“So once you know what the question actually is, you’ll know what the answer means.“

Deep Thought, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

In Douglas Adams’ fabulous 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺, a race of hyper-intelligent beings builds a supercomputer named Deep Thought to calculate the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

After seven and a half million years of computing, Deep Thought finally announces the answer: 42.

The problem? No one actually knows what the question was in the first place.

Even the smartest supercomputer knows that an answer means nothing if it’s answering the wrong question.

💡 Just like user intent in search.

You might have the most comprehensive, beautifully optimised content (your answer), but if you haven’t grasped what your audience is really asking for (the question), your answer – like 42 – will fall flat.

In today’s SEO landscape, with Generative AI, helpful content, and EEAT, understanding the real question behind a query is what makes your content truly valuable.