What is Search Intent?

Posted by David Watson . on February 16, 2021

I felt quite proud of myself when I initially thought that I had a perfect handle on SEO and specifically the use of keywords. Then I discovered another element to SEO that has become equally important if not more so. I was now faced with something else to learn, known as search intent. If you want to verse yourself properly in the various proponents of SEO, then it might be a wise idea to look into the likes of this Free SEO Course or others alike that can get you started.

What is Search Intent?

When an individual is looking for something on the internet, they will do a search. This is known as search intent. Initially, the search engines would then produce data based on the keywords used in that search. The most common types of search intent are commercial, navigational, transactional, and informational. Location intent offers the most CTA conversion is it allows the user to include the location of any object describing the business and activities related to any application that may help in the interconnection of the production of a net result. Search intent is beneficial in businesses to gain more consumers. Matching customer’s search intent helps in building your business authority in the field. An example of location intent is using keywords like “Pawn stores near me, dentist nearby, etc. It’s critical that you provide relevant details about your business that fits the user search query like business information and faqs about your product, business, and industry.

Search Intent Categories

There are several different types of search intent, but there are three main categories which are as follows:

Learning

Here the individual doing the search is intent on learning something. The queries will contain phrases such as how to do a task, or what is something.

To optimize for this, you want to be sure to provide as much information as possible to answer their query. They want to learn something, and you need to fill this requirement. When I am writing this type of content, my posts are very long and detailed. I leave no reason for the searcher to have to go somewhere else to learn more.

Action

The searcher is intent on doing something. Such as buying a product, or following directions.

All of the content you provide for this type of search is important, but the headline is critical. It must contain the name of what the searcher is looking for. If it is something for free, include this in the title. Your page’s information must be easy to navigate and ensure that you have a strong call to action. Do not promise something you cannot deliver.

Find something

In this case, the searcher knows what they are looking for, but instead of entering a URL will enter a search term.

Now search engines have become far more sophisticated when they crawl the content. They can identify the quality of the content in how well it answers a searcher’s query.

Search Intent

What Does Search Intent Do for You?

I found that when I focused on search intent and keywords, my content was much more informative. It also helped to boost the awareness of my brand.

The Importance of Keywords

I almost made the mistake of ignoring the keywords. Then I realized they are still essential. They make up part of the queries that searchers are looking for. The only difference is now that the content must be far more detailed and specific to what the user wants.

Thinking About the Searcher

This is an excellent example of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. In this case, think about the individual searching for something that you may have. You need to consider the intent of the searcher and then produce content that will match that.

Planning Your Content to Match the Query

I found that this was not as easy as it sounds. Queries can mean a lot of different things. For example, a query of “the best chocolate cake” could mean that the searcher is looking for many different things. So the keyword would be the best chocolate cake, but the searcher may want to know:

The best chocolate cake to make

  • The best chocolate cake recipe
  • The best chocolate cake with low fat
  • The most amazing chocolate cake

This means that you, as the producer of content, have to determine which of these queries are going to be the most important to you, which is why keyword research for your niche and page is imperative for correct SEO marketing. If you have a health site the best chocolate cake to make should be the query you focus on.

Anything to do with Search Engine Optimization will take time to learn and master. There is always something new to learn. For this reason, a business owner must put time aside to keep up to date with what the search engines are doing next.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *