score 0-4: Low priority. Only create if you have unlimited resources or very specific reasons (like covering foundational topics for user experience).

The Reality Check

Yes, this requires more work than exporting keywords from Ahrefs and writing top to bottom. You need to actually think about each topic, evaluate it against these criteria, and make strategic decisions.

But that’s exactly the point.

Content prioritization shouldn’t be a mechanical process. It should be strategic. The SUB score gives you a framework to make those strategic decisions based on what actually matters for ranking and revenue, not vanity metrics like search volume.

Final Thoughts

I know this approach requires more thinking and strategic planning than just exporting a list from your favorite keyword tool and writing content top-to-bottom.

But here’s the thing: low-quality content hurts your brand. And chasing metrics like « how many clicks did this article get » is a vanity metric that tells you nothing about actual impact and quality.

The method I’ve outlined is more work upfront. You need to identify information gaps, understand your semantic territory, and align with business intent before you even think about search volume.

But if you do it right, you’ll create content that generates revenue for years on Google, ChatGPT, and whatever comes next.

Not because you gamed some metric, but because you actually gave people something worth reading.

Now stop optimizing for yesterday’s algorithm and start creating content that actually matters.

About the author:

Ian Sorin is an SEO consultant at Empirik, a digital marketing agency based in Lyon, France. He regularly runs R&D tests to probe the limits and vulnerabilities of search engines and LLMs. His experiments focus on understanding how these systems work under the hood—and where they break. Because knowing the edge cases and potential exploits isn’t just about gaming the system, it’s about predicting where SEO is heading as AI reshapes search.