Every single day, Google processes over 40,000 search queries.
In order for it to show each user search results that are relevant to what they’re looking for, Google needs to understand what their final goal is with each search query they make.
That’s exactly where search intent comes into play.
Keep reading, and leading London SEO agency Grapefruit Digital will help you learn more about this aspect of SEO and how you can start optimising your website for it! You can easily witness the difference in the final outcomes by connecting to a leading SEO Company in London.
What Is Search Intent and Why Is It Important?
Every time a person uses a search engine, they do so with a specific goal in mind – finding a certain piece of information, making a purchase… you get the drill. In short, search intent (otherwise known as keyword intent) refers to that goal.
There are four main types of search intent:
- Informational intent: When the user is looking for an answer to a question or further information about a certain topic.
- Navigational intent: When the user wants to find a specific website or page.
- Transactional intent: When the user wants to complete a certain action. This action is usually to purchase something, but it can also be things like signing up for a webinar or completing a form.
- Commercial investigation: When the user wants to do research about a product or service, but not necessarily buy it at that moment. Usually, people look for reviews and testimonials when doing a commercial investigation.
Thanks to its algorithms, Google is able to determine the search intent of people and, consequently, place websites that satisfy those intents at the top of its SERPs.
Of course, that doesn’t just happen – you need to optimise for search intent so that Google sees you as a relevant website for certain goals.
Wondering how you can do that? Keep reading.
How Can You Optimise for Search Intent?
Now that you know a bit of the theory behind search intent marketing and its place in SEO, it’s time to learn how you can use it to elevate your online presence.
The first step is to decide which type of intent you’ll be optimising for since they are all so different and, as such, require you to adopt different strategies.
1. Informational Intent Optimisation
When users look for information, they tend to use queries such as “how to”, “meaning of”, “what is”, “tutorial” and such. The best way for you to optimise your website for informational intent is to include those expressions in your page titles, meta-descriptions and header tags.
2. Navigational Intent Optimisation
Navigational intent is much more specific, so it requires you to focus on expressions that are just as specific. If this is the type of optimisation you’re going for, don’t forget to include your product and brand names in your titles, descriptions and headers.
3. Transactional Intent Optimisation
The keyword when it comes to transactional intent is conversion and that’s exactly what you’ll be working towards achieving. Use a clear CTA and include relevant information about the product or service.
4. Commercial Investigation Optimisation
Lastly, for commercial investigation, you want to get users to trust your brand and choose you during their research. Using queries like “top” and “best” is a good strategy.
Search Intent: A Ranking Factor You Simply Can’t Ignore
Search intent has become a big part of the SEO universe and nowadays, it’s something your business can’t afford to ignore – so make sure you’re paying attention to this crucial component of your SEO strategy.