An important SEO concept is that of search intent. Some SEO concepts are more technical, such as the number of keywords, your robots file, or other page elements.
However, search intent is somewhat more vague and more subjective. Still, it’s a very important ranking factor that Google uses when deciding where your page appears in search results. This is because having proper search intent affects a lot of secondary ranking factors.
So in this post, let’s discuss what is intent in SEO. That way you can enjoy more rankings, more traffic, and more sales.
Read More: Semantic Search: What It Is & How it Impacts Your SEO Results
What Is Search Intent?
What is user intent a.ka. search intent? Search intent is just a fancy way to say the reason why a user is searching for that query. In other words, why did they use those specific words?
What are they trying to accomplish? Do they want to answer a question? Are they trying to find a product? Do they want to connect with the sales team? Do they want the definition of the word? Are they trying to find a website?
These are just some examples of the kind of questions you should be asking yourself when creating content around a particular keyword.
What Is Keyword Intent – Example
For instance, if somebody’s search query is “how to get gum out of the carpet” that gives you an insight into their intention.
If you simply create a page talking about the best type of carpets and where to buy them, that’s probably not going to answer their question or help them. That’s why search intent is so important.
In general, there are four types of search intent categories.
The 4 Search Intent Types
Here are the various types of search intent that users typically have when using Google and other search engines online.
Informational Keywords
Informational search intent comprises most of Google searches. This is where people are looking for answers to questions like how, when, where, or why.
They might want to know information about a store’s hours, details about a company, or other purely informational topics.
Examples include: who is Tom Brady, how to do a push-up, weather in Atlanta.
Navigational Keywords
When someone has navigational search intent, that means that they want to find a particular web page. So for instance, someone might type Facebook or Twitter or Amazon.com into Google.
Transactional Keywords
This type of search intent means the user is ready to buy something. You can tell their search intent by the words they use.
Examples of transactional search intent are: subscribe to Netflix, buy Nike Shox, coupon for pizza.
Commercial Keywords
Commercial keywords are somewhat of a blend between transactional keywords and informational keywords. Commercial search intent typically means that someone is considering making a transaction soon but not right now.
These can be very profitable keywords because they represent that the searcher is already partially down the funnel and will be ready to make a transaction soon.
Examples of commercial search intent can be: price of car repair, Olive Garden review, best lawn mower.
Other Types of Keyword Intention
If keywords don’t fall into one of the four categories above, then it can be more difficult to create web pages around them that rank. If the search intent is unknown, it could be for several reasons.
Maybe the keyword is too general. For instance, if somebody simply types in the word “car”, it may be difficult to ascertain what they’re trying to achieve.
Are they looking for types of cars? Are they looking for a local car dealership? Are they looking for prices? Or are they looking for images of cars?
For this reason, the longer a keyword is, the more likely that you will be able to understand the intent. That’s one of the reasons that specific long tail keywords can be so profitable.
SEO Atlanta
Search intent can be a complex endeavor. Instead of spending time and money trying to figure it out for yourself, let a professional SEO agency handle it for you. Our experts in Search Engine Optimization in Atlanta have you covered.
We’ll help you determine what type of keywords should be on your page. Then we can create the content necessary to attract the best visitors for your brand.
