Topics vs Keywords

How Topical Focus Impacts Your SEO and Content

The world of SEO is an ever-shifting landscape. And as Google’s algorithm evolves, the strategies for search engine optimization need to adapt to stay effective.

This transformation has shone a new light on two key elements – keywords and topics. Are they interlinked, or are they entirely distinct SEO entities?

It’s not just a matter of semantics; your SEO approach heavily hinges on differentiating these elements correctly.

In this article, I’m going to unpack the significance and influence of topics vs keywords on your SEO and content strategy, (hopefully) simplifying these complex concepts for everyone from beginners to seasoned strategists.

In digital marketing and SEO, keywords refer to specific search terms that users enter into search engines, while topics encompass a broader subject or theme. While keywords are important for optimization, topics provide a better understanding of the narrative and help organize and create content around a specific subject.

Defining Topics and Keywords

To understand the impact of topics and keywords on your SEO and content, it’s important to first define these terms. Topics refer to the broader subject or theme that your content revolves around. They encompass a range of related concepts, ideas, and information.

For example, if you have a blog about healthy eating, one of your topics might be “plant-based diets.” Topics provide a high-level view of your content and help organize it into cohesive narratives.

On the other hand, keywords are specific search terms or phrases that people use when looking for information online. They are more focused and specific compared to topics. Using our previous example, a keyword related to the “plant-based diets” topic could be “vegan meal plan.” Keywords play a crucial role in optimizing your content for search engines and helping users find your website.

While both topics and keywords are essential components of effective SEO and content creation strategies, the debate often arises: which one should get more emphasis?

Some argue that keywords are still pivotal since they directly impact search engine rankings and visibility.

However, others contend that focusing solely on keywords can result in fragmented content that lacks depth and fails to convey a cohesive narrative. That’s going to be my contention here.

Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines and Topical Authority

When we talk about topics versus keywords, we can’t ignore how Google evaluates content quality through their E-E-A-T guidelines. In December 2022, Google officially added “Experience” to their existing E-A-T framework (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), emphasizing the importance of first-hand experience in content creation.

This update directly impacts how we should approach content creation. Google now actively looks for signals that demonstrate your experience with a topic, not just keyword-matching prowess. For businesses, this means showing real-world knowledge rather than simply regurgitating information found elsewhere.

I’ve noticed that websites focusing on building topical authority, rather than just chasing keywords, tend to perform better under these guidelines. Topical authority means covering a subject comprehensively across multiple pieces of content, creating a web of expertise that Google can recognize.

Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines specifically instruct human evaluators to look for content that demonstrates substantial expertise. This isn’t achieved by stuffing a page with keywords but by providing depth and breadth around a topic.

For your business, this means shifting from “How can I rank for this keyword?” to “How can I become the go-to resource for this topic?” It’s a subtle but powerful change in mindset that aligns perfectly with how search engines now evaluate content quality.

Differences Between Keywords and Topics

Understanding the differences between keywords and topics is important to leverage them effectively in your SEO efforts.

Here are some key distinctions:

1. Scope: Keywords have a narrower scope than topics. They focus on specific terms or phrases, while topics encompass a broader subject area.
2. Intent: Keywords reflect what users are actively searching for, indicating their immediate intent. In contrast, topics reveal the semantic relationship between words, providing a better understanding of the overall narrative or context.
3. Organization: Topics help organize and create content around a specific subject, allowing you to cover different facets comprehensively. Conversely, using only keywords may lead to fragmented content that doesn’t provide a holistic view.
4. Semantic Relevance: Keyword research tools primarily return variations of search terms, but they may not capture the semantic relevance to the topic. This can limit your ability to create highly relevant and comprehensive content.
5. Keyword Cannibalization: Treating keywords as topics can lead to keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages on your website compete against each other for the same keywords. This can reduce your overall SEO effectiveness.

By recognizing these differences, you can adopt a more strategic approach to your content creation and optimization processes, aligning your topics and keywords effectively.

Now that we understand the definitions and distinctions between topics and keywords, let’s explore how to conduct research and optimize our content using these elements.

