When you just have one word, it might be challenging to understand what someone wants. And it might be difficult even when they utilize a term.

You should consider search intent to improve your chances of ranking, getting visitors to buy your products, signing up for your newsletter, or even returning to your website. You should also be aware of some of the processes involved in Google’s determination of user intent.

Understanding search intent may help you produce successful content that targets prospective consumers since people’s inquiries represent where they are in the conversion funnel. In this article, we’ll explain what search intent is and how to optimize your content for it.

What is Search Intent?

According to Yoast, search intent is the “term used to describe the purpose of an online search. It’s the reason why someone conducts a specific search. After all, everyone who does an online search is hoping to find something.” In other words, why did this person do this search? Do they wish to get knowledge? Are they looking to buy something? Or are they seeking a certain website?

Google has made a lot of effort over the years to enhance its algorithm so that it can recognize users’ search intentions. Google seeks to rank the websites that most closely match the search phrase being used by the user as well as the search intent. Because of this, you must ensure that your article or page corresponds to the audience’s search criteria.

Types of Search Intent

Informational Search Intent

When a searcher has a specific piece of information in mind, they are using informational search intent. Why, where, what, and when are the four Ws that these questions typically begin with. The type of questions asked might be very precise, general, or sophisticated. To avoid having people leave the page, Google frequently uses SERP (search engine results page) features for more detailed inquiries with clear answers:

Depending on the topic, a user may have informative search intent and seek a brief “yes” or “no” response or a more thorough explanation. What original material can you provide your target audience that satisfies their search requirements in light of the information they might be looking for?

Examples of Informational Intent

• “What is photosynthesis?”
• “Where is the Taj Mahal?”
• “WordPress”
• “live scores”
• “Web 3.0”

Navigation Intent

The term Navigation intent refers to the user’s desire to locate a certain website, domain, or physical location. It incorporates local search and overlaps with Google’s “visit” and “website” user intentions.

The fact that users already know what they’re looking for is essential to determining navigational purposes. Therefore, you generally don’t need to sell them on something new if you’re targeting a term like this. Someone can be looking for a specific brand’s website yet not know the URL. So when they search for a brand name like “Facebook” or “Coca-Cola” Google directs them to the brand’s website.

Whether your SEO strategy should take navigational intent searches into account is a bit of a murky area. You might not draw many navigational searches unless you are a well-known brand or provide a special service. People who are committed to one brand may not be interested in competition because they have a strong motive for doing so (like filing a complaint to customer service for something they bought).

Examples of Navigational Intent

• “Twitter login”
• “Facebook Support”
• “mkbhd youtube”
• “KFC”
• “Jumia”

Transactional Intent

Users that have a transactional search intent desire to carry out a specific action, either physically or digitally. Contrary to what the name would imply, this is not limited to purchases alone. When conducting a transactional search, a user can also wish to sign up for emails, submit forms, visit a store, or make phone calls.

They are shopping right now. They probably already know what they want to purchase. They’re looking for a place to buy it from. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if a user has transactional, commercial, or informative intentions. When a certain product’s name appears in the search query, this frequently occurs. In such an instance, several SERP features will be available in the search results to assist with product research or actual purchase.

Examples of Transactional Intent

• “buy xbox game pass”
• “iPhone 14 pro price in Ghana”
• “buy surface pro”
• “Spotify premium”
• “Toyota corolla price”

Commercial Investigation

The searcher is looking for a certain good or service, but they haven’t decided which is best for them as of yet. Most likely, they’re hunting for ratings and contrasts. They continue to consider their choices.

Searches with a commercial intent frequently seek out product details, opinions, and comparisons. Google searches for “best football game” or “FIFA vs PES” are common. When a customer looks for the greatest restaurants nearby or the best hotels in their next holiday destination, these sorts of searches can also be location-specific.

Examples of Commercial Intent

• “Best website builder”
• “top restaurants in Accra”
• “Samsung galaxy s20 vs Huawei mate 20”
• “best tv shows 2022”

Why does Search Intent Matter for SEO?

You Fulfill Searchers’ Needs

You better meet their wants when you understand the search purpose. You assist them in gaining access to the data they require. For instance, if someone is looking for “how to spot a fake iPhone 14.”, this would be a fantastic chance for you to provide content addressing that query if you had a shop that sold iPhones.

However, if your material was centred on the iPhone 14 lineup that one may purchase, it doesn’t correspond to their search term. The question’s focus is on maintaining the succulents rather than selecting the best option.

More people visit your page when your content meets their demands. More pertinent leads will be acquired, which will raise your SEO ranking.

Create Effective SEO Strategies

SEO strategists and marketers may create an SEO content plan based on keywords that will attract targeted viewers to their website by understanding the keyword intent, or the reason why someone is searching for something. Optimizing search intent is essential for raising your SERP ranking.

Keep Leads on Your Website

Maintaining leads on your website depends on search intent. They won’t need to visit many websites if you give them comprehensive information that addresses their question. They hang around your page and interact with the material there.

As a result, people spend more time on your page, which sends a good signal to Google. To assist more people, find your pertinent material, Google will elevate your website higher in the results if visitors find it relevant and stay on your page.

Boost Brand Awareness

Your site’s content increases its search engine ranking and attracts quality leads. You must provide pertinent content that reflects search intent for the keywords you target if you want your website to appear at the top of search results.

Your audience gets to know your brand as they spend more time on your page. They grow used to your brand and gain knowledge about your company. Because customers will be more familiar with your brand and pick it over the competition, this will help you win more conversions in the future.

How to Determine Search Intent for your Keywords?

1 Google the keyword and Analyze the SERP

Google’s search algorithm typically understands the meaning behind a word or phrase, even if you might not. This implies that examining the SERPs, or Search Engine Results Pages, can help you understand the motivation behind a search.

Every component of the SERPs reveals information about the search intent. Always take note of:

• Paid advertisements
• organic results
• Results for knowledge graphs

Depending on the purpose of the search, Google usually displays some SERP components while occasionally omitting others. This implies that we may deduce the search intent of a query by looking at whether or not certain SERP elements are present.

For instance, shopping results and carousels often only appear for queries with a transactional purpose, whereas highlighted snippets typically only appear for informational inquiries.

Spend some time throughout your keyword research figuring out the solution to this. Once you have a list of pertinent keywords, include the objective for each variant. Prioritize your list of keywords by the search intent.

2 Make note of Search Intent Types in SERP

Examine each page that ranks well and make a note of which user intent category the result belongs to. To ascertain the search intent for the keyword at a certain time, look at the top results. Keyword modifiers in the content can help you infer search intent.

Here’s a list of modifiers to indicate a certain type of search intent:

Informational

• how
• what
• who
• what
• why
• guide
• tutorial
• tips
• examples
• resource
• benefits

Navigational

• Specific brand names
• Brand product pages
• Service names
• Locations

Commercial

• best
• top
• review
• comparison or versus

Transactional

• Buy
• Discount
• Free shipping
• Coupon
• Purchase
• Order
• Cheap
• Price

3 Use Third Party tools to Analyze Search Intent

The greatest tools are required while monitoring search engine results pages. There are several third-party tools available for marketers to employ in SERP analysis. They make SERP feature monitoring for certain keywords simpler and faster. The top websites for monitoring SERP are:

• Semrush
• Ahrefs
• Moz
• Similarweb

These tools may be used by Marketers to assign intent categories. Depending on your industry, certain features will allude to particular user goals. Therefore, it’s crucial to test different user intent codes and SERP characteristics on terms. Based on your SEO requirements and a study of user intent, choose the finest SERP analysis tool for your online business.

4 Pay attention to Long-tailed Keywords

You begin to view long-tail keywords differently when you arrange your keyword list according to search intent. The brilliance in this situation is that you may target several intentions with the same core keyword by just changing the tails.

Finding synonyms and related long-tail keywords that target the same objective is another technique to make use of long-tail keywords. You may produce more material and increase your subject-matter authority. Your website will receive greater ranks from Google.

5 Run Competitive Analysis

The SERP (search engine results page) provides a wealth of data for assessing user intent. When conducting any search, the top results will reveal what the majority of users are seeking. You may determine the following significant metrics from search engine results pages:

• the kinds of websites with high rankings
• The nature of the material of highly rated websites
• The keywords or phrases that users include in their inquiries

6 Map Keyword Clusters to Your Marketing

By using keyword intent mapping, you can make sure that your approach is focused on the most crucial keywords and that you provide pertinent content at every step of the buyer’s journey.

You may target your keywords appropriately once you’ve determined which of them fit into each category of purpose.

• Informational keywords: Offer clear, question-and-answer-based instructive material.
• Navigational keywords: Ensure that your website may be found in any searches including your company name or brand.
• Bidding on keywords with commercial and transactional search intent will help you advertise or promote your product or service pages.

How to Optimize your Content for Search Intent?

The answer to this issue truly relies on your objectives, even while it could seem that transactional inquiries are preferred because they are more likely to result in conversions.

For instance, you should concentrate more on informational searches if your website is content-based and your primary goal is to increase page views. If you’re utilizing sponsored advertisements, these will often be less expensive to bid on and easier to rank for.

However, if you own an online store and want to sell goods, you should concentrate mostly on transactional (and business research) questions.

It’s essential to make sure that the content you write matches both the search phrases people use and the search intent of your audience. When individuals are seeking information, make sure your article or page is informative. Be found at the top of a search for your company name.

If you have any questions, let us know in the comments!