21 Jan
Search Intent is also known as User Intent, the main goal a user has when typing a query into a search engine.
The term search intent is used to describe the purpose of an online search. It’s the reason why someone conducts a specific search. Understanding search intent can be the secret ingredient that will turn your content strategy from acceptable to great.
The idea of search intent has grown in prominence and importance with the rise of natural language processing and machine learning. These two concepts have been incorporated into Google’s search algorithms by way of the Hummingbird update and RankBrain algorithm.
What is search intent?
Search intent, also known as audience or user intent, is defined as the purpose of a user’s search.
With Google Hummingbird, Google RankBrain, and BERT algorithm adjustments, the search engine can interpret search intent and display results that meet that search intent, often through rich snippet results like the Answer Box and Knowledge Panel.
Keyword intent can also describe keywords used by potential customers and leads at various stages of the conversion funnel. Since people look for, process, and use search results differently based on their ultimate goal, understanding and optimizing for search intent is hugely important for SEO.
Types of search intent
There are a few distinct types of search intent. We’ll go into the four most commonly used ones:
1. Informational intent
Let’s start with informational intent. Lots of searches on the internet are done by people looking for information. This could be information about the weather, information about educating children, information about SEO, you name it. People with an informational intent have a specific question or want to know more about a certain topic.
You should be aware that Google’s understanding of intent goes much further than simply showing results that give information about a specific term. It knows, for instance, that people looking for [tomato sauce] are most likely looking for recipes, not for the sauce’s culinary history. It understands that most people typing in [Mercury] are looking for the planet, not the element. Google even understands that for some search terms, like [how to build a bird feeder], it’s handy to include videos and images.
2. Navigational intent
The second type of search intent is called navigational intent. People with this intent want to visit a specific website. For example, people who search for [Facebook] online are usually on their way to the Facebook website. So you want to make sure that your website can be found when someone searches for your company’s name online.
Keep in mind that ranking high for a navigational term is mainly beneficial if your site is the site people are looking for. A few years ago, we had a Google Analytics plugin and we ranked pretty well for the term [Google Analytics]. But that didn’t drive any traffic to our site. People searching for [Google Analytics] specifically were looking for the Google Analytics website and were often not interested in our plugin.
3. Transactional intent
The third type of search intent is transactional intent. Lots of people buy stuff online and browse the web to find the best purchase. People are searching with transactional intent when their purpose is to buy something at that moment. Often that means that they already know exactly what they want to buy and just want to get to that product page right away.
4. Commercial investigation
Some people have the intention to buy in the (near) future and use the web to do their research. What washing machine would be best? Which SEO plugin is the most helpful? These people also have transactional intent but need some more time and convincing. These types of search intents are usually called commercial investigating intents.
How to optimize for search intent
Intent optimization can be boiled down to “create pages that answer the user’s questions or allow the intended transaction.” It’s not really a complicated idea. But there are some good guidelines when it comes to optimizing for different intents.
Informational intent optimization
As mentioned above, these queries will include interrogatives like “what is” or “how to.” They can also include modifiers that indicate informational intent like “history of,” “meaning of,” or “age.” The key to optimizing for information intent is to use the full questions in the most important on-page content:
- Page titles
- HTML header tags
- Descriptions
When you answer the question, be sure to put the body copy containing the answer directly below the header containing the questions.
For additional advice, add in body content for each point after the content.
Transactional intent optimization
The key to optimizing for transactional search intent is to make it clear how the user can convert and what conversion will mean for them. A transactional landing page should follow these principles:
- Clear CTA: The call-to-action (CTA) should be clear, obvious, and eye-catching. It should stand out from the rest of the page, be the first thing that draws the user’s eye, and make it obvious what clicking the button will do.
- Clear design: Website visitors form their opinions of a page in under a second, and 95% of those opinions are based on visual design. Get your message across in as few words as possible and use visuals to express the value and benefits of your offer.
- CROed text: When writing product description text for transactional intent, focus on building trust, creating an emotional tie, and simplifying the decision process for the reader.
Finally, try to keep your conversion process as short as possible. Limit forms to only the information actually needed for the conversion, and consolidate as much as you can on the landing page (account creation, file downloads, newsletter signups, etc.).
How to use search intent for your business
Obviously, transactional queries are going to be your first thought when it comes to targeting intent. But don’t be blinded by dollar signs. The great thing about search intent is that each one represents an opportunity for your business, regardless of what that business actually does. Here are some ways to leverage search intent to your business’ SEO and digital marketing strategies:
Navigational: These are easy pickings, but you still need to pick. Make sure you have landing pages for your products, services, and other offerings. Optimize those pages using product and brand names in title tags, meta descriptions, and HTML headers.
Informational: These queries make up the vast majority of searches performed on Google, so you can’t afford to ignore them. Consider these queries your opportunity to acquire leads to be converted later, establish your brand as an authority, and make people aware of what you have to offer.
Transactional: Ok, these are your money makers. Create landing pages that allow users to make the transaction/conversion directly on the landing page. That means signup forms, lead submission forms, or add-to-cart buttons.
Commercial: If you offer free versions of your products and/or services, create pages to target these queries. Even if you don’t have a specific product that answers their needs, you can still get value from these users—curate lists of free resources. Much like with informational queries, you can use these queries for brand/offer awareness, lead generation, and future conversion.
SEO Benefits of intent targeting
Search intent is a huge part of how semantic SEO delivers more relevant search results to users so better intent optimization results in more relevant and qualified traffic to your website. This means improved conversion rates for your transactional landing pages, but will also result in boosts to informational pages as well:
Reduced bounce rates: people are actually getting what they want, so they stay on your pages.
More page views: Meeting a user’s intent makes them more likely to engage with the rest of your website.
More answer boxes: Having your content selected for Google’s featured snippets can be a great benefit. It allows your pages to rank in position 0 above the first search result.
Wider audience reach: One of the great things about intent optimization is that Google is smart enough to interpret multiple queries as having the same topic and intent. That means it will show your intent-optimized page for a lot more queries.
These benefits are what make intent optimization so powerful. Do it right, and you will see larger audiences, more qualified traffic, and better engagement metrics for your content.
Conclusion
It is vitally important to make sure that the content you write fits both the terms people are searching for and the search intent of your target audience. Make sure your post or page is informative when people are looking for information.
Be the first to result when someone searches for your company name. Provide content that will help people make an informed decision while they are still researching their options. However, direct people to your sales pages when they want to buy any of your products.