• According to Advanced Web Ranking, search engine algorithms have evolved to be around 200% more effective at identifying and categorising topics, as compared to five years ago.
• A HubSpot study showed that content created around a topic, rather than keyword-focused, saw an increase in organic traffic by 50%.
• Studies from Moz indicated that broad topic landing pages have amassed an average of 47% more traffic compared to individual keyword-optimized pages over a six-month period.

Research and Optimization with Topics and Keywords

When it comes to so-called “semantic SEO” and content creation, the strategic use of topics and keywords is crucial. These two elements work together to optimize your website for search engines, attract organic traffic, and engage your target audience.

Researching and optimizing with topics and keywords involves understanding the intent of your audience and aligning your content with their needs.

To begin, you need to conduct in-depth research to identify relevant topics and keywords that resonate with your audience. Understanding their search behavior will help you create content that matches their queries.

In the simplest terms, incorporating high-quality content on relevant topics will allow you to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

For instance, if you run a fitness blog targeting beginner weightlifters, your research may reveal that popular topics include “strength training exercises for beginners” or “nutrition tips for muscle gain.” Incorporating these topics into your content strategy allows you to provide valuable information to your audience while optimizing your website for search engines.

Don’t worry though, I’m not going to ignore the topic of keywords!

See what I did there?

Once you have identified the right topics, the next step is optimizing your content with targeted keywords.

Keywords are the specific words or phrases that people use when searching on search engines. By strategically placing these keywords in your content, metadata, and headers, you increase the visibility of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs).

However, it’s important to avoid keyword stuffing—overloading your content with too many keywords in an unnatural way. Most SEO tools tend to reinforce this way of thinking — and optimizing.

Instead, focus on creating high-quality content that is informative, engaging, adds your own special POV (also known as “Information Gain“) and relevant to the needs of your audience. This holistic approach will not only improve your SEO ranking but also enhance user experience.

Now that we understand the importance of researching and optimizing with topics and keywords, let’s explore some tools that can assist us in identifying effective keywords and topics.

• In order to optimize your website for search engines and attract organic traffic, it is crucial to conduct thorough research and strategically use topics and keywords. By understanding the intent of your target audience and aligning your content with their needs, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field. Identifying relevant topics and keywords that resonate with your audience is the first step, followed by strategically placing these keywords in your content, metadata, and headers. Focus on creating high-quality content that involves information gain and ultimately provides value to your audience. Finally, utilizing tools that assist in identifying effective keywords and topics can further enhance your SEO efforts.

Tools for Identifying Effective Keywords and Topics

In today’s digital landscape, numerous tools are available to help you identify effective keywords and topics for your SEO and content strategy. These tools provide valuable insights into search trends, competition analysis, and keyword data, enabling you to make informed decisions.

Some popular keyword research tools include Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Trends, Keywords Everywhere, Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, and Moz Keyword Explorer.

Each tool uses different data sets and has its unique features and advantages catering to different user requirements. Many use either Semrush or Ahrefs as their go-to Swiss Army Knife.

• Semrush offers an all-in-one suite for digital marketing, extensive keyword research, and regular tool updates. However, it’s often too expensive for small businesses. On the other hand, Ahrefs is known for its comprehensive features and custom keyword metrics but has an unpopular credit-based pricing model. However, I’ve found, in practice, Ahrefs is a better deal for day-to-day use than Semrush. For one thing, there are less buttons in Ahrefs that induce you to buy a higher subscription package, whereas in Semrush, seemingly every other button you click invites you to enter your credit card number!

Google Trends is a free tool provided by Google that allows users to track and analyze search query popularity over time. This can help you identify rising trends and understand seasonal changes in search volume, though it lacks granularity.

Keywords Everywhere is an affordable browser extension that provides keyword data while browsing the web. It gives you valuable insights into search volume, cost per click (CPC), and competition metrics directly on the search engine results page.

Google Search Console provides tools and reports to optimize website performance in Google search results. It helps you understand how your website is performing in terms of impressions, clicks, and ranking position for specific queries.

Think of these tools to uncover hidden insights to guide your content creation efforts.

Armed with these tools, you can now gather valuable data on keywords and topics that resonate with your audience.

