The Importance of Search Intent

An SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) strategy is not much use without search intent - and yet, more often than not, small businesses don’t even know what search intent is, never mind how to use it for their own benefit.



Search intent does what it says on the tin - it defines the intention behind the user search and encourages businesses to put themselves in the shoes of their target audience. This not only guides an SEO strategy and enables Google to match your copy and SEO with a specific search intention, but completely takes control over what keywords you should be bidding on, which key terms you should be using, and which search results you want to be showing up on.

Discovering The Search Intent Behind Your Customers

Before you can start to uncover what your target customer is searching for and why, you first need to understand a little more about the different types of search intent. The fact is, every time you make a search on a search engine, you are doing so with some kind of intent in mind.

This could be a search for general information about a topic, it could be a means of searching for a particular brand or product without the URL, it could be transactional and very focussed on a specific buyer intention, or it could be a basic hunt for the tips and reviews of others.

One of the easiest ways to find out what kind of searcher YOU are, is to look at whether you typically type questions, statements, or product and brand names into your search bar.

Once you know what type of search you are and how search intent drives your own interaction with the online world, you become able to put yourself in the shoes of your customer and start to break down their journey.

How Does Search Intent Benefit Your SEO Strategy?

Your SEO strategy is a culmination of many things, but one of the major areas of focus is on content, copy, and the way you use keywords as part of your online presence. The keywords you are already using will be based on your industry, your brand, and the way your product or service is a solution to someone’s problem (hopefully). This next step is all about finding out how to make those keywords even more targeted and applicable to your customer.

So, ask yourself this. WHY is your customer searching? What is the intention behind their search? Does your landing page copy match that intention? And what can you do to make sure that when they make that search, your business is the one that pops up on page one?

Why is this so important? Not only does it make the customer journey smoother, but it also lets Google know that you understand your customer and that you are offering is relevant to them. And in a race to gain the best SEO strategy, getting Google onside is crucial.

A Quick Guide To Implementing Search Intent

To build search intent into your business and your online presence, you need to be able to recognise those four types of searchers we mentioned earlier.

• Informational searchers
• Navigational searchers
• Transactional searchers
• Investigative searchers

As a business, transactional searchers are the dream. These are the searchers who know what they want and are looking to buy. But, of course, the likelihood of consistently showing up for these searchers is rare, especially with so much online competition out there.

So, your job is to ensure that your SEO strategy taps into all four types of searcher - and delivers what they need every time.

There are tons of analytics tools and systems you can use to understand how customers are finding you and where they are coming from - with one of our main pieces of advice being the consistency of keywords not just online but in your ads and your social media posts as well. Consistency and relevance is key, and you want to show Google and your audience that you are a go-to in your industry and your specific field of expertise.

Here are a few must-dos from us, which can help you build search intent into your business.

• Make sure that your SEO and keyword strategy uses a combination of informational, transactional, navigational, and investigative terms. To do this, implement your brand name and product, your location, the solution your product offers, your target audience, and your generic industry type into your keywords.
• Get to know SERPS. These are featured snippets and are the kind of search results which show up when the search intent is super clear, and Google is able to pinpoint the kind of adverts and content snippets which serve the user’s exact intention. An example includes the shopping carousel that appears when a search is deliberately transactional.
• Keep your analytics fluid and regularly updated. Google rankings change all the time - and so do the algorithms which determine whether you are ranking highly or not. If your rankings are changing a lot then you may find that Google is struggling to determine the search intent that your content is produced for - so assess the copy and see how you can improve it.
• If you haven’t already, create a detailed target customer breakdown which will help you get into the headspace of your customer and start to unpick their intentions and motivations behind each search.

The Takeaway...

Search intent means defining the reason behind a specific user search - whether they are typing with a definitive end goal in mind, or creating more of a broad search for inspiration and ideas. Whatever it is, knowing that intention can help frame your copy and your SEO strategy, and can help boost your business online for good.