Bringing a visitor to the website is a good result, but offering them the information they are really looking for is even better. To do so, it is important to build keyword research and content creation on Search Intent. Thus, CTR (click through rate) improves, visits to the website grow, more conversions are made and visitors become loyal.
In this article, we will find out what are the main online users search intents and how we can create content that can effectively respond to their needs.
What is Search Intent
Search Intent states the reason that pushes a user to carry out a certain search online, on Google or on another search engine. There are different types of search intent, often placed at a different level of the conversion funnel. We can list the four most important ones, which allow us to create excellent online content, which is very satisfying for users who carry out an online search.
Informational Search
Informational research starts with very general questions about a topic. They can be direct questions (“what is the capital of Italy?”), definitions, curiosities, insights. In marketing, some examples of queries can be: “how to choose hiking shoes for non-experts”, or “how to get the first position on Google”. Note: Never do this search, because whoever promises you the first position on Google is cheating.
At this stage, the user does not have in mind to take a direct action, but is asking for an information, more or less specific, on a topic. Usually, for simple questions, Google provides the answers directly in Serp; for the more articulated ones, it can instead propose authoritative sources, even if artificial intelligence is changing the scenario.
While not generating a direct and immediate profit, good informative content can increase brand awareness and create strong correlations with SEO entities belonging to a specific semantic area. This is pushing companies to become more and more publishers who communicate through different channels.
Navigational searches start with blunt queries about a brand or product. This is a request for sharp information related to use, for which the user expects to find a link to the official website. The most classic examples are those to access a specific area (“facebook login”), but also brand keys.
Transactional Searches
Transactional searches start with specific questions about a brand or product. User is ready for action, whether it’s a subscription, a purchase, or a download. Examples of these queries are: “netflix subscription”, “purchase vasco rossi torino concert ticket”, “download adobe photoshop”, “amazon prime price”.
A company should oversee this research to offer timely answers and improve user experience from the early stages of the online journey and to outperform other websites in organic and paid results.
Commercial Sarch
Commercial search starts from the seeking for information with a view to a purchase. The user is in the funnel phase during which he knows what he needs and wants to evaluate the best alternative, based on the characteristics of the offer and price. Examples of these queries are: “cheap all you can eat sushi restaurants in rome”, “best 55-inch 4k tv”, “iphone vs samsung galaxy”.
For this search intent there is the biggest battle between competing companies, both between organic results (for an e-commerce, a good product sheet can make the difference), and between paid listings. Alll the bloggers who make reviews are also included here.
Search Intent vs User Intent: Google’s guidelines
Google doesn’t refer to Search Intent, but to User Intent. The concept is similar, but in this case the focus shifts slightly in the direction of specific queries. In the guidelines for Quality Raters, they are clearly defined.
Know Queries
Know queries are very similar to informational searches: the user asks for information about a topic. They can be generic or go into details. In the second instance, we have what Google calls Simple Know Queries. Examples of the first kind are: “tom cruise”, “firenze”, “ricette pasta”. The corresponding Simple Know Queries can be: “how tall is tom cruise”, “how many inhabitants does florence have”, “pasta carbonara recipe”, “carbonara recipe pork jowl or bacon”. This last query is considered very important by Italians!
Do Queries
Do queries are somewhat transactional lookups: they are action-oriented. Some examples are: “download sign-up form”, “watch youtube”, “net salary calculation”, “what is my BMI”, “how many dollars is 10 €”. The result is the page that allows me to perform the action or, sometimes, a calculator or configurator.
Website Queries
Website queries correspond exactly to navigational searches: the user is looking for a specific website or a page on the website. Sometimes, he types the full url directly into the search box.
Visit-In-Person Queries
Visit-In-Person Queries correspond to the address of a place or the route to reach it. The destination can be specific (e.g. “colosseum rome address”), or it can correspond to an evaluation intent (e.g. “pizza restaurants near me”). The snippet that best responds to this type of query is Google Maps. Here, a local SEO strategy is very important.
Keyword Research built on Search Intent
Knowing the search intent and placing it in the context of the business and the website is essential to create a complete and effective content marketing strategy. It is unlikely that a page will be able to respond to all types of searches. For example, an e-commerce website must have a purchase-oriented page, with all the information about the product, but it can go along with a blog that covers an informational search intent.
The key question is: who are we targeting and what are they looking for online?
The answer guides the subsequent Keyword Research. The results must be segmented in the best possible way and then associated with the most suitable type of content. Some tools, such as Semrush or SEOZoom, indicate the search intent for each keyword crawled. Obviously, these recommendations need to be reviewed by the SEO specialist, but this is a great place to start.
Search Intent and rules for content creation
After identifying the target audience and defining the context, it comes the time for content creation (article, video, audio or any other format). Title and thumbnail image are the first touchpoint. The connection to search intent should be clear and explicit. User must believe that that content can give them the answer they are looking for.
Then, there’s the body of the message. The promise contained in the title must be kept, otherwise user will leave the website disappointed, will hardly come back again and will unwittingly send negative references to Google. Content quality and user experience are key at this stage.
As we have seen, creating good online content is not trivial. A precise analysis of Search Intent (or User Intent, as Google calls it) is very important to increase traffic to the website and conversion rate.