Building a Content Strategy Around Topics and Keywords

When it comes to optimizing your content for search engines, it’s crucial to strike the right balance between topics and keywords.

Building a content strategy around topics and keywords involves understanding the broader subject or theme you want to focus on (the topic) while incorporating relevant keywords that people commonly use when searching for information related to that topic.

By starting with a topic, you can identify the main theme or subject of your content, allowing you to create comprehensive and valuable pieces that cover various aspects.

Let’s say you run a fitness blog and want to create content around the topic of “weight loss.” By choosing this broad topic, you can explore various subtopics like diet plans, exercise routines, mindset, and motivation. Then, by using keyword research tools, you can identify specific keywords related to each subtopic, such as “low-carb diet plan” or “HIIT workouts for weight loss.” Incorporating these keywords into your content will help optimize it for search engines while still maintaining a cohesive narrative.

Now that we understand the importance of building a content strategy around topics and keywords, let’s delve into the concept of balancing keyword use with semantic relevance.

Balancing Keyword Use with Semantic Relevance

In the past, SEO primarily focused on using specific keywords throughout a piece of content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). However, Google’s algorithms have evolved significantly.

Nowadays, balancing keyword use with semantic relevance is crucial for SEO success. Semantic relevance refers to the relationship between words and their meaning in a given context. It helps search engines understand the intent behind a user’s query and deliver more accurate results.

Instead of obsessively stuffing your content with exact-match keywords, it’s essential to focus on creating comprehensive and valuable pieces that cover all facets of a particular topic.

For instance, if you’re writing an article about “home gardening,” your content should naturally include related terms like “plant care,” “soil preparation,” or “seasonal planting.” This way, you satisfy both the readers’ intent by providing informative content and search engines’ intent by including relevant keywords.

By understanding the concept of semantic relevance, you can avoid keyword stuffing and create content that flows naturally while still being optimized for search engines. It’s a bit boring to say, but quality content should always be the driving force behind your strategy.

Topic Clustering Strategy

One of the most effective ways to implement a topic-focused approach is through topic clustering. This strategy involves creating a central “pillar” page that broadly covers a main topic, then linking it to multiple “cluster” content pieces that explore specific aspects of that topic in greater detail.

For example, if you run a fitness business, your pillar page might comprehensively cover “strength training,” while cluster content would go deeper into specific areas like “compound exercises,” “progressive overload techniques,” or “recovery methods for strength athletes.”

The magic happens in how you connect these pieces. By creating a web of internal links between related content, you signal to search engines that your site has depth and breadth of expertise on a particular topic. This structured approach helps search engines understand your content’s relationship and context, rather than seeing each page as an isolated entity optimized for keywords.

HubSpot’s research has shown that sites implementing topic clusters have seen dramatic improvements in SERP visibility. One study found that properly structured topic clusters improved organic traffic by up to 50% compared to disconnected, keyword-focused content.

The topic clustering approach also helps solve the keyword cannibalization problem I mentioned earlier. Instead of having multiple pages competing for the same keywords, you create a clear hierarchy that helps search engines understand which page should rank for which queries.

Impact of Topics and Keywords on SEO Performance

When it comes to optimizing your website for search engines, both topics and keywords play a crucial role in determining your SEO performance.

Keywords have long been the focus of SEO strategies, as they directly align with the specific search terms people use to find information.

However, in recent years, search engines like Google have evolved to understand more than just keywords on a page.

They now aim to grasp the overall topic and context of a piece of content to provide users with more relevant and comprehensive results.

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The impact of topics on SEO performance is evident in Google’s algorithm updates, such as RankBrain, which uses artificial intelligence to understand the semantic relationship between words and phrases.

By analyzing the overall theme and meaning of a page, search engines can better interpret user intent and deliver more accurate results. This means that even if a specific keyword isn’t used verbatim in your content, if it covers the topic extensively and provides valuable information, it has a higher chance of ranking well in search engine results.

Google’s 2023 algorithm updates doubled down on this topic-first approach. These updates reinforced the importance of comprehensive topic coverage over simple keyword targeting. Sites that created thin, keyword-stuffed content saw significant drops in visibility, while those focusing on topic authority often gained ground.

