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Defining “Search Intent” for Writing Targeted Website Content
Lately, a big buzzword (buzzphrase?) has been “Search Intent,” which is crucial to successful online search today. Read on to learn what this is and why your web content should reflect it.
More and more, Artificial Intelligence is refining how search engines work. Instead of asking a user to wade through vast amounts of content, AI is winnowing down the options and serving up only the results that are the most accurate answers to the user’s question. Users, in turn, are being much more specific with their questions.
This filtering process is referred to as Search Intent. When someone types something into the search box – or speaks into their phone – what is their actual objective? Are they looking for help with a pub quiz or buying a product? The intentions are quite different, so the search engines will return quite different results depending on the search’s perceived intention. Your website content needs to be composed so that it shows up in answer to the right kind of search query.
Experts have identified several categories of Search Intent: Navigational, Informational, Commercial, Transactional, and Local. Here’s a brief overview of each:
Navigational Search
When you want to know if the museum is open on Monday or the address of the bar where your friends are meeting, you search online by name. While you might not know the exact URL of the website, you know it’s where the information you need resides. Nearly always, brands own the obvious URLs, so you will easily find them in search because their brand name is a top search term.
Informational Search
These queries usually start with “how, when” and similar interrogatives. Or they include words like “tips.” Users are looking for information, suggestions, and advice for their homes, their family, their work, or even that pub quiz we mentioned earlier.
Commercial Search
Commercial search queries indicate that users are looking to purchase, but they aren’t quite ready yet. They’re doing their research for pros and cons, comparing reviews, and asking for recommendations. While they may be using a brand name, they are usually looking for what websites other than the brand's site have to say.
Transactional Search
When a user is ready to purchase and goes online to do that, it’s called Transactional search. They no longer want to scroll through reviews or specs, and their credit card is in hand. Transactions could also include “make an appointment” or “download the guide.” Regardless, this user is prepared to take action.
Local Search
A chiropractor. A pizza place. A roofer. These queries often use the phrase “near me” because the user needs a local service or product, but people also search the locales where they vacation or where loved ones live. Top search terms for these users are the appropriate location names.
As you can see, basic search engine optimization on your website is just not enough any longer. If you want your business or organization website returned for a specific Search Intent query, you'll need content specific to the intent, using the appropriate search terms.
Ask yourself and your team to determine the Search Intent category for which you should be optimized. You might have different pages for different intent queries, but each should have specific and distinct content. It is prohibitively expensive to try being everything to everybody. It’s time to make hard decisions and focus on where your business wants to make its mark.
You know the most about your business and your customers. Working with the Sprocket team, you can use that knowledge to create an SEO strategy that helps you become the right answer to a user’s search intent. Contact us today to learn more.
Photo by KoolShooters
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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