One day, a man on a crowded bus asked me my name. So, I answered. Then, he asked me what I do for a living. So, I replied. Then, I asked him the same (out of politeness.) So, he described his days of past and present and everything in between for more time than I imagined spending in conversation with him.
However, through this forced encounter, I could empathize with the millions of users who go on Google, search their queries and discover content with a superpower that I never wish to have – the ability to say so much without saying anything relevant at all.
Some content ends up being like that man on the bus because of the writers’ inability to understand searchers’ intent.
Search intent is an SEO fundamental, the key to the success of your SEO efforts. However, it is one thing that many marketers fail to grasp. Therefore, in this blog, Digital Googly, an SEO company in Kolkata, India, explains everything you need to know about search intent.
Types of Search Intent
Search intent are of four types –
Informational
People who want to learn more about a subject or topic use informational queries. These are the most common types of searches with the highest results volume.
Informational searches can also be found at the top of the marketing funnel when visitors are less likely to become customers during the discovery phase. These searchers wish content-rich pages that quickly and clearly answer their questions and the SERP associated with these searches will reflect that, says an SEO expert in Kolkata, India.
Navigational
Navigational intent searchers already know which company or brand they want, but they require assistance getting to their desired page or website. Brand names, specific products, and services are frequently mentioned in these searches.
Homepages or specific product or service pages are usually featured in these SERPs. They may also include coverage of a brand in the mainstream media.
Commercial
Commercial queries are a type of hybrid intent, combining informational and transactional elements.
These searches are done to complete a transaction. The searcher wants to buy something, but they’re also looking for informational pages to help them decide. Informational and product or service pages are frequently combined in commercial intent results.
Transactional
Transactional queries have the most commercial intent because they are used by people who have already decided what they want to buy. The terms “price” and “sale” are frequently used in transactional searches, says Digital Googly, a digital marketing company in Kolkata, India.
Most transactional SERPs are commercial pages (products, services and subscription pages).
Two Golden Questions
The two golden questions that Digital Googly, an SEO company in Kolkata, India, uses to understand search intent are –
Should my page rank there?
When we receive a list of target keywords from a client, the first question we ask is, “Should your website be ranking in these search results?”
Inquiring about this question raises other important questions, such as, “What is the intent of these searches?” What is Google’s interpretation of the intent? And what kind of result are people looking for?
You must first optimize your pages for intent before optimizing them for specific keywords and themes.
The first page of Google is the best place to begin your intent research. Enter the keywords you want to rank for and see what posts Google returns. Are the outcomes blog posts, reviews, in-depth guides or top ten lists?
If you scan the results and notice that the results page contains in-depth guides for a query, your chances of having your product or service page rank for it are slim. However, suppose you see your competitors’ product page there. In that case, you may have a chance of ranking if you optimize your page correctly.
Google displays what users want. As a result, to rank, you must create a page comparable to the first page results, says the SEO experts in Kolkata, India.With proper first-page research, you can also determine whether or not other pages are catering to the searchers’ intent. If not, you can compete for first place by creating a focused page that is bang on point and answers search intent.
What will this achieve?
“What do you want to achieve with your ranking?” is a crucial follow-up question we also ask.
“More traffic” is the one response we always get. But what does “more traffic” imply?
That traffic could lead to brand discovery, authority building, or direct conversions, depending on the intent associated with a given keyword. When setting expectations and assigning KPIs, it is essential to keep intent in mind.
“It’s essential to remember that not all traffic will convert, neither does it have to” – Digital Googly, a digital marketing company in Kolkata, India.
A well-balanced SEO strategy targets multiple stages of the marketing funnel, ensuring that your potential customers can find you. And the only way to target all the stages is by identifying keywords and phrases that prospects in these stages use to make their queries.
After identifying, segmenting the targeted keywords and phrases based on intent is necessary. It will help you fill any gaps in your keyword targeting.
Consider what ranking for potential target keywords could mean for your company and how that relates to your overall marketing objectives. This exercise will force you to hone in on the opportunities (and SERPs) that will have the greatest impact.