Search intent is the motivation behind an internet user’s search entry. This could range from looking up medical symptoms to ordering pizza. Often a person will enter a word into a search bar to find a link to a website. For example, if a person types ‘Facebook’ into Google, then they are likely looking for facebook.com, so Google will provide this as the first link. If a person types’ pizza near me’ into Google, then Google will provide a list of pizza restaurants within the searcher’s general location. The user could further define that search by adding ‘open now’, to which Google will filter the search results to pizza restaurants within the searcher’s general location that are currently open.
The search intent is important for marketers to understand because it offers insights into customers’ motivations and preferences. With this information, marketing campaigns and strategies can be adjusted and adapted to increase the likelihood of website clicks and customer conversions. Everyone who searches for a word or phrase online is hoping to find a relevant result. Marketers can help businesses appear higher in those search engine results pages (SERPs) by understanding the user’s search intent and optimising a business’s website and content so that they match the intent of the user.
Understanding the search intent also lets marketers create content that is better optimised for SEO. By understanding the reasons behind a person’s related intentions become clearer, and content can be created that serves to answer questions customers didn’t even know they had.
Essentially, understanding the user’s search intent helps you make searchers’ efforts much more clean and efficient.
Search intent can be better understood when you categorise it into the following four types: Navigational, Informational, Transactional, and Commercial Investigation.
Navigational
With navigational intent, users want to reach a certain site. As mentioned earlier, if you type ‘Facebook’ into Google’s search bar it is more than likely that you want to reach Facebook’s website.
Informational
Informational search intent refers to a search for information. This could be about symptoms of an illness, the weather in a certain place, or simply a ‘how-to’ search, such as how to remove a stain or fix your WiFi connection. Google is very intelligent, so it offers search results that are most likely what you are looking for. For example, if you search ‘carbonara’, you will likely find multiple sites with carbonara recipes, as opposed to something like the history of carbonara as a dish.
Transactional
These searches are typically performed with the intent to make a purchase. Many people choose to shop online, now more than ever given the massive shift to online for many businesses following the onset of the pandemic and government-sanctioned restrictions and regulations. With search terms such as ‘buy’ or ‘cost’, search engines will generally provide links to online shops and the latest deals on your desired product or service.
Commercial Investigation
With a commercial search intent, there is also often a transactional search intent, but not for the immediate future. Those with a commercial search intent are likely to be searching for price comparisons and product or service reviews. Search engines, in turn, will offer links to price comparison websites or online shops with recent deals and discounts, or forums and boards related to the search topic.
Understand Search Intent for Better Content Creation
When you understand a user’s search intent, you demonstrate that you understand their wants and needs, and show them that you can provide. When you know the intent, you are better informed when it comes to creating relevant, valuable content. The content you create will be of value because you will have made it highly relevant. Relevancy is key when it comes to ranking higher on SERPs; one of the main goals of your marketing efforts.
Ask yourself: “why is this person searching for this term?” Once you figure that out and combine that knowledge with your pre-existing information on your general and specific audience demographics, you can tailor your content so that it attracts high-quality leads. From here, it will become easier to achieve conversion.
Understanding search intent is understanding the searcher. When people feel that your business accurately and efficiently answers their questions, they may come to see you as a trustworthy and reliable source of information. This goes a long way in establishing and strengthening your reputation as a business worthy of returning to in the future.