These updates weren’t just minor tweaks. They represented a fundamental shift in how Google evaluates content quality. The helpful content update specifically targeted content that appeared to be created primarily for search engines rather than users, penalizing pages that fail to demonstrate real value beyond keyword matching.

What does this mean for you? If you’re still creating content based primarily on keyword volume data without considering the broader topic landscape, you’re likely leaving yourself vulnerable to future updates. I’ve seen businesses struggle to recover after algorithm hits because their content strategy wasn’t built on solid topical foundations.

Of course, I’ve also seen plenty of examples of sites and businesses winning still in 2025 with keyword-stuffed websites with exact-match domains, so YMMV.

Keywords still hold value but need to be used strategically within the context of topics.

When creating content for SEO purposes, it’s best to start with a topic and then utilize relevant keywords to optimize the content. By choosing a broad topic relevant to your target audience and business goals, you can identify the main theme or subject of the content.

Keyword research can then be used to find specific words and phrases that people commonly use when seeking information related to the topic.

For instance, let’s say you run a fitness blog and want to create an article about “healthy meal options.” Instead of solely focusing on individual keywords like “low-calorie meals” or “easy recipes,” you would choose the broader topic of “healthy meal options.” This allows you to explore different aspects related to healthy eating like ingredient choices, meal planning tips, nutrition guidelines, and more.

By approaching content creation from a topic-first perspective, you ensure that your content covers all relevant aspects comprehensively. Rather than relying on fragmented content targeting specific keywords, you can provide users with a holistic and engaging experience.

Search engines value content that satisfies user intent by delivering high-quality information, and topics help fulfill that need.

The use of topics instead of solely focusing on keywords also helps to avoid the issue of keyword cannibalization. This occurs when multiple pages on your website compete against each other for the same keywords, causing confusion for search engines and potentially diluting your overall SEO performance.

By treating keywords as integral components within broader topics, you can create cohesive content that works together to enhance your SEO efforts.

Measuring Success in Topic-Based SEO

When you shift from a keyword-centric to a topic-based approach, you’ll need to adjust how you measure success. Traditional keyword rankings, while still relevant, tell only part of the story when evaluating topical authority.

I recommend tracking these key metrics to gauge your topic-based SEO effectiveness:

• Topic coverage score: Tools like Semrush’s Topic Research feature can help you identify how comprehensively you’ve covered a subject area compared to competitors.
• Content gap analysis: Ahrefs and similar platforms allow you to identify topic areas where competitors rank but you don’t, revealing opportunities to expand your topical coverage.
• User engagement signals: Time on page, pages per session, and bounce rate provide insights into whether your content satisfies user intent for topic-related queries.
• Ranking distribution: Rather than tracking a handful of target keywords, measure how many total keywords your content ranks for across a topic area.

I’ve found that client sites with strong topical authority typically see improvements in conversion rates as well. This makes sense, as visitors who find comprehensive, authoritative content are more likely to trust your brand and convert.

Look beyond simple keyword rankings to evaluate your content’s true performance. A page that ranks #5 for a high-volume keyword but #1-3 for dozens of related long-tail queries often drives more total traffic and conversions than a page that ranks #1 for a single term but doesn’t have topical depth.

Always Create Content With a Topical Focus

The winds of change are blowing through the world of SEO. As search engines continue to evolve in their ability to understand semantic context, optimizing by keywords alone loses its impact. Google can now mathematically “grasp” the topics and narratives woven through quality content.

By taking a topical approach to your content strategy and focusing on crafting comprehensive user experiences, you set your SEO efforts up for sustainable success. Treat keywords as the seasoning to enhance that content, not the main course itself.

Shift your mindset and values to align with this SEO transformation. Avoid fragmented content that over-targets keywords without information gain. Instead, ideate around the broader topics that reflect what users care about, as revealed by the tools now at our disposal.

The brands that embrace this new era of topic-driven optimization will reap the rewards. And those that cling to outdated tactically-driven keyword tactics will get left behind.

What future do you envision for your website? Will it satisfy searcher intent with quality content built around topics? The choice is yours. But the writing is on the wall—only topics-optimized content will dominate in years to come.