By Mohammad Owais
November 29, 2025
SEO expert Neil Patel is warning marketers that even when following traditional best practices in SEO, declines in traffic may persist as Google’s evolving AI systems shift from keyword-focused ranking signals toward a deeper evaluation of topical understanding.
According to Patel, many websites experiencing traffic drops today are not failing due to poor SEO execution — but because Google’s search algorithms are now measuring how deeply a site understands a topic, not how many times it mentions a keyword.
Keyword Counts No Longer Drive Visibility
Patel adds that SEO previously often focused on the number of keyword appearances, where repetition such as a term “15 or 20 times” across a page was considered important. But Google’s newest AI models are substantially more advanced.
The new system evaluates:
- How ideas relate to one another
- Whether the content proves full topical understanding.
- How comprehensively a Website covers the subject area concerned.
- How well pages are internally linked to each other
Patel explains that Google’s AI isn’t impressed by superficial optimization anymore, but rather the content which shows understanding, structure, and depth.
The New Ranking Indicator: Topical Depth
Patel calls topical depth the most important ranking signal for content moving into 2026.
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Depth in this sense can be demonstrated by websites fully covering a subject from several angles, in a clearly connected structure.
Patel suggests a two-pronged approach:
- Create a Comprehensive Pillar Page
The pillar page is the authoritative, high-level guide regarding a topic.
Examples include:
- “A Complete Guide to Running Shoes”
- “Everything You Need to Know About Vitamin D”
- “The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Cryptocurrency”
This page should be the anchor for the topic cluster.
- Interlink Detailed Subtopic Pages
Instead of trying to place all information on one page, Patel stresses that one should create subtopics that are deeply explored on separate URLs.
In his example of running shoes, applicable subtopics are:
- Best running shoes for flat feet
- Trail running shoes explained
- How cushioning prevents injuries
- What pronation means for runners
These subtopic pages must all link back to the main pillar and also to each other where relevant.
This structure signals Google that the website not only covers the topic broadly but also understands it in depth, which aligns with the AI’s new expectations.
Google’s AI Is Now Evaluating “Understanding,” Not Just Content
Patel says that the newest AI systems at Google also look to understand context, relationships, and logical structure-which means these systems aren’t just about keywords. To Google’s AI, interconnected subtopics mean a creator “fully understands the topic”-and that’s increasingly a ranking factor.
In any case, sites relying on thin content or orphaned articles will suffer in visibility, even if traditional SEO on-page rules are followed.
A Warning for Publishers Facing Traffic Declines
Based on Patel’s analysis, solving traffic drops in 2025 and 2026 would require:
- Building topic clusters
- Strengthen internal linking
Publish more in-depth, structured guides. Update page hierarchies to better represent topical authority The shift reinforces one of Google’s broader AI goals: elevate content that demonstrates real expertise and cohesive understanding, not shallow keyword targeting.
