The scoring system that changes everything

In partnership with

Let's start by understanding the scoring system that drives everything. When I look at a keyword, I evaluate it across four critical dimensions that tell me exactly how to structure the content.

1. Understanding pain intensity

First, there's pain intensity. This measures how much the problem affects someone's life. Take the keyword "questions to ask a guy"—there's barely any pain there. 

It's casual curiosity at best. I'd give it a 1 out of 5. 

But "how to fix a broken marriage"? That's a solid 5. Someone searching this is experiencing deep emotional pain that's affecting every aspect of their life.

2. The urgency factor

Next comes urgency. Our dating questions seeker isn't in any rush—another 1 out of 5. They might read the article today, next week, or never. 

But our marriage example? That's a 4 out of 5. When your relationship is falling apart, you need answers now, not next month.

3. Evaluating solution complexity

Solution complexity tells us how difficult the problem is to solve. A list of questions? That's a 1—anyone could compile that. 

Saving a marriage? That's complex, requiring professional help, behavior changes, and long-term commitment. Clear 5 out of 5.

4. Measuring purchase readiness

Finally, there's purchase readiness. Someone looking for dating questions isn't planning to buy anything; they just want free information. Another 1. 

But someone trying to save their marriage? They're likely willing to invest in counseling, books, courses . . . whatever it takes. That's a 4 out of 5.

Turning scores into strategy

Now here's where it gets interesting. These scores not only tell us about our readers, but they also tell us exactly how to write our content and where to send readers next.

Low scores (4–10) indicate someone who's problem unaware. They're browsing casually, maybe feeling slight discomfort, but not recognizing a real issue. 

Your job isn't to sell; it's to wake them up. 

When I write content for these keywords, I focus on storytelling that exposes hidden problems. A piece about "questions to ask a guy" might evolve into exploring why most first dates fail, gradually opening their eyes to deeper dating issues they hadn't considered.

Medium scores (11–14) mean we're dealing with problem-aware readers. They know something's wrong but aren't sure how to fix it. 

These articles need to validate their problem while educating them about potential solutions.

Instead of immediately pushing a product, we're building trust and positioning ourselves as experts. This content serves as a bridge between awareness and solution.

High scores (15–20) signal solution-aware readers ready to take action. Our marriage article falls here. 

These people know their problem, understand they need help, and are actively seeking solutions. 

This is where we can be more direct with our sales approach, showcasing our solution while using plenty of social proof and urgency triggers.

Creating your content funnel

The magic happens when you connect these pieces. Each awareness stage should naturally lead to the next. 

Your low-scoring content pushes readers to medium-scoring pieces, which then guide them to high-scoring, conversion-focused content. 

It's a natural progression that matches their growing awareness and readiness to solve their problem.

In addition, this sets you up for better rankings. This sort of mapping increases engagement, time on page, and depth because you understand the reader and you’re helping solve their problem.

Your Next Steps:

Reading articles and theory is cool, but you know what will actually move the needle for your business?

Action. Don't just read this.

Implement it or send it to a team member.

Here's what to do next:

1. Score your top 10 traffic pages

2. Map each to awareness stage

3. Rewrite articles following the framework above

4. Add strategic internal links between stages

If you want to speed up the scoring process, use Claude or ChatGPT. Below is a prompt I’ve made that works great. Just provide it with a list of URLs or keywords and watch AI work its magic.