You will be able to use the intent and the current results to decide a page's format, depth and structure.
The search a page targets decides what kind of page it has to be. Before you write, search the query yourself and read what already ranks. Those pages show you the format, depth and questions searchers expect.
Priya runs a tuition centre for primary school maths at PSLE level in Singapore (an invented example). She chose to write a page for her third priority cluster, "how to solve PSLE maths heuristics". Her first draft opened with three paragraphs about her centre, then gave class times, a few tips and a booking form. It was a good sales page but the wrong page for that search, and it did not rank.
When she searched the query, the top results were guides that explained each heuristic with a worked problem, plus two videos. She concluded that her page had to be a guide with worked examples and diagrams, with her centre at the end as the next step.
Lesson 2.2, "Read the results page to confirm intent", showed that the pages ranking for a search reveal what searchers want. The same reading applies when you plan a page. If the top results for a search are step-by-step guides with worked examples, a sales page will struggle there however good your service is. Someone typing a learning search wants to learn, and Google's systems try to show pages that teach.
The reverse holds for buying searches. If the top results for "P5 maths tuition Tampines" are centre pages with schedules and booking options, a long topic guide will struggle there, because that parent is trying to choose a centre and has no interest in a lesson at that moment. (P5 is Primary 5 level.)
Look at format details in the top results as well. Note whether they use diagrams, whether they show worked problems step by step, and whether they split topics into separate sections. These choices show what searchers have found useful, and they tell you how to build your own page. On a guide page, your business belongs at the end, as the natural next step for a reader who wants more help.
Readers arrive with a question, so the most important information goes early. Lesson 3.2, "Headings, body copy and the words people use", covered putting the most important information early. For a guide, answer the main question near the top in plain terms, before any background.
Priya's revised page opens with a two-sentence answer: heuristics are named strategies for problem sums, such as drawing a model or working backwards, and the skill lies in recognising which one a question needs. Straight after that, she lists the heuristics the page covers, so a parent can see at once whether the page will help.
After the main answer, cover the follow-up questions in order. For Priya, a parent's next questions are which heuristics come up most in PSLE papers, how to tell which one to use, what to do when a child freezes, and how to practise at home. A page that answers follow-ups in a sensible order keeps the reader on the page instead of sending them back to search for the next answer. This is one of the things Google's helpful content guidance asks you to check.
You will often hear that a page needs at least 1,500 or 2,000 words to rank. Google's helpful content guidance asks whether you are writing to a particular word count because you heard Google prefers one, and it states that Google does not prefer one. Length should follow what the searcher needs.
A simple factual query, such as what time a library closes, should get a short page. A broad topic with worked examples will be long because the topic needs the space. If the current top results are long, the topic may be broad, and you may need similar depth to cover it well. Padding a page to reach a number makes it worse for readers and does nothing for Google. Check each section against one test: does it help the person who searched? Stop writing once their needs are covered.
There are two main sources. The first is the People also ask box on the Google results page, which lists questions people search in connection with the topic. Each one is something people actually search. Clicking a question often reveals more questions below it, so work through several.
The second is your own customer enquiries. Questions that come in on WhatsApp, at the counter or on the phone are follow-ups you know are real, and they often include details no tool shows. Some of them will never appear in People also ask and still belong on the page. Priya's parents regularly ask whether heuristics should be taught before P5, and whether the model method is still expected in the PSLE. Neither question showed up in People also ask, and both belong on her page. If you built a voice-of-customer file in the course "Content and copywriting that people read", it is a good place to find these questions.
Take the first priority search you plan to write for. Search it, read the top results, and write down three things: the main question the page must answer near the top, five follow-up questions drawn from People also ask and your own customer enquiries, and the format the top results use, including any diagrams, step-by-step worked problems or separate sections per subtopic.
Pick one priority search. Write down its main question, five follow-up questions and the format the top results use.
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