It’s important to have an understanding of user intent, as it is crucial to the success of modern SEO. Over the years, Google has improved its algorithm to determine a user’s search intent and rank pages that are most suitable for the search term.
Brands that strive to succeed need to ensure that they have quality knowledge of what customers are searching for. More so, their intentions behind entering queries on search engines.
Users would want to have relevant information pop up as results whenever they conduct searches. Matching the intent of your user helps you drive leads to relevant content on your page.
You’ll have to optimise your content to match user or search intent to attract relevant leads to your business through search engine optimisation (SEO).
What is User Intent?
User intent (also known as search intent) is the primary aim a user has when they search a query in a search engine. Most times, when a user uses keywords and phrases on search engines, there are specific results that the user is looking for.
For instance, the intent behind searching for a camera lens is different from searching for the best camera brands. The intent will also be different when searching for camera apps on Android or even the history of the camera.
Yes, they are all centered around the same overall topic which is the camera, but they have different intent.
Types of User Intent
They are four main types of user intent. They are:
- Commercial intent
- Navigational intent
- Informational intent
- Transactional intent
Let’s see the meaning of these terms.
#1. Commercial Intent
Commercial intent (also known as high intent) is referred to as the “buy now” intent. It indicates a strong intention on the user to take a commercial action, either to buy, join, subscribe, and so on.
Usually, these are keyword phrases that contain the following modifiers:
- Deals
- Coupon
- Buy (online)
- Free Shipping, etc.
Users are likely to commit to buying based on the results found in these types of searches.
#2. Navigational Intent
The second type of search intent on this list is navigational intent. People with navigational intent want to find a specific website or page. For instance, people who search for Facebook are likely on their way to the website, Facebook.
But instead of simply typing “facebook.com”, they will rather type just Facebook on Google and then, Google navigates them to the Facebook website.
#3. Informational Intent
“How to prepare rice” is a good example of a search with informational intent. Oftentimes, results found in such search features include steps taken to prepare the meal, related questions, as well as videos.
#4. Transactional Intent
The final type of search intent on this list is transactional intent. There are lots of people who buy things on the internet and search the web to find the best deals. Therefore, people search with a transactional intent when their goal is to purchase something.
How to Optimise your Content for Search Intent
- Think of how people search: Use tools, such as Google Webmaster, Bing Webmaster, and YouTube Analytics to analyze and study impressions, clicks, click-through rate, and average site ranking
- Leverage different search engines and online platforms: You could miss opportunities to rank on other search engines if you ignore them.
Yes, Google is the most used search engine but you should also consider taking steps to rank higher or even better on other search engines such as Bing and YouTube.
- Optimise your content: Content optimisation is all about giving your the best possible answers to the immediate needs of your target audience.
The quicker your content provides the users’ query and satisfies their demand, the higher the likelihood they will stay on the page instead of moving next to your competitor’s page.
Conclusion
It’s pertinent to make sure that the content suits both the terms people are searching for, as well as the intent of your audience.
Ensure that your page is of informational benefits when the intent of your user is informational. And lead them to your sales page of the intent is to buy a product.
