Search intent is trying to understand the reason behind a search query on a search engine. As part of your SEO campaign, and keyword research, it is important to know what users are looking to find.
The way search terms are used in the Google search bar can be interpreted in different ways by Google. For example, a user searching using the word ‘cookies’ might be searching for more information on the cookies used on a website that collect information, or they could be after a recipe for the type you eat (and the Cookie monster consumes on Sesame Street).
Knowing what your users are searching for can help you better understand the content you need to create for your brand.
Types of Search Intent
There are distinct search intents you should know about.
- Informational search intent. This could be about the weather, help with a math’s assignment or anything with intent to get more information on something. Having content that answers these questions will help your brand get found.
- Navigation search intent. If you are a restaurant for example, users may be searching for directions or navigation to your location, or chasing the latest menu or specials. Ensuring your Google My Business page is up to date, and being listed in local directories is a good start. Then ensuring your reviews and menu are accessible will help users find what they are looking for.
- Transactional search intent. If you are an online store, users may be looking to find a specific design or product that they need delivered asap. Make it easy by ensuring your product pages are getting indexed and found online. This means using correct meta titles and descriptions to match keywords.
- and Commercial investigation search intent. These are searches that aim to provide product and service research for future purchases. If you are a car dealership for example, users may research your stock or car models before coming into the dealership.
If you have a business website that you want found, research what search queries bring up your competitors and major players in the industry. Check out the top listed content, are they products or articles? Could you create the same content and improve on the ‘helpfulness’ of it?
Why You Should be Using SEO to Get More Leads
Getting found when your customers or potential customers search on Google or Bing search is crucial to getting more traffic. Whilst a lot of brands use pay per click advertising to do this, we recommend SEO or search engine optimisation.
SEO includes ensuring your website is super efficient for search engines and users, this relates to aspects like easy navigation on mobile devices, loading speed, page content length, internal links, meta data and the type of website.
It also includes your authority on specific topics, that Google and users might find by your social media engagement, your reviews on Google business, your ranking in search results for related topics, and referrals to your brand by other people and websites.
Showing users and search engines that you are the number one brand to come to for a specific topic is what SEO is all about, and understanding what your users are searching for is very important.
So before creating your next blog article, social media post or website update, consider the search queries your customers may be using, and the intent of their searches. The way your online audience finds you can greatly affect the success of your engagement with them.
Keep an eye on your Google Search Console performance to monitor search queries used to find you. You can also use tools like SEMrush to monitor your competition and how they are getting found.
You can also look at their best performing backlinks and keywords they are showing for.
If you need help getting your brand found on search, book a free strategy session with us. We can discuss your goals and options to get better rankings for the right keywords.
Note: Don’t forget about the way your customers are searching. Searches done on mobile devices like Siri and smart home devices like Alexa can mean search queries are more sentence like. Use the How, What, and Why in your headings to answer questions in customer searches.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to share or comment.