Score every keyword one to five on three axes — buyer intent, winnability, and revenue proximity — then multiply. The list sorts itself, and the argument about what to build next is over.
The Three-Factor Score
Intent asks how ready the searcher is to spend. Winnability asks whether your site can realistically crack page one. Revenue proximity asks how many clicks separate that ranking from a checkout. Each gets a one-to-five score, multiplied into a single number between 1 and 125. Crude on purpose. The goal is a defensible order of work, not false precision.
Multiplying instead of adding is deliberate. A near-zero factor should sink the term, because a keyword you can never win is worthless no matter how high its intent, and addition would hide that. Score with your team in one sitting; the disagreements are usually the most useful part of the exercise. Keep the whole thing in a spreadsheet where anyone can check the math.
Intent Lives in the Query's Words
"Buy," "near me," "deals," a city, a brand: five. Comparisons and "best X for" queries: three or four. Bare definitions and "what is" questions: one or two. You can score a two-hundred-term list in an hour this way, and you will disagree with yourself on maybe a dozen of them. Watch for the deceptive cases. "Cheap ounces" reads transactional but attracts deal-hunters who bounce between menus, while "dispensary open late" reads casual and usually converts the same night.
Winnability Is the SERP, Not a Tool Number
Search each term and look at page one. All Leafly, Weedmaps, and multi-state operators: score one. A mix of mid-size sites: three. Forums, Reddit, and thin pages: five. Difficulty tools measure links; this measures the actual wall you would climb. Do the checks in an incognito window so your own history does not color the results, and note who holds the map pack as well as the organic slots.
Revenue Proximity: Count the Clicks
A category page ranking is zero clicks from products: five. A comparison guide that links to the menu: three. A glossary post three hops from anything sellable: one. This axis is what stops informational content from crowding out the pages that pay rent. When two terms tie on the other factors, proximity breaks the tie in favor of the one closer to money.
Worked Example: Three Keywords Scored
A Denver shop scores three terms. "Buy edibles denver": intent 5, winnability 3, proximity 5, total 75. "Edibles dosage chart": intent 2, winnability 2, proximity 3, total 12. "What is THCA": intent 1, winnability 2, proximity 1, total 2. The order of work is now obvious, and when someone suggests leading with the THCA explainer, the sheet answers instead of you. Re-run it each quarter; the dosage chart's winnability rises once the site has authority to spend, and the sheet will say so before anyone has to argue about it.
Key takeaways
- Score intent, winnability, and revenue proximity one to five, then multiply.
- Read intent from the query's own words; read winnability from the live SERP.
- Revenue proximity keeps informational content from jumping the queue.
- A scored list ends prioritization debates before they start.
Frequently asked questions
Should low-scoring keywords be dropped entirely?
No, just deferred. Awareness terms feed the funnel and some become winnable as your authority grows. The score sets the order of work; it does not delete the bottom of the list.
How often should the scores change?
Re-score quarterly. Winnability moves as your site earns authority, and revenue proximity moves when you restructure pages or add product lines. Intent is the stable axis and rarely needs touching.
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