Creating high-quality content is not only about readability and keyword usage, but there’s also a whole other secret sauce to optimizing your content so that it performs well in search engines and drives traffic to your site.
Having great content IS part of the equation, just not the whole thing.
You could have the best-written content on the web, but if it isn’t written to match what users are searching for then you’ll always remain just shy of ranking where you should.
The key is matching your content to the search intent of users on the internet.
In this post, we’ll discuss search intent in SE, including:
- what is search intent?
- why is search intent important for SEO?
- how to match search intent with content creation strategies
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Understanding Search Intent as it Relates to SEO
Search intent can be categorized in two ways.
The one we are most familiar with is defined by relevant keywords that associate your content with a particular topic when searched for on Google or another search engine.
While this links your content to a particular search topic, it does not specifically relate itself to what a user may expect to find about that topic.
Say, for instance, that you make hot sauce. If a person googles hot sauce, your company may come up with the results.
However, if the person Googling hot sauce is looking for how to make their hot sauce, or where to find the spiciest hot sauce in the world, they may try their search again and Google will record the results of the previous query as less relevant to the user’s question.
The point is, while it’s great to have focused content, if your content is too narrowly focused, it can hurt your ranking. Objectively speaking, to reach a broader market, you have to broaden the scope of your content while staying within your target niche.
Google Algorithms and Why Search Intent Matters
By now you’re probably going “gee, I know all this already, tell me something I don’t know. Ok, stay with us on this now. Let’s go back to the hot sauce example. If you make and sell your brand of hot sauce, then obviously, you’re going to want as many people to see your product as possible.
Great, so you put out a bunch of content about how fabulous your hot sauce is. The only problem is, a large chunk of people searching for “hot sauce” on the web, might not be looking just to find your brand of hot sauce.
Google tracks all this information and records it so that when people search for “hot sauce” they are more likely to get the results they want.
If all your content does is push your brand, then the broader search market dwindles as a result.
In short, your audience’s search intent is rarely going to be about you.
It’s typically about solving a real world problem with your content as the solution.
Google will gradually flag your content as less and less relevant to the search query “hot sauce” and down your ranking goes.
Content Marketing to Match Search Intent
Now you’re probably saying, “ok good to know, now how do I fix it?”
Well, the good news is, the way you fix your search results is the same way you market a product in general, and create multiple funnels, or pathways that drive traffic to your site.
Matching search purpose is of utmost importance as it enhances the user experience.
Google’s algorithm prioritizes the most pertinent content for a search inquiry.
In case the content on your website does not match the user’s purpose, it will not rank well in search results. When users fail to find the information, they are seeking, they may promptly leave your site, increasing the bounce rate, and decreasing the dwell time.
High bounce rates signal to Google that your content is not relevant, leading to lower rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
To prevent this from happening, it is imperative to create a content marketing strategy that aligns with the user’s search purpose. When you understand the user’s purpose, you can create content that directly answers their inquiry, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will stay on your site, engage with your content, and eventually convert.
This is done primarily by creating more content that focuses on what internet users are searching for about your product. There are several different reasons that users will search for a particular term on the internet. Matching your content for these different reasons will help you to improve your search rankings.
What are the Different Types of Search Intent in Marketing?
There are four types of search purpose: informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial investigation. Users with informational purpose are looking for answers to a question or seeking knowledge on a particular topic, while users with navigational purpose are looking for a specific website or web page. Users with transactional purpose are looking to purchase a product or service, while users with commercial investigation purpose are researching a product or service before making a purchase decision.
We’ll break down the types of search intent and how best to target them now.
Informational Search Intent
Informational intent is exactly what it sounds like, users are searching purely for informational content about a topic. To carry on with our hot sauce idea, some users may be looking for the ingredients in hot sauce or how to make their own.
Having content that matches informational intent shows the process of how your hot sauce is made and what’s in it will appear more relevant to users seeking information.
Commercial Search Intent
Now we’re down to the users who have all the information and are now deciding on what they want.
These are your typical “best hot sauce near me” type search queries.
This is where a strong commercial presence combined with on-point marketing gets you noticed.
Users may want to compare brands so having positive reviews and up-to-date product listing will help you rank in this category.
Example: “Best budget smartphones 2022.”
Transactional Search Intent
Transactional intent is the point where users are looking to buy your product or service. If you sell your product online then it’s important to have relevant information that drives sales toward your site. This is where users typically search for things like “buy hot sauce online’, ok maybe not, but you get the idea.
Navigational
This is the point where users want to navigate directly to a particular site, such as social media log in, but rather than type out a URL, they search in google. Having keywords in your URL and homepage that identify your site as what users are looking for will help you rank in this category.
Example: “Buy Samsung Galaxy S21.”
Navigational Search Intent
Users want to find a specific website or page.
Example: “Facebook login page.”
Keyword Research
To optimize your content for search purpose, you need to comprehend the user’s purpose behind the search inquiry.
The best way to do this is by analyzing the top-ranking pages for the keyword intent you want to target. By doing deep keyword research, you can determine the type of content that is currently ranking and understand what users are looking for.
You can also use tools like Google Trends, Google Analytics, and Ahrefs to help you identify search trends and user behavior that showcase the areas of deficiency and where you might fill in and properly determine search intent content gaps.
Creating Content to Match Search Intent
Once you have identified the user’s purpose, you need to create content that directly addresses their inquiry.
For informational purpose, create content that provides value and answers the user’s question.
For navigational purpose, ensure that your website is easy to navigate, and the user can quickly find what they are looking for.
For transactional purpose, create content that highlights the benefits of your product or service and provides clear calls-to-action. For commercial investigation purpose, create content that compares different products or services and provides users with all the information they need to make an informed decision.
Create content that satisfies search intent for your target audience.
Letting Google Work For You
Determining user intent is much like doing keyword research. Using the information Google freely gives you on the SERP allows you to find out exactly what users want to know when they search for a particular topic.
Developing content that matches what users search for is as easy as Googling the topic yourself and seeing what comes up. From there, you can develop content that answers questions and funnels users towards your product.
The key to this is to blend both keyword relevance with query relevance. If the keywords you’re trying to rank for aren’t relevant to what users hope to find, then your content is not optimized to drive traffic.
If you think of it as a two-pronged approach to SEO, then you will be more likely to generate content that is optimized for both the search engine and user intent.
Conclusion
Understanding the user’s purpose behind search queries enables you to create content that is relevant and provides value. By doing this, you can improve your rankings, drive more traffic to your site, and increase engagement and conversions.
Remember to analyze the top-ranking pages for the keyword you want to target and create content that directly answers the user’s inquiry.
With the right strategy and approach, you can optimize your content for search purpose and achieve SEO success.
Hopefully, this post has helped to break down the connection between SEO and user search intent and give you a better idea of how the two are interconnected in terms of ranking your site.
